I scanned the instructions that came in the camera box. They promised a quick, straightforward installation. All I had to do was set up the wireless transmitter, sync it to my phone, and stick the device in the desired location. Easy.
After I completed the setup steps, I headed down the hall and slipped into Kinsey’s room. The pendant light above her bed was the perfect spot to capture her nocturnal activities. It was a dark bronze ball with cutout patterns all over it which easily distracted the eye from the addition of the camera on the bottom. No one would ever know it was there.
Once I’d ensured that the device was properly stuck to the light, I stepped off the bed and checked the corresponding app on my phone to see if it was working.
“Fuck yeah,” I muttered. The device was already transmitting data, so I could see myself on my phone screen, captured from above. It worked perfectly.
A creaking sound made me whip my head around. Someone was opening the door on the other side of the room, and it was too late for me to hide anywhere.
Shit.
Maeve stepped inside, holding a basket of folded washing. “Jax. What are you doing in here?” she asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
I forced a smile. “Hey, Maeve. I was just looking for something.”
“Looking for what?” she asked, setting the basket down. “Does Kinsey know you’re in here?”
“No. She had a shitty morning at school and came home early, so I thought I’d come up here and grab her favorite book for her. Figured it might cheer her up a bit.” I kept the genial smile on my face as I spoke, hoping Maeve would buy the bullshit story without issue. “Oh, there it is,” I went on, looking at the desk. There were a couple of books sitting on the left side, and one of them appeared to be fiction. I could easily pass it off as Kinsey’s favorite.
Maeve glanced around the room, presumably checking to see if anything was out of place. I remained calm and kept my gaze fixed on her, knowing everything looked fine. Nothing was missing or in the wrong spot. Even the urn Cerina stole on the weekend was back in its place on the shelf.
“Are you sure that’s all you were doing?” Maeve finally asked. She still looked suspicious.
I raised a brow as I picked up the book. “I wasn’t rifling through her underwear drawer, if that’s what you’re implying,” I said. “If you don’t believe me, go downstairs and look in the kitchen. Kinsey’s in there comfort-eating everything in the fridge. She’s really upset about what happened at school.” I waved the book in the air. “Like I said, I’m trying to cheer her up.”
“Hm.” Maeve glanced around again, forehead creasing. “So you two are friends now, are you?”
“Yup.”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I really hope you’re not lying to me, Jax.”
“I’m not,” I said, irritation creeping into my voice.
“Well, I wasn’t born yesterday, so I know there’s been some sort of trouble between you two recently,” she replied, furrowing her brows. “I really don’t want to see any more, okay? Kinsey is a nice girl.”
“Don’t worry, Maeve.” I smiled thinly and stepped toward the door. “Once this is over, there won’t be any trouble at all.”
13
Jax
I threwmy bag down and parked myself at my desk, lips curving into a wicked grin. It was time for the big moment.
School was done for the day, meaning I had the rest of the afternoon to go through last night’s footage from Kinsey’s bedroom. I knew my dad was with her last night, because I heard faint muttering and grunting through the wall yet again while I was trying to get to sleep. Those idiots really had no clue how thin the walls in this house were.
I plugged a small black cable into my phone and connected it to my laptop. Once the spy device app was open on the screen, I clicked on ‘Recordings’ and isolated the time period between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. I knew my father didn’t arrive in the room until well after midnight, but I was curious to see what Kinsey did beforehand.
I hit play.
At 10:03, Kinsey entered her bedroom with her nightly mug of hot chocolate. She sat in bed reading while she sipped at it.Boring.I fast-forwarded to 10:16, when she finally moved again. She stepped into the bathroom and emerged five minutes later in a pale purple satin nightdress. Yawning, she stretched her arms above her head and flexed her hands, letting out a satisfied sigh when her knuckles cracked.
Damn, the microphone in the hidden device was stellar. It picked upeverything.
Kinsey climbed into bed, switched her lamp off, and snuggled under the blankets. It only took her two minutes and twenty-four seconds to fall asleep. She was lucky. Sometimes it took me two or three hours to get to sleep.
I hit the fast-forward button again and sped through the next three hours. Nothing happened apart from Kinsey occasionally moving around in her sleep.
At 1:39, my father finally appeared in the footage. I slowed it to a regular speed and leaned forward, watching the screen with bated breath.