Chapter 6: His Mother's Name Was on the Record
For several seconds, neither Ryan nor I spoke.
Patricia.
The woman who had stood beside my hospital bed and told me not to blame Brianna.
The woman who had threatened to withdraw her help if I pursued the investigation.
The woman who had called me emotional while our premature babies fought for their lives.
Her email address was attached to the second security account.
Ryan lowered the phone.
"There's got to be an explanation.""
I stared at him.
"Do you believe that?""
He looked wounded by the question.
"I believe we need evidence before accusing anyone. Mom could have created the account for a legitimate reason. She might have helped set up the system when we first installed it.""
"Did she?""
"No.""
The answer came too quickly.
Ryan closed his eyes.
"She never helped install it. I did everything myself.""
I looked toward the window, where evening had turned the glass dark.
"Then why would her email be attached to an account she never told us about?""
"I don't know.""
He sat beside me and rubbed both hands over his face.
"Emma, I need you to understand something. My mother has always defended Brianna, even when she knew Brianna was wrong. But I never thought she'd help her do something like this.""
"Neither did I.""
I wanted to believe there was an innocent explanation.
I wanted Patricia to be a misguided mother rather than a participant in whatever had happened inside my home.
But I remembered the way she'd looked when I mentioned Brianna's debts.
The brief stillness.
The immediate denial.
And the threat she'd made when I refused to back down.
Ryan called Detective Morgan.
She arrived less than half an hour later with Daniel Price and a digital evidence specialist named Olivia Grant.
Ryan showed them the email.
Olivia examined the account details without touching the original device more than necessary.
"The recovery address is associated with Mrs. Patricia Carter," she said.
"That doesn't establish who physically created the account or who used it afterward.""
"Could someone have used her email without permission?"" Ryan asked.
"Possibly. We need to review the account registration, login history, device identifiers, and any available authentication records.""
Detective Morgan opened her notebook.
"Has your mother ever had access to the security system?""
"No," Ryan said.
"Not that I'm aware of.""
"Has she been inside the house recently?""
"Several times. She visited after we announced the pregnancy. She came over to help organize the baby shower.""
I added, "She was at the house when Brianna visited three weeks before the assault. They were both there that afternoon.""
Ryan turned toward me.
"You never told me that.""
"I didn't think it mattered. They were helping me sort the nursery.""
Olivia looked up.
"Do you remember where they were?""
"Brianna was in the kitchen. Patricia went upstairs to look at the nursery furniture. I was in the living room wrapping gifts.""
"Did either of them ask about the camera?""
I thought carefully.
"Patricia asked whether Ryan could see the house remotely when he was overseas. I told her he could check the cameras through his phone.""
Olivia exchanged a glance with Detective Morgan.
"That's useful context. It still doesn't tell us who created the second account, but we'll add it to the timeline.""
Ryan paced beside the window.
"If Mom created the account, why wouldn't she tell me?""
"That's one of the questions we're investigating," Detective Morgan said.
"We should avoid deciding what happened before the evidence is complete.""
I understood the caution.
But I also understood that the people closest to me had reasons to keep secrets.
After the investigators left, Ryan sat down again.
"I need to talk to Mom.""
"Not alone," I said.
He looked at me.
"I'm not going to accuse her. I just want to ask why her email is attached to the account.""
"Then let the detective handle it.""
"She's my mother, Emma.""
"And I'm your wife. Brianna is your sister. Yet none of that stopped her from hurting me.""
The words came out more sharply than I intended.
Ryan flinched.
I reached for his hand.
"I'm not asking you to hate your mother. I'm asking you not to protect her before we know the truth.""
He looked at our joined hands.
"You're right.""
He called Patricia and asked her to come to the hospital.
She arrived forty minutes later, carrying a paper bag from the bakery Ryan liked as a child.
She looked surprised to see him waiting beside my bed.
"Ryan! Oh, sweetheart.""
She tried to embrace him, but he stepped back.
"Mom, we need to talk.""
Her smile faltered.
"Of course. How are you, Emma?""
I didn't answer.
Ryan held up his phone.
"Do you recognize this email address?""
Patricia glanced at the screen.
Her face changed.
Only slightly, but enough.
"Why are you showing me this?""
"It's the recovery address on a second account connected to our home security system.""
She placed the bakery bag on the table.
"I don't know anything about that.""
"Mom, the address is yours.""
"Anyone could have used it.""
"Did you create the account?""
"No.""
The answer was immediate.
Ryan stared at her.
"Did you give Brianna access to our security system?""
Patricia's eyes flashed.
"Don't you dare accuse your sister of another thing.""
"That's not an answer.""
"Your wife is turning you against your own family!""
I felt my jaw tighten.
Ryan didn't look at me.
"Emma was assaulted. The trust was targeted. Someone created an account we didn't know about, and your email is attached to it. I'm asking you a simple question.""
Patricia's voice rose.
"I have spent my entire life trying to keep this family together!""
"Then help us understand what's happening.""
She looked from Ryan to me.
For the first time, I saw fear beneath her anger.
Not fear for my children.
Fear of what we might discover.
"I won't stand here while you interrogate me," she said.
She reached for her handbag.
Ryan moved toward the door, blocking her path without touching her.
"Mom, please. If you know something, tell us now.""
Patricia stared at him.
Then she looked directly at me.
"This is your fault.""
Ryan went completely still.
"What did you say?""
Patricia's chin lifted.
"If you hadn't insisted on putting that money aside for the babies, Brianna wouldn't have been desperate. You and Emma have everything. A beautiful house.
A secure future. Now you've made your sister feel like she means nothing.""
I stared at her.
"Your daughter punched me in the stomach.""
"She was upset!""
"She left me bleeding on the floor.""
"She panicked!""
"And then she lied about me online.""
Patricia's lips tightened.
"People say things when they're frightened.""
I felt a cold clarity settle over me.
She wasn't denying Brianna's actions anymore.
She was explaining them away.
Ryan's voice dropped.
"Did you know Brianna planned to come to our house that day?""
Patricia looked at the floor.
"Mom.""
"No.""
"Look at me.""
She lifted her eyes.
"I didn't know she would hurt Emma.""
The room seemed to shrink.
Ryan stepped back.
"That's not what I asked.""
Patricia's hands trembled as she gripped her handbag.
"I knew she was going to speak to Emma about the money.""
My heart began to pound.
"You knew she was coming to demand the trust money?"" I asked.
Patricia swallowed.
"I thought she'd talk to you. I didn't know it would become violent.""
"Why didn't you warn me?""
"Because I thought you'd listen to her.""
I stared at the woman who had watched me plan a nursery, attended our baby shower, and smiled for photographs beside my husband.
"You thought I'd hand her the money?""
"I thought you would help your family.""
"My family was lying on an operating table because your daughter hit me.""
Patricia's eyes filled with tears.
But she didn't apologize.
Instead, she turned to Ryan.
"She told me she needed the money to keep herself from losing everything. She said she'd pay it back. I thought if Emma transferred the funds, the situation would be over.""
Ryan looked as if she'd struck him.
"You knew about the attempted transfer?""
Patricia shook her head quickly.
"Not the details.""
"Did you create the security account?""
"No.""
"Did you give Brianna access to it?""
"I didn't give her anything!""
Her voice broke.
Then she whispered, "I only helped her find out whether the camera was recording.""
Silence swallowed the room.
Ryan stared at his mother.
I could hear the monitor beside my bed ticking through my heartbeat.
"You helped her check the camera?"" he asked.
Patricia wiped her cheeks.
"She said she needed to know whether you would see her coming. She said she wanted to talk to Emma privately.""
"And you believed her?""
"I wanted to help my daughter!""
Ryan stepped away from her.
"You helped her approach my pregnant wife while I was overseas, knowing she intended to pressure her for money.""
"I never thought she'd hit her!""
"But you knew enough to hide it from me.""
Patricia began crying harder.
I looked away.
For months, I'd thought the danger came from Brianna's entitlement and desperation. Now I understood that someone else had helped clear the path.
Detective Morgan's card lay on my bedside table.
Ryan picked it up.
"Mom, you need to tell Detective Morgan everything you know.""
Patricia stared at the card.
"No.""
"Mom.""
"I won't let you destroy your sister!""
Ryan's face hardened.
"This isn't about destroying anyone. It's about finding out what happened.""
Patricia snatched her handbag.
"You'll regret choosing her over us.""
Ryan opened the door.
"No, Mom. I regret how long I spent believing that protecting you meant ignoring what you did.""
She walked out without another word.
The door clicked shut.
I reached for Ryan's hand, but he was staring at his phone.
A new email had arrived from Olivia Grant, the digital evidence specialist.
She had attached a preliminary report about the second security account.
Ryan opened it.
His expression changed as he read.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He sat down slowly.
"The account was created using Mom's email, but the first login came from a device registered to Brianna.""
I felt my blood turn cold.
Then Ryan scrolled farther down.
There was another entry.
A login from a third device.
One that neither Brianna nor Patricia owned.
Beneath it was a timestamp showing that the device had accessed our kitchen camera on the morning of the assault.
Ryan looked at me.
"Emma, someone else was watching when Brianna came to the house.""
Before I could respond, Detective Morgan called.
May you like
Her voice was urgent.
"Mrs. Carter, we've identified the owner of that third device. And I need to warn you—the person who accessed your camera that morning has just reported Brianna's assault as an accident.""
