Chapter 26 - The new camera
The condominium had a small entry camera.
Basic.
No elaborate system.
Rachel helped me connect it.
We stood in the hallway.
App open.
She said:
“Motion zones?”
“Door only.”
“Cloud storage?”
“Thirty days.”
She paused.
Then:
“You trust these things more than people.”
I looked at her.
“Do I?”
She immediately regretted it.
“Sorry.”
“No.”
I thought.
“Cameras show acts. Not whole people.”
She nodded.
“The old one showed Trent.”
“It showed one event.”
“It showed me too.”
“Yes.”
Her face tightened.
“Do you ever watch it?”
“The clip?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I know what happened.”
She swallowed.
“I watched it a lot.”
That surprised me.
“Why?”
“Punishment.”
There.
“Stop.”
“I did.”
“Good.”
She looked at the new camera.
“Do you think if the old camera wasn’t there, you’d believe me if I had defended Trent?”
Painful question.
“I don’t know.”
She nodded.
“Fair.”
Then I added:
“I hope I would have investigated instead of choosing the version I wanted.”
She looked at me.
“Me too.”
That was probably the entire family lesson.
May you like
Evidence should correct preference.
Not become a weapon for it.
