The footage was grainy and silent.

A man in a dark suit entered the hidden room, shut the door, and leaned toward the camera.

His build looked like Ethan's.

His hair looked like Ethan's.

Even the watch on his left wrist looked like Ethan's stainless-steel Omega.

Detective Reynolds paused the frame.

"When was this recorded?"

The technician checked the metadata. "August 14. 11:06 p.m."

Ethan shook his head. "I was in Chicago that night."

"Can you prove it?"

"Hotel records. Flight records. A board dinner with forty people."

The technician zoomed in.

The man's face was turned away.

Martin leaned toward the screen. "That's not Mr. Cole's watch."

Maya looked at him.

"You can tell from this?"

"His has a black dial. That one is blue."

Ethan stared at the figure.

The clip lasted seventeen seconds. The man placed a plastic water bottle on the floor and left.

The next recovered file showed Sophie sitting alone on the chair, crying.

Ethan stood up so fast his chair scraped backward.

"Turn it off."

The technician stopped the video.

Maya's voice softened. "We need to see it."

"Not with me here."

He walked into the hallway and pressed both hands to his face.

For months he had congratulated himself on building a safe home.

He had installed cameras. Hired staff. Bought a gated property. Checked school reports. Called Sophie every afternoon.

And somehow his daughter had been crying ten feet beneath his wine cellar.

Martin joined him.

"There's more."

"What?"

"I checked Vanessa's visitor logs."

Ethan looked up.

"She had someone here five times when you were traveling. Male. Arrived through the service gate."

"Name?"

"Log says contractor. Daniel Mercer."

Ethan knew the name.

Vanessa's younger brother.

A man she'd claimed she had not spoken to in years.

The forensic technician opened another damaged file.

This time the image showed Vanessa kneeling in front of Sophie.

The audio crackled back for three seconds.

Vanessa's voice was clear.

"If Daddy finds out, he'll leave you too."

Then a man's voice answered from outside the frame.

"We're running out of time. Get the trust documents signed."

Ethan's blood went cold.

He knew that voice.

It belonged to his attorney.