Chapter 5 - The First Apology
Elena did not respond.
Marcus stood in front of her with his hands at his sides.
“I know Victoria pushed the stroller.”
Rosa exhaled sharply.
One officer stepped forward.
“You’ve confirmed the footage?”
Marcus handed him his phone.
The officer watched.
His face hardened.
Elena kept looking at Marcus.
He seemed unable to hold her gaze.
Finally, he forced himself to.
“I was wrong.”
Elena’s voice was quiet.
“You hit me.”
Marcus flinched.
“I know.”
“I saved your son.”
“I know.”
“And before I could even explain, you believed her.”
Every word landed harder than shouting would have.
Marcus nodded.
“I did.”
Elena looked away.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Nothing.”
Marcus swallowed.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
The officer finished watching the video.
“Where is Ms. Victoria Crane?”
Marcus looked toward the estate guard.
“Still on the property?”
The guard frowned.
“She was.”
Marcus’s expression sharpened.
“What does that mean?”
“She went upstairs about fifteen minutes ago.”
“To where?”
“She said she needed medication.”
Marcus immediately turned.
“Check the security room.”
The guard spoke into his radio.
No response.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Marcus’s eyes changed.
He ran.
Everyone followed.
The security room was located near the east service corridor.
The door stood open.
Inside, one monitor was black.
A chair had been overturned.
The digital recording unit was missing.
Marcus stopped in the doorway.
“No.”
David, the security manager, rushed in from outside.
He stared at the empty shelf.
“She took the recorder.”
Marcus turned.
“You sent me the clip.”
“Yes.”
“Is it backed up?”
David nodded.
“Some of it.”
“How much?”
“I uploaded the pool incident to cloud storage after you called.”
“What about the older recordings?”
David looked sick.
“Most are stored locally.”
Marcus slammed his palm against the wall.
The officer moved past him.
“Search the property.”
The estate guard ran toward the driveway.
Marcus followed.
Victoria’s Mercedes was still parked near the gate.
But the passenger door stood open.
The trunk was empty.
A second officer checked the garden.
Another searched the guest wing.
Elena stepped onto the porch.
Something caught her attention.
A narrow strip of mud crossed the stone path toward the old carriage house.
She pointed.
“There.”
Marcus followed her gaze.
The carriage house had not been used in years.
The door was partly open.
Two officers approached carefully.
Marcus stayed behind them.
The first officer pushed the door wider.
Empty.
Then Elena noticed tire tracks beyond the building.
Fresh ones.
A service road ran behind the estate.
It connected to a maintenance entrance Marcus rarely used.
The gate there had been manually opened.
Victoria had escaped.
Marcus’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Silence.
Then Victoria’s voice.
“You should have trusted me.”
Marcus’s face became rigid.
“You tried to kill my son.”
“No.”
“I watched you push him into the pool.”
Victoria laughed softly.
“You watched thirty-seven seconds.”
Marcus looked at Elena.
Victoria continued.
“You have no idea what you’re actually looking at.”
“Come back.”
“No.”
“Victoria.”
“You want the rest of the recordings?”
Marcus looked toward the empty security shelf.
“What did you do with them?”
“They’re with me.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
Victoria’s voice became colder.
May you like
“Now maybe you’ll listen.”
The call ended.
