CHAPTER 3 THE VIDEO THEY NEVER KNEW EXISTED
Mình đã giữ nguyên nội dung, chỉ chỉnh format để phần narration liền mạch, ít xuống dòng, còn mỗi câu thoại được tách thành một dòng riêng.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the tablet in the detective's hand. The confidence she had carried into the conference room only minutes earlier was gone. So was the smug expression she had worn when she first saw me sitting at the head of the table. Now there was something else in her eyes. Fear. Small. Almost invisible. But I saw it.
I had spent most of my life repairing engines. You learned quickly that machines told you the truth if you knew what to listen for. A strange vibration. A hesitation. A sound that didn't belong. People weren't so different. Fear had a sound too.
And Bertha was making it.
I looked at the detective.
"Play it."
He connected the tablet to the large screen mounted on the wall. The room went dark. For a moment, all we could hear was the low hum of the projector. Then the recording began.
The camera appeared to be positioned inside a child's bedroom. The angle was low. A stuffed dinosaur sat in the corner. A small bed was visible near the window. Then the bedroom door opened. Gideon stepped inside. He looked terrified. He was only six. Too young to understand the adults around him. But old enough to understand fear. He looked toward the hallway.
Then he whispered,
"Mommy?"
Arianne's voice answered from outside.
"Gideon, stay in your room."
The little boy shook his head.
"No."
Then Derek appeared. He grabbed Arianne by the arm. Hard. She cried out.
"Derek, you're hurting me."
"I told you to stop."
"You promised."
Derek pushed her against the wall. The camera shook. I felt my hands tighten into fists. For six years, my daughter had told me she had fallen. She had told me she was clumsy. She had told me Derek was under pressure. She had protected him. Even while he was destroying her. And I had believed her excuses because they were easier to accept than the truth.
Then Bertha appeared in the doorway. She wasn't frightened. She wasn't shocked. She wasn't trying to stop her son. She was calm. Almost bored.
"Arianne, you've made this much harder than it needed to be."
Arianne looked at her.
"I want to leave."
Bertha smiled.
"Then leave."
Arianne froze.
Bertha continued.
"But your son stays."
My heart stopped. Gideon stepped out of the bedroom.
"Mommy?"
Arianne immediately tried to reach him. Derek blocked her. Bertha crouched in front of the boy.
"Gideon, do you want your mother to go away?"
The little boy's face crumpled.
"No."
"Then you need to listen to your father."
Arianne screamed.
"Don't talk to him like that!"
Derek grabbed her again. The video suddenly became distorted. Static filled the screen. Then the image returned. Gideon was hiding beneath his bed. Only his eyes were visible. He was crying silently. Arianne's voice came from the hallway.
"Please, Mom."
Bertha answered.
"You should have thought about that before you married into this family."
Arianne whispered something. I leaned closer to the screen.
"What did she say?"
The detective turned up the volume. Arianne's voice became clearer.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt him."
Bertha replied,
"I promised nothing."
The screen went black. Nobody spoke. Derek was staring at the floor. Roger slowly turned toward his son.
"What did you do?"
Derek didn't answer.
I looked at Bertha. She was breathing faster now.
"This is edited," she said.
The detective shook his head.
"We've already authenticated the file."
"You can't prove anything."
"We don't need to prove everything tonight."
He reached for the tablet.
"There are several files."
Bertha's face changed.
"Several?"
The detective nodded.
"Most were corrupted."
He opened another file. The screen showed a dark hallway. Then a voice. Bertha.
"If Baldric doesn't sign the shares over to Arianne, we'll make sure she loses custody."
My stomach turned. Another voice answered. Roger.
"And if he refuses?"
Bertha's response was almost casual.
"Then we use Gideon."
The video stopped. Roger slowly lowered himself into his chair. I stared at him.
"You knew."
He looked at me.
"I didn't know it would go this far."
"How far did you think it would go?"
He said nothing. I stepped toward him.
"You threatened my daughter."
"No."
"You threatened my grandson."
Roger looked away.
"I was trying to protect my family."
I laughed bitterly.
"Your family?"
I pointed toward the screen.
"You called that protection?"
Bertha suddenly shouted,
"You don't understand what was at stake!"
Everyone turned toward her. She realized her mistake immediately. I walked closer.
"What was at stake, Bertha?"
She didn't answer.
"What did you think you were going to get?"
Silence.
Then the detective's phone rang. He answered. His expression changed. He listened for several seconds. Then he looked at me.
"Mr. Baldric."
"What?"
"We recovered another file."
"Another video?"
"No."
He held up the phone.
"An audio recording."
"Play it."
The detective pressed the button. Static. Then a woman's voice. Arianne. She was crying.
"Dad... if you hear this, please don't trust them."
My chest tightened. Then she whispered something else.
"There's something they don't know."
The recording ended. I looked at the detective.
"What don't they know?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he looked toward the door.
"Your daughter told us."
I froze.
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"What?"
"She's awake."
