Chapter 5 - THE SECOND NAME
Detective Torres handed Ryan a printed account record.
The recovery email did not belong to Evelyn.
It belonged to Ryan’s older sister, Claire.
Ryan read the address twice.
“That has to be a mistake.”
Torres shook her head.
“The account was verified through her phone number.”
Maya looked stunned.
“Claire knew about the camera?”
“We don’t know what she knew.”
Torres tapped the page.
“But someone used her information to create the account.”
Ryan called Claire immediately.
She answered on the fifth ring.
“Ryan, thank God.”
“Mom’s attorney says Maya attacked her.”
“Did you install a camera in Oliver’s nursery?”
Silence filled the line.
“Claire?”
“I can explain.”
Ryan’s stomach tightened.
“Then explain.”
“Mom said Maya was behaving strangely.”
“She said she needed proof before talking to you.”
“You put a camera in my son’s room?”
“I never entered your house.”
“I gave Mom the account.”
“She said she would install it herself.”
Maya turned away.
Ryan lowered his voice.
“You helped her spy on my wife.”
“I thought we were protecting Oliver.”
“From his mother?”
“Mom said Maya was forgetting his medication.”
“She said Maya left him alone.”
“Did you ever see any of that happen?”
“No.”
“Then why did you believe her?”
Claire started crying.
“Because she’s our mother.”
The answer was familiar.
It was the same reason Ryan had ignored every warning.
“Did you watch the recordings?”
“Only twice.”
“What did you see?”
“Maya reading to Oliver.”
“Then why didn’t you stop Mom?”
“I tried.”
Claire’s voice dropped.
“She said she had other evidence.”
“What evidence?”
“A psychiatric report.”
Maya turned back toward the phone.
“What psychiatric report?”
Claire hesitated.
“Mom said a doctor had evaluated Maya privately.”
“That never happened.”
Ryan looked at Detective Torres.
“Who was the doctor?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mom kept the report in her study.”
Detective Torres began writing.
Claire continued.
“Ryan, there’s something else.”
“The camera sent movement alerts.”
“Tonight, I received six.”
“Did you open them?”
“No.”
“I was at dinner.”
“But the preview images might still be on my phone.”
Torres held out her hand.
“Tell her not to delete anything.”
Ryan relayed the instruction.
Claire agreed to meet the police.
Before ending the call, she whispered one final sentence.
“Ryan, Mom told me this would all be over by tomorrow.”
“What would be over?”
“She said Maya would be hospitalized.”
“And Oliver would finally be where he belonged.”
Ryan ended the call.
Maya looked through the glass at Oliver.
“She planned to have me committed.”
Detective Torres nodded.
“That appears to have been part of it.”
A uniformed officer approached.
“Detective, we have a problem.”
“What happened?”
“Mrs. Whitmore has been released.”
Torres frowned.
“She was supposed to remain at the station until the order was processed.”
“Her attorney challenged the search.”
“He claims the drawer belonged to Maya.”
Ryan laughed bitterly.
“That drawer was locked with my mother’s key.”
The officer lowered his voice.
“We also searched Evelyn’s home.”
“The psychiatric report is gone.”
Maya’s face went pale.
“Where is she now?”
“No one knows.”
Ryan looked at his phone.
A new message appeared from an unknown number.
A photograph loaded slowly.
It showed the hospital entrance.
The picture had been taken only seconds earlier.
May you like
Below it were six words.
A MOTHER SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE.
