She knew the cameras worked, because Ms. Rossi had seen Cassie on them, clearly enough to pick up exactly what she’d been doing as she searched through the house.
This was a catastrophe. The one factor she hadn’t considered would destroy any hope she’d had of succeeding with this mad and irresponsible plan.
The footage would convict her, proving her guilty beyond doubt.
Cassie buried her head in her hands, but her brain was working overtime and she found herself thinking frantically.
When she’d called the house that day, Ms. Rossi had been able to access the footage personally. She’d said she had been watching when she called. She hadn’t mentioned that the security company had called her, so maybe there was a server or recorder in the house itself where it was saved.
Where could it be? How could she find it, and was there a chance she might be able to log into it and erase the footage?
Cassie raised her head, feeling a small spark of encouragement amid the darkness of her despair.
The problem was that the server could be anywhere, and if she hunted for it without finding it, the cameras would pick up her search and only make things worse.
“I know!” she said aloud.
She rushed to her room.
There was one person who worked closely with Ms. Rossi and who would know, without a doubt, where the footage saved to. Her assistant, Maurice Smithers. That very morning, he had given Cassie his business card and she was sure that if she called from the house number, he would answer.
Praying that she hadn’t thrown the card away while doing her packing, Cassie searched through her bag, but she couldn’t find it anywhere.
She must have tossed it out, or accidentally thrown it away while clearing all the old papers and junk from her purse and bags. She’d thrown a lot of rubbish out, without checking all of it, and hadn’t thought she would ever need that card again.
Would Abigail know?
Cassie shook her head. Abigail had arrived at the house because she hadn’t known Maurice’s personal number. She remembered their conversation, and had thought at the time that Maurice didn’t give out his number to very many people. She guessed that was why he’d made such a fuss about handing his card to Cassie.
Now, too late, she was bitterly regretting having thrown it away. There was no other way to access the footage tonight, and that meant no hope of erasing it. It would wait, stored on the server, with the seconds ticking by until it destroyed her.
With a deep sigh, Cassie stood up.
The children needed her. She must do her job and put them to bed, and try to stop worrying about what the next day would bring.
Heavy-footed, she walked through the house to their bedrooms. She hoped that they would be calm after the interview with the policewoman. Detective Falcone had promised to keep the interview short, and it hadn’t taken long, and she had promised not to upset them—but she’d upset Cassie all right.
Exhausted as she was, Cassie forced herself to be strong, and not show how devastated she was. She had to focus on comforting the girls and be fully present for them. She could not let herself dwell on the camera footage that would annihilate her future.
She tapped on Nina’s door and walked inside.
The girls were sitting together on the bed and Cassie was surprised to see that they’d gotten all the toys down from their high shelf. She didn’t want to think about how exactly the two had done that. It must have involved putting the chair on the desk and standing on it. At any rate, no bones were broken and the toys were now in a colorful row on the desk.
The two girls were talking softly together, with the beautiful doll seated on the bed between them. Nina was braiding the doll’s hair while Venetia chose a change of clothing from the small wardrobe that had been in the doll’s box.
They looked up when she entered, and Nina stared at her anxiously, as if she was instinctively worried she might be in trouble for playing with the doll.
“Are you having fun?” Cassie did her best to sound cheerful and calm. She was glad to see the tension leave Nina’s face, and be replaced by a tentative smile.
“Yes, we are,” Nina said. “It has been a long time since we have played with Allegra, our doll. Look how beautiful she is.”
“The poor girl has been stuck in her box and wearing the same clothes for so long, and was so bored with them. She told us so,” Venetia whispered conspiratorially. “She needs a new outfit so we have chosen her one.”
Relief filled Cassie as she watched them play, because she saw the girls were starting to realize that their imprisonment was over, and that the dreadful abuse that had crippled their lives was now in the past.
“The police have gotten hold of your papa,” she told them. “He was not in prison, but was out of the country. He is arriving tomorrow night.”
Cassie had hoped that the girls would be cheered by her words, but she hadn’t imagined the elation that they would show.
Nina gasped in amazement. Her mouth literally fell open, and then widened into a delighted grin.
“Really?” she asked. “Is this true, Cassie?”
“It is,” Cassie said.
“Oh, I am so glad. I feel so happy. This is better than Christmas.”
Her face was a picture of joy. Venetia began jumping up and down on the bed in excitement.
“It’s better than Christmas and birthdays,” Venetia cried. “Papa is coming back! He is safe and we will see him soon! I can’t wait!”
“I am sure he can’t wait to see you either,” Cassie said. She remembered with a pang that she wouldn’t be here to witness their reunion. By then, the footage would have been examined and it would have sent her straight to jail.
“You girls need to go to sleep now. It’s
