Chapter 2 - Eleven Missing SecondsNobody spoke.
The security room suddenly felt smaller.
Daniel leaned toward the monitor.
“Replay it.”
Olivia did.
The footage showed Sarah near the stairs.
Noah slipped.
Maria rushed forward.
Then the timestamp jumped.
10:17:42.
10:17:53.
Eleven seconds disappeared.
Daniel stared at the screen.
“Can you restore it?”
Olivia shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Maria stood behind them.
Her face had gone pale.
“I didn't delete anything.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I didn't say you did.”
Maria swallowed.
“You were about to.”
Daniel looked away.
Olivia rewound the footage again.
The missing section bothered her.
She had grown up around computers.
Her grandfather had taught her basic security systems years ago.
She knew footage did not simply disappear.
Not from a professional home system.
“Dad, someone edited this.”
Sarah suddenly spoke.
“Why would anyone edit security footage?”
Daniel looked at her.
“That’s what I want to know.”
Sarah hugged herself.
“Maybe the system malfunctioned.”
Olivia shook her head.
“No.”
Sarah stared at her.
“How do you know?”
“Because the other cameras are working.”
Olivia pointed at the screen.
“The hallway camera doesn't skip.”
She clicked through several feeds.
The kitchen.
The garage.
The back entrance.
All intact.
Only the staircase recording had been altered.
Maria felt a chill.
“Who has access?”
Daniel answered immediately.
“Me. The security company. And…”
He stopped.
Sarah watched him.
“And who?”
Daniel frowned.
“My brother.”
Maria looked at him.
“Your brother?”
“Ethan.”
The name hung in the room.
Maria had heard it before.
Daniel’s younger brother rarely visited the house.
He had moved away after a bitter argument with Daniel two years earlier.
Olivia asked,
“Why would Uncle Ethan have access?”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“He helped install the system.”
Sarah immediately said,
“That doesn't mean anything.”
Daniel turned to her.
“I didn't say it did.”
Maria stepped back.
She suddenly felt like she was standing in the middle of something far bigger than a family argument.
Daniel noticed her expression.
“Maria.”
She looked at him.
“Are you okay?”
“My shoulder hurts.”
Daniel glanced at the blood on her sleeve.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“You were holding your son.”
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I should have checked on you.”
Maria gave a small nod.
Then Noah began crying from the hallway.
Sarah rushed out.
Daniel followed.
Olivia remained.
She stared at the security system.
Then she whispered,
“Someone wanted Dad to see exactly what he saw.”
Maria frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Olivia pointed to the screen.
“The footage after the missing eleven seconds.”
She opened the file details.
“There was an export.”
Maria didn't understand.
“So?”
“It means someone copied the footage before changing it.”
Maria’s stomach tightened.
“Could you tell who?”
Olivia nodded slowly.
“Maybe.”
She opened the access history.
Four names appeared.
Daniel Carter.
Sarah Carter.
Ethan Carter.
And one unidentified account.
The username was simply:
M_C
Maria stared at it.
Her mouth went dry.
“That’s me.”
Daniel returned just in time to hear her.
“What?”
Maria pointed.
“My initials.”
Daniel looked at the screen.
The unknown account had accessed the staircase footage two hours before the accident.
Sarah came rushing into the room.
“What happened?”
Olivia turned the monitor toward her.
“Mom, someone logged in using Maria’s initials.”
Sarah went completely still.
Daniel looked at Maria.
Maria stared back.
“I didn’t.”
Sarah whispered,
“But the system says you did.”
The room fell silent.
Daniel's phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Nobody spoke.
Then a distorted voice said,
“Stop looking at the missing eleven seconds.”
The call ended.
May you like
Daniel looked at everyone.
And this time, he was afraid.
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