Chapter 4 - The Camera in Lily’s Room
The next morning, Rebecca met attorney Claire Donnelly.
Claire listened without interruption.
Then she studied Lily’s drawing.
“Did Derek have your consent to install cameras inside private rooms?”
“No.”
“Did he ever claim they were for security?”
“Only the exterior system.”
Claire’s expression hardened.
“If there is a hidden camera in your daughter’s bedroom, we document it before he removes it.”
Rebecca wanted to return immediately.
Claire stopped her.
“You do not go alone.”
They arranged for a licensed investigator to accompany Rebecca while Lily remained with Anne.
When they entered the house, Derek was gone.
So was Mason.
The divorce papers had disappeared from the dining table.
But the camera under the kitchen cabinet remained.
The investigator photographed it before touching anything.
A second camera was found behind a decorative vent near the staircase.
The third was hidden inside a toy shelf facing Lily’s bed.
Rebecca stood in the doorway, unable to move.
The investigator carefully removed the device.
“It has local storage.”
“Can we see it?”
“Not here.”
Rebecca stared at the tiny lens.
Derek had watched their child sleep.
Claire noticed a cable running behind the shelf.
It led through the wall to Derek’s home office.
Inside, they found a locked cabinet.
Rebecca had never been given a key.
The investigator documented the lock and advised against forcing it without legal authorization.
Then Rebecca noticed scratches around the frame.
Small scratches.
Low to the floor.
Lily had tried to open it.
On the desk lay a handwritten schedule listing Rebecca’s travel dates, Lily’s school pickups, therapy offices, and court deadlines that had not yet been scheduled.
At the bottom was one name:
DR. EVAN MERCER — CHILD TRAUMA EVALUATION.
Rebecca had never heard of him.
Claire searched the name.
“He testifies in custody cases.”
Rebecca looked at the camera facing Lily’s room.
“Derek wasn’t preparing for divorce.”
Claire shook her head.
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“He was building a case before you knew there was one.”
👉 Then the investigator found a folder labeled REBECCA INCIDENTS—and every page described events that had never happened.
