Chapter 3 - What the Camera Saw
Lucas read the page twice.
Then a third time.
It appeared to be part of a guardianship-related document, but only one page had been hidden inside the bear.
No context.
No explanation.
Mrs. Gable leaned closer.
"What is it?"
"I don't know yet."
Lucas photographed it.
Then he returned the original to the bear exactly where Gracie had hidden it.
"Don't mention this to her."
"Why?"
"Because I want her to tell me what she knows in her own words."
Mrs. Gable nodded.
Lucas called a hotel.
He wasn't taking Gracie home.
By midnight, father and daughter were in adjoining rooms at a quiet hotel near the hospital.
Lucas barely slept.
At 6:12 A.M., Sabrina texted him.
You have no right to keep my daughter from me.
At 6:14:
You are making everything worse.
At 6:19:
My mother says we need to discuss the paperwork before you do something stupid.
Lucas stared at that message.
Paperwork.
He took a screenshot.
Then he replied with five words.
What paperwork are you referring to?
The typing indicator appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Then disappeared.
No response.
At seven, Gracie woke.
Lucas ordered pancakes.
She ate three bites.
"Did Mom call?"
"Yes."
"Is she mad?"
"We're not worrying about Mom right now."
Gracie pushed syrup around her plate.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Are we still a family?"
Lucas's heart broke in a quieter way this time.
"You and I are."
She looked at him.
"And Mom?"
"Your mom will always be your mom."
"Even if she's mad?"
"Even then."
Gracie nodded.
Lucas didn't promise anything he couldn't guarantee.
That morning, he contacted the appropriate professionals for guidance.
He provided the medical documentation.
He preserved the messages.
He preserved Mrs. Gable's videos.
And he did something Sabrina apparently had not expected.
He stopped reacting emotionally.
He started recording facts.
Times.
Dates.
Statements.
Files.
At 10:40, his attorney, Natalie Chen, called.
"Lucas, where did you get the document?"
"Inside Gracie's stuffed bear."
"Do you have the other pages?"
"No."
"I need them."
"Can you tell me what this page means?"
"Not responsibly without the rest."
Lucas paced beside the hotel window.
"Sabrina mentioned paperwork."
"Don't confront her."
"I'm not planning to."
"Good."
"Why?"
"Because if there's more documentation, you don't want it disappearing."
Lucas stopped.
"Mrs. Gable already showed me footage that disappeared from my security system."
Natalie went quiet.
"Send me everything."
He did.
At noon, Lucas received another call.
Mrs. Gable.
Her voice was shaking.
"Someone came to my house."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"When?"
"Just now."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. They didn't come inside."
"What happened?"
"They left an envelope."
Lucas felt his stomach tighten.
"Don't touch it unnecessarily. Call the police if you feel unsafe."
"I already called."
"Good."
Then Mrs. Gable said, "Lucas?"
"Yes?"
"My name is written on the front."
He closed his eyes.
"What does it say?"
"Mrs. Evelyn Gable."
"Anything else?"
She hesitated.
"Underneath it says, You misunderstood what you saw."
Lucas was silent.
Mrs. Gable continued.
"There's something inside."
"Wait for the authorities."
"I already opened it."
"Mrs. Gable—"
"It's a photograph."
"Of what?"
"Your house."
Lucas stopped pacing.
"When?"
"Three weeks ago."
The same period as the strange driveway footage.
"What does it show?"
"Gracie."
Lucas gripped the phone.
"Is she okay in it?"
"Yes. She's standing at her bedroom window."
"Anything else?"
Mrs. Gable's breathing changed.
"There's someone standing behind her."
"Lorraine?"
"No."
Lucas stared at the hotel wall.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
That answer frightened him more.
"Send it to me."
The image arrived.
Lucas opened it.
Gracie stood behind the upstairs window.
Behind her was a man.
Only part of his face was visible.
Lucas enlarged the image.
Nothing.
Too blurry.
He enlarged it again.
The man appeared middle-aged.
Dark jacket.
Glasses.
Lucas didn't recognize him.
Then he noticed what the man was holding.
A folder.
The same color and approximate size as the envelope Lorraine had later handed Sabrina.
His phone rang.
Natalie.
"Lucas, I found something."
"What?"
"The document page you sent me appears to belong to a larger packet."
"What kind?"
"I need confirmation before I characterize it."
"Natalie."
"Listen carefully. Did you ever sign anything concerning temporary guardianship of Gracie?"
"No."
"Educational authority?"
"No."
"Medical authority?"
"No."
"Any document allowing Lorraine to make decisions for Gracie?"
"Absolutely not."
Silence.
"Then we have a problem."
Lucas looked at his daughter.
Gracie was sitting on the carpet drawing.
"What problem?"
"The signature area on the page you sent isn't yours."
"I know."
"I'm not talking about the visible signature."
Lucas frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"There's an authentication reference number at the bottom."
"So?"
"I checked it."
Natalie's voice became quieter.
"It corresponds to another signed page."
Lucas felt cold.
"Whose signature?"
"According to the record, yours."
Lucas sat down.
"That's impossible."
"That's why I said don't confront anyone."
Lucas looked at Gracie again.
"Someone signed my name?"
"I don't know yet."
"Can you get the rest?"
"I'm working on it."
Then Gracie spoke behind him.
"Dad?"
Lucas turned.
She was holding the bear.
The zipper was open.
Her face had gone pale.
"Did you find my paper?"
Lucas ended the call.
He crouched beside her.
"Yes."
Gracie's eyes filled.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize."
"I wasn't supposed to take it."
"Where did you get it?"
She hugged the bear.
"Grandma's bag."
"When?"
"The day she came over."
"Why did you take it?"
Gracie whispered, "Because it had my name."
Lucas stayed still.
"What did Grandma say about it?"
"She didn't know I was listening."
"Listening to what?"
"Her and Mom."
Lucas's pulse accelerated.
"What were they saying?"
Gracie looked toward the hotel door even though Sabrina was miles away.
"Mom said you couldn't know until everything was finished."
"What couldn't I know?"
Gracie shook her head.
"I don't understand."
"That's okay. Just tell me the words you remember."
She concentrated.
"Grandma said, 'Once Lucas signs, he can't change it.'"
Lucas felt the room narrow.
"But I didn't sign anything."
Gracie looked confused.
Then she said something that made every piece shift.
"Mom said you already did."
Lucas stared at her.
"When?"
"She said you signed it before Pittsburgh."
He had signed dozens of business documents before Pittsburgh.
Sabrina occasionally brought household paperwork into his office.
Insurance.
School forms.
Tax documents.
Had something been inserted?
No.
Natalie would determine that.
He wouldn't guess.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Natalie.
FOUND THE FULL PACKET.
Then another.
CALL ME NOW.
Lucas stepped toward the window.
Before he could call, a third message appeared.
Lucas, page six changes everything.
He opened the attached page.
Read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
His eyes stopped on a date.
The proposed arrangement wasn't supposed to begin now.
It was scheduled to begin after a specific event.
Lucas read the event twice.
May you like
Then he looked toward Gracie.
Because according to the document, the arrangement would become effective if Lucas Prescott failed to return from his Pittsburgh business trip.
