by H Elliston
“What camera?” Dave asked.
“D-digital,” Nicola said. She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “She can’t have gone far.”
I heaved a sigh. Anger, at myself, sparked inside me. I locked eyes with Nicola. “I’m really worried.” Tonight of all nights, I needed to know where she was and that she was safe.
“I know you are. But this isn’t the first time she’s done this.”
“A typical teenager,” Dave murmured. “I’m always getting calls from my ex saying our son’s out doing god-knows-what. They roll back home when they’re cold and hungry.”
“This is different,” I said, looking at Nicola. I signalled around the room, trying to indicate the cameras.
“Dave,” Nicola said, breaking our gaze. “Would you mind fetching more biscuits?”
Dave smiled. “I can take a hint.”
Nicola touched his arm. “Top cupboard on the right. Thanks.”
Dave headed for the door.
“I have to find Sarah,” I gushed, pulling on my coat. “I don’t want to leave you but... Will you be all right here? Ask Dave to stay a bit longer.”
She grabbed my arm. “You can’t go.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Sarah’s better off on the streets with friends than in this house.”
Did she really just say that? There was some truth there but... “She’s only thirteen! It’s dark outside, people are watching us and threatening to kill us.”
Nicola checked over my shoulder. We were still alone. “Exactly. If the cameras aren’t on Sarah, she’s safe.”
“Safe?” I seethed through my teeth. “No. I’m going after her.” I stood and turned for the hall.
Nicola grabbed my sleeve. “I meant safe from those men.”
I spun around.
“Look, Sarah’s sneaked out many times and she’s always come back in one piece, right?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“If you chase after her, those men might chase you! Do you really want to lead a gang of criminals and murderers to Sarah?”
I straightened. “Absolutely not!”
“Then leave her be.”
A horrid thought popped into my head. “What if whoever drove past our house, came back, saw her leave and took her?”
“If they have, it’ll be like hunting for a needle in the dark. But they haven’t taken her.”
“How can you possibly know?”
“We’re still here. We came back into the house, haven’t phoned the police, so we haven’t actually broken their rules. Besides, they’d be stupid to abduct Sarah if they want us to keep quiet. If they take her, then it’s kind of like... all bets are off.”
I agonised over what to do.
“If we didn’t notice her leaving, maybe the men didn’t either.”
“The security light above the drive would have come on if she’d gone out the front.” But would I have noticed it from indoors? Probably not.
“She must have gone out the back way, used the gate at the end of the garden. Maybe she climbed out of her window or something.”
“What? Jumped down onto concrete? Don’t be daft.” I chewed my fingernails. If those men had taken my daughter, they’d have to know that I’d tear this town apart looking for her like any mother would, and therefore the story of the website, the murder... it would all unravel because of their doing. Maybe Nicola was right. They hadn’t taken her and she’d slipped out through the back garden, somehow.
How the hell does she leave the house without me hearing her? “I wonder if she took her mobile.”
Nicola tugged my sleeve again. “Text her. Tell her you’re not mad, and she can stay out for a couple of hours.”
I thought about it. “Yes. And we’ll use that time to come up with a new plan of attack.” I pinched my bottom lip between my teeth. I glanced around the room, trying to spot the camera. “Why on earth would anyone be interested in what we do inside these walls?”
“I guess some people enjoy watching what others get up to. I know this is different, but I have to admit, I watch the odd bit of reality TV, and I’m guilty of people-watching when I go out.”
“I know you like eyeing up men, but...” I frowned. “What’s the fascination?”
Nicola pursed her lips. “Maybe we enjoy seeing other’s misfortunes unravel. It’s kind of intriguing seeing people argue, flirt, or make a fool of themselves.” She paused and stared at me. “Don’t you ever wonder about people? You know... is that red-head really as flawless as she makes out? Is our neighbour’s sex life better than mine?”
“People must have too much time on their hands,” I said bluntly. Oh, Sarah, why did you have to run off? “They should get a life of their own and stop nosing into other’s.”
“Well, some people must get a kick out of it or they wouldn’t subscribe to this website.”
I shuddered. “It’s sick and twisted.” The cameras had practically turned the brick walls of my house into glass. We had to push these monsters out of our lives before they totally destroyed us.
“I’m just saying I get it... that’s all, the fascination, not that I agree or want my life made public myself.” Nicola glanced over my shoulder, then placed her finger to her lips. “Hush, Dave’s coming back.”
When Dave returned with more biscuits, I nipped out of the room and sent a text to Sarah:
‘You can stay out with your friends for a couple of hours, just text me and tell me where you are. Don’t wander off on your own or speak to any strange men. Stay with your friends.’
A moment later, Dave walked past me. “I’ll be off then. Nicola says you two need to sort some things out.”
I pressed my lips together and gave him a solid, long look of respect. “Thanks for helping us.”
“No problem. I hope you find Sarah. I’ll have a look for her as I drive home, if you like.”
I showed him out of my house.
“If you need me...” He waved his mobile then walked down the drive to his van.
As I stared into the night’s sky, I ached to track Sarah down, but that could put her in worse danger. What kind of mother doesn’t shield and protect her own daughter? I had failed her. I am disgraceful.
While shame writhed inside me, I had to admit this was the one and only time I was glad that she’d sneaked out. Nicola was right; being on the streets with her friends had to be safer than being inside this house of glass.
CHAPTER 26
CHRISTA
I peeked through the lounge window while waiting for Nicola to return from the bathroom. Now that Dave had left, we finally could talk freely. But not knowing the whereabouts of my daughter, well, my mind was broken, pieces floating in a vacuum. I could have kicked myself for not keeping a better eye on her.
“Minutes will turn into hours before we know it,” Nicola said, walking back into the lounge. “We’ve got to make the house safe before Sarah gets back.”
That was just the poke I needed. Pick yourself up. “Okay. Let’s figure this out.” We sat on the sofa. This problem is just like a computer that needs fixing; disable things, swap parts, play with different settings - in other words, pinpoint the weakness and eradicate it. “We have to find a way to bring the police into the circle without those men knowing, without the cameras picking them up.” Leaning in to Nicola, I swallowed around the clog in my throat and met her hopeful gaze squarely. She smelled of cigarettes. Jeez, wouldn’t that make her feel more faint? “Tell me about these cameras again. You think they’re motion activated?”
“I think so. When John and I were hidden in the coat cupboard, Sarah’s bedroom flashed onto the screen as a thumbnail when a guy entered her room. To view a room larger, you have to click on the individual thumbnails.”
“Colour?”
“Yes.”
“What about in the dark? Do the cameras have infra-red?”
She frowned. “I can’t be sure. John watched the screen more than I did.”
&
nbsp; I slid closer to her on the sofa and flicked through a magazine to look casual. I kept my voice at a whisper and didn’t even look at her, just in case. “So, the cameras are dormant, and only pop up on the website when movement is detected.”
“I think so.”
“So it’s real-time footage, but I wonder if there’s a latency.”
Nicola fidgeted. “A what?”
“A delay in the feed, ‘cos of the mechanics, routing, buffering of data stream and... even just a small delay could help us,” I explained, my brain gluing back together, my pilot light flaring up again. “If these cameras are indeed motion-activated, there could be a delay before movement is detected and streamed on the website.”
Nicola brightened. “I get you. So if we run through rooms, the cameras might not pick us up?”
“Well, from what you’ve said, once a camera detects movement, the viewers have to click on the thumbnail to get a closer view. So it’s more likely we’d be out of shot, or seen leaving a room by the time the feed pops up full-screen, but...”
“Oh, I hate buts.”
I chewed my fingernail. “It depends how sensitive to movement the cameras are set at, and how fast the page loads on the website once someone clicks on a thumbnail.”
“How can we find that out?”
“Without logging onto the website to test it, we can’t.” A chill of disappointment spread through me. Guesswork had its place, but not where the lives of those I loved were concerned. I wasn’t sure how yet, but every second we could gain might help.
“And I have no idea what the website is called.”
My mobile beeped. “Hold on.” It was a text from Sarah. I sighed in relief. “She’s under the bridge by the canal with friends.”
“Thank goodness.”
At least I prayed she was there, prayed that was a genuine text. Yes. It had to be. These men were good, but would they know the hangouts of local children off-camera? I sent a smiley face in reply, and put my mobile on the coffee table. “Okay. Now, let’s take worse case scenario. Let’s presume we have a one second delay until viewers see us on the website. That’s just enough time to run through some rooms unseen.”
“What would that accomplish?” Nicola asked.
“Not a lot. I’m just trying to figure stuff out.”
“A second is not long enough to get the cops round here and explain what’s going on.”
“Not nearly enough,” I said, biting my nails again. Where was my brain going with this?
“Maybe one of us should stay here and be on camera while the other sneaks out to the police station.”
An invisible strap tightened around my heart when my eyes fixed on Nicola’s jaw, the swelling more prominent now. I dumped the magazine. “No. We’re sticking together.” Nicola was the only female friend that truly gave a shit about me, and me her – living in each other’s pockets had strengthened our bond to rival that of siblings. I didn’t like the idea of leaving her vulnerable after her beating last night. “The police would want to come here anyway, to examine the cameras, find out where the signal goes.” Think. Think. Outsmart the bastards. “We have to gain time, and we need to somehow be... invisible.”
“Invisible?” She tapped her lips. “We need a pause button, a longer delay in the feed or...”
“Loop the feed somehow, freeze the footage... We need those guys to think that what they’re watching is in real-time but...”
“But it’s not,” she finished for me.
A grin spread over my lips. “So that we can move around freely. Let the cops into the house to look at the cameras, dust for fingerprints and those men would be non the wiser.”
“And before they know what’s hit them, they’ll be arrested and our families will be safe.” She slumped. “Great idea. But how?”
She prodded my thigh with her finger, then gestured to my handmade birthday card on the fireplace. “You’re the brainy one, Christa,” she said in a horrid, self-loathing tone that upset me. “Give me craft stuff, pens, paper, photos and glue and...”
I clasped her leg, my brain hooking... something.
“That’s about as useful as I get, Christa.” She hugged a cushion to her chest.
I snapped my head her way, saw disappointment at her lack of contribution rampage across her face. But there was no need for her to feel that way. A cunning idea came to mind. That’s it! I grabbed her face and planted a noisy thank-you kiss on her cheek. “You’re not useless. Don’t ever think you are. You’re a genius!”
CHAPTER 27
CHRISTA
I retrieved my digital camera from my office and joined Nicola in the kitchen.
She laid various items from her craft kit on the worktop; tape, wire and superglue. “Do you think this will work?”
“Sometimes simple is best. Looping the feed is a bit beyond my skills, and I don’t have time to figure it out.” I nodded toward the door. “Step out for a second. I don’t want you in the shot.” Trying to act all innocent and sly, I carried a chair to the other side of the kitchen, set it beneath the air vent near the top of the wall where Nicola thought the camera was situated, and stepped on.
Nicola moved to the doorway that led to the utility room, poked her head around and watched with fascination.
After waiting a moment hoping the website feed would click off in this room due to lack of activity, I raised my camera up to the air vent, and snapped a quick photo of the room from hopefully the same angle as their hidden camera. “Done.” I whipped the camera back down and pressed the view button to check my handiwork. “Not bad. Focus is fine.”
“Show me.” Nicola dashed over. We huddled against the wall and looked at the viewing screen.
“Do you think it shows enough of the room?” I asked. “Is the angle right? Was the hall door visible on the website?”
She squashed her plump lips into a flat line. “Looks okay to me. Yes, I think the door was visible.”
“Do you think this will fool them?” Oh, maybe this was a bad idea.
“Looks okay to me. It’s a sharp photo.”
“Good. Then it’ll do.” Maybe.
“We have to hang them at the right distance,” Nicola said. “Too far away from their cameras and the edges of the photo will be in shot, too close and the pictures will be dark and out of focus.”
“And not show enough of the rooms.” Heck, even this most basic idea had variables. “After printing them out, we can test it. Look at them through the viewfinder of my camera to get an idea of the gap needed. And if you can remember how much of the kitchen was visible on screen, we can use that as a bench mark for the other rooms.”
“Sounds wise.”
“Just go with your gut. I trust you.”
Nicola’s eyes looked tired, her frame slumped; she was running on fumes.
I held her hands. “We’ve got only a second or two to race into each room, grab a chair and stand beneath the camera before movement is detected and the thumbnail becomes visible on the website. Are you up to this?”
Nicola shrugged, her wild, unkempt hair bobbing around her shoulders. “Carrying a chair will slow us down.”
“I know.” I paused. “If the cameras detect us, those men will wonder why we’re flying in and out of rooms with a chair and camera. But we might get lucky, they might not even be watching.”
“Ummm... Don’t bet on it. We need a distraction.” Nicola pinched the bridge of her nose in thought, then snapped alert. “These viewers want a show, right?”
“That’s the core of things.”
“So I say let’s give ‘em one that blows their socks off!”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know... I’ll dance, do aerobics, wear some slinky lingerie and...”
I gulped. “Lingerie?”
“Yes. And heels. You deal with the cameras and I’ll distract them.”
Crikey. Nicola’s idea was good and simple, if not insane. “No. Let me.”
“You?”
“Yes. You have a better idea of where the cameras are hidden.” I paused to let her answer, but she just chewed her lip. “And I think you’ve dealt with more than enough already.” The thought of putting on a show for murderers, and God knew how many online perverts, made me want to empty my stomach. But I knew my decision was right.
Nicola nodded then closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I think most cameras are in the vents, but not the office one. Perhaps the clock above the door or the picture frame.”
“Photograph the hall, lounge... just the main rooms downstairs which the police might walk through. And don’t forget the driveway or they’ll see cop cars roll up. That should be enough. Print the pictures onto matt paper so they don’t bounce light, at the highest dpi, and suspend them in front of the cameras,” I said in a clear and slow voice so that it would filter into her tired head. “If for some other reason the cameras click into action, perhaps remotely, viewers will only see empty rooms. Okay, I think we’ve got things covered now.”
She said nothing.
“Nicola?” I nudged her.
“Huh?”
“Are you feeling faint again? Are you gonna manage to do this?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine.”
I hoped so. “The photos need to be perfectly still and secure. If they wobble or slip–”
“Yes, yes. I’ve got it.”
Anticipation swirled in the depths of my stomach. The tides were turning our way. I knew it.
“This is crazy.” Worry clipped her voice. “How can this possibly work?”
I squeezed her hands. “It won’t. Not in a million. Who are we to outsmart these guys?”
Her left eye crinkled around a sly wink. She squeezed me back. “Then let’s do this.”