Chapter 11 - The Third Observer
It was a microphone headset.
Beside the headset sat a steaming mug of tea, a red apron tossed haphazardly over a stool, and a digital tablet displaying a six-grid security view of the entire house—including the kitchen, the hallway, the foyer, and the stairwell.
Evelyn stared at the stool in utter disbelief.
Someone had been sitting in this room just minutes ago. Someone had been watching the security feeds from inside the house, wearing the headset, listening to every word spoken in the kitchen.
The door behind her hadn't been left open by accident.
CLICK.
From the shadowy corner behind the server racks, the soft sound of a footstep echoed through the room.
Evelyn snapped her head around, her body freezing in terror. "Who's there?!"
A figure stepped out from behind the black server cabinet into the dim green glow of the LED lights.
It was a woman. She was in her mid-forties, wearing a plain gray sweater and dark trousers. Her face was pale, lined with deep, dark circles beneath her eyes, her short brown hair pulled back into a messy clip.
She didn't look like a killer. She looked exhausted, broken, carrying an unbearable weight of grief.
"Don't scream," the woman whispered, her voice raspy, barely louder than the hum of the cooling fans. "If you scream, he'll know I'm in here."
Evelyn backed up toward Lily, shielding her daughter with her body. "Who are you?! What are you doing in my house?!"
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The woman looked at Lily, tears suddenly welling in her eyes, glittering softly in the green server light.
"My name is Sarah," the woman whispered softly. "And seven years ago... I was Ethan's first wife."
