Chapter 4: The Missing Ten Minutes
The first thing I noticed when I opened the security footage was the timestamp.
2:17 p.m.
That was when Kayla had claimed Jamal followed her from the kitchen to the back door.
I leaned closer to the monitor.
The hallway camera showed Kayla walking out of the kitchen alone.
Three seconds later, Jamal appeared.
Then he stopped.
He didn’t follow her.
He stood in the hallway, looked toward the kitchen, and turned around.
I replayed it.
Again.
And again.
There was something else.
Jamal had a phone pressed to his ear.
I froze the frame and zoomed in.
The screen wasn’t clear enough to identify the number, but I could see his face.
He looked worried.
Not angry.
Not interested in Kayla.
Worried.
I wrote the timestamp down.
Then I opened the backyard camera.
Kayla came through the back door at 2:18.
Jamal did not appear behind her.
I let the footage run.
At 2:21, Kayla looked back toward the house.
Then she took out her phone.
She typed something.
A minute later, her mother entered the frame.
Monique.
She crossed the yard quickly and stood beside Kayla.
The two of them talked.
No audio.
But their body language was impossible to ignore.
Kayla was crying.
Monique put both hands on her shoulders.
Then Kayla handed her the phone.
Monique looked at the screen.
Her expression changed.
She looked directly toward the back door.
Toward the house.
Toward the camera.
I sat back.
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
I had spent twenty-two years walking into burning buildings.
I knew the feeling that came before something went wrong.
Your body noticed danger before your mind could explain it.
My body was screaming.
I grabbed my phone and called Jamal.
He answered on the second ring.
“Dad?””
“Where are you?””
“At work.””
“You alone?””
A pause.
“Yeah.””
I lowered my voice.
“I need you to answer something honestly.””
“Okay.””
“Yesterday, after dinner, did Kayla ever tell you she felt unsafe around you?””
Silence.
Then Jamal said, “No.””
“Did she ever say anything to you about following her?””
“No.””
I looked back at the screen.
“Then why were you in the hallway at 2:17?””
Another pause.
“Dad, I already told you.””
“Told me what?””
“I was checking the camera.””
My eyebrows lifted.
“What camera?””
“The one by the back door.””
“Why?””
“Because somebody moved it.””
I stood up.
“Who moved it?””
“I don’t know.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“Last week.””
I remembered him mentioning something about the camera angle.
At the time, I had been rushing to work and told him I’d deal with it later.
I swallowed.
“Jamal, did you see anything strange?””
His voice dropped.
“Yes.””
“What?””
“I saw Kayla going outside at night.””
“When?””
“Two nights before the argument.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Why didn’t you say that at dinner?””
“Because I didn’t know what it meant.””
“Then tell me now.””
He exhaled.
“I saw her get into a car.””
“What car?””
“A black SUV.””
I stared at the monitor.
“Did you recognize it?””
“No.””
“Did she?””
“I think so.””
My stomach turned.
“What makes you say that?””
“Because she got in without hesitation.””
I walked back toward the computer.
“Jamal, was anyone else there?””
“No.””
“Are you sure?””
“I saw somebody standing across the street.””
“Who?””
“I couldn’t tell.””
I heard a shift in his voice.
Then he added, “But Dad?””
“Yeah?””
“I think somebody was watching the house.””
Before I could answer, the front door slammed.
Monique.
I looked toward the hallway.
Her footsteps came fast.
She entered the office and stopped when she saw the monitor.
“What are you doing?””
I covered the phone with my hand.
“Checking something.””
She stared at the screens.
“You went through the cameras?””
“Yes.””
“You had no right.””
I slowly turned toward her.
“No right to check cameras installed in my own house?””
“You know what I mean.””
“No. I don't.””
She folded her arms.
“You’re turning this into some kind of investigation.””
“Because your accusation could destroy my son.””
“It’s not an accusation when Kayla is afraid.””
“Then why were you in the backyard with her yesterday?””
Her face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
“What?””
“I watched the footage.””
“So?””
“So why didn’t you tell me you talked to her outside?””
“Because it was private.””
“Private?””
“Yes.””
“With your daughter.””
“Yes.””
“About my son.””
Monique's jaw tightened.
“About something serious.””
“Then why did you look directly at the camera?””
She stopped breathing for half a second.
I knew that look.
It was the look of someone realizing they had stepped somewhere they hadn’t meant to.
“I didn’t.””
“You did.””
“You’re imagining things.””
“I’ve watched the footage three times.””
She turned away.
“Delete it.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“You heard me.””
“Why?””
“Because this is getting out of control.””
“No,” I said quietly.
“It’s finally becoming clear.””
She looked back at me.
“You don’t trust me.””
“I trust facts.””
Her voice hardened.
“Then maybe you should trust your wife when she tells you your son is dangerous.””
I shook my head.
“Dangerous men don’t usually spend their mornings working two jobs and their nights studying for exams.””
“That doesn’t prove anything.””
“No. But neither does an accusation.””
Her eyes flashed.
“You’re going to regret this.””
I stepped closer.
“Maybe.””
Then I pointed at the monitor.
“But I’m not deleting anything.””
She stared at me for several seconds.
Then she walked out.
I waited until her footsteps disappeared.
The moment the house went quiet, I called Jamal back.
He answered immediately.
“Dad?””
“She knows about the cameras.””
“What?””
“She wants me to delete the footage.””
A long silence.
Then Jamal whispered, “Dad, don’t.””
“I’m not.””
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
“I found a saved clip on the camera app.””
“What clip?””
“From three weeks ago.””
I looked at the monitor.
“What’s on it?””
His voice dropped.
“It’s Kayla.””
“Doing what?””
“She’s meeting someone.””
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
I closed my eyes.
“Send it to me.””
“I will.””
The message came through less than a minute later.
I opened it.
The video showed Kayla standing at the end of our driveway.
A black SUV pulled up.
The driver's window lowered.
A man leaned out.
Kayla stepped closer.
Then the man handed her an envelope.
She took it.
And just before the SUV drove away, the camera caught the driver's face.
May you like
I knew him.
And I hadn't seen him in seventeen years.
