Chapter 7 — Evelyn checks the hallway security tablet — Until the playback log shows a deleted camera clip from ten minutes ago
The electronic chime came from the wall-mounted security tablet near the coat rack.
Evelyn hurried over from the living room archway.
Her dark blue dress brushed against the white wall as she stepped into the hallway.
Caleb stood right beside her, staring up at the sleek glass screen.
A flashing red notification icon blinked in the upper corner of the display.
Evelyn tapped the screen with a trembling finger.
The main camera menu popped up instantly.
She selected the living room camera feed to review the recent footage.
The screen flickered for a fraction of a second.
Then a stark error message appeared across the display.
Feed temporarily unavailable.
Evelyn frowned and tapped the playback log icon.
She scrolled back through the timeline to check the events of the last ten minutes.
A large gap stared back at them from the digital record.
The living room camera feed had been manually disabled right at the exact moment her phone went missing.
Someone had turned off the lens.
Evelyn tapped deeper into the system settings to check the access logs.
A security audit trail required a master authorization code to override the cameras.
Below the error log, a specific digit sequence was recorded.
An override PIN had been entered directly into the security system pad.
Caleb leaned closer to the glowing screen.
His eyes narrowed as he read the four-digit code logged in the system memory.
The override PIN required internal knowledge of the family’s private security code.
Only three people in the entire household knew that exact sequence of numbers.
Caleb stared at the digital timestamp of the override entry.
It matched the exact window when Chloe was sitting alone crying in the living room.
Caleb began drafting a mental list of everyone who knew the security code.