Chapter 12 - The Night of the AccidentMark inserted the tape.
Static.
Then the image appeared.
The date was the night Eleanor supposedly died.
A car was parked behind the mansion.
Eleanor stood beside it.
Victoria approached.
Richard followed.
Then Thomas.
Then another man.
William.
Mark stopped breathing.
All four were there.
Eleanor was holding a folder.
"You won't get Lily's trust."
Victoria said:
"You don't understand."
Eleanor replied:
"I understand everything."
Richard stepped forward.
"You need to cooperate."
"I won't."
Thomas reached for the folder.
Eleanor pulled away.
"Touch me and I'll call the police."
William laughed.
"You still think the police can help you?"
Mark paused the video.
He turned toward Eleanor.
"You knew all of them."
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I wanted to protect you."
He resumed the tape.
Eleanor entered the car.
Richard climbed into the driver's seat.
Victoria stood outside.
William said something.
The audio was distorted.
But one sentence came through clearly.
"Make it look like she lost control."
Mark's hand trembled.
The video showed the car leaving.
Minutes later, another car followed.
Thomas.
Then the screen went black.
A second camera angle appeared.
The road.
Eleanor's car was speeding.
A black SUV followed.
It hit the rear of the car.
The vehicle spun.
Then crashed into a tree.
Mark covered his mouth.
But it wasn't over.
The camera zoomed in.
The SUV stopped.
Two people got out.
Richard.
And Victoria.
They approached the wreck.
Mark expected them to help.
Instead, Victoria opened the driver's door.
Eleanor was alive.
Barely.
Victoria pulled her out.
Mark stared.
"They didn't rescue her."
Eleanor covered her face.
"They took me."
The video showed them dragging Eleanor into the SUV.
Then the flames began.
The crash had been staged.
The body in the burning car wasn't Eleanor.
It was another woman.
Mark felt sick.
He looked at Eleanor.
"Who was in the car?"
She whispered:
"Victoria's assistant."
The tape continued.
Richard drove away.
Victoria sat beside Eleanor.
Then she leaned over.
"You should have listened."
Eleanor said nothing.
The video ended.
Mark stood frozen.
Daniel looked at the final frame.
"There."
A timestamp.
Another file existed.
Recorded forty minutes later.
Mark opened it.
The camera showed a basement.
Victoria entered.
She was speaking to someone.
Mark leaned closer.
The person in the chair slowly turned.
It was Richard.
No.
Mark knew that face.
It was Thomas.
Thomas smiled at Victoria.
"You did well."
Victoria answered:
"So did you."
Mark's blood ran cold.
Thomas was not working for Victoria.
They were working together.
Then another voice came from behind the camera.
William.
"You both made one mistake."
Mark stared.
William continued:
"You forgot about the child."
The screen cut to Lily.
She was asleep.
Someone had secretly filmed her.
On the screen, Victoria whispered:
"She remembers."
Mark turned toward Lily.
She was standing in the doorway.
Her face had gone white.
"I remember."
Everyone froze.
Lily whispered:
"The night Mommy disappeared..."
May you like
She pointed toward the basement stairs.
"I saw Victoria come home with blood on her hands."
