"Daddy, There's Something Under the Table"
CHAPTER 3 - CLAIRE'S LAST RECORDING
Daniel remembered the old service telephone in the pantry.
During the mansion's restoration, he had kept it connected because the copper line ran underground. If he could reach it, he could call for help.
But first, he needed to know why Grant wanted the blue phone.
"Ruby," Daniel said gently, "did that belong to your mother?"
She nodded.
"I found it behind her dresser yesterday. Dad thought it disappeared after she died."
Vanessa looked stunned. "You never told me."
"I didn't know if I could trust you."
The words struck Vanessa harder than any accusation.
Daniel understood Ruby's hesitation. Adults had failed her repeatedly. Even Vanessa, who wanted to protect her, had hidden her beneath a dinner table rather than face the truth.
Ruby entered the phone's passcode. The screen flickered at three percent.
There was one voice recording, dated the night Claire died.
Vanessa reached for it, but Daniel stopped her.
"This decision belongs to Ruby."
Ruby looked at Sophie. The younger girl was still clutching Daniel's sleeve, but she gave Ruby a small, brave nod.
"Play it," Ruby said.
Claire's frightened voice filled the dining room.
"Grant, I'm taking Ruby and leaving tonight."
A man answered, his words slurred. "You aren't taking my daughter anywhere."
"She saw what you did."
There was a crash, followed by Claire crying out.
Then Grant's voice became cold and clear.
"Get up, Claire."
Several seconds passed.
"You should have stayed quiet."
The recording ended.
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Ruby did not cry. She simply stared at the phone, as if she had been waiting a year for someone else to hear what she already knew.
"My mother didn't fall. He pushed her because she tried to protect me."
The handle stopped moving.
For one hopeful second, Daniel thought Grant had gone.
Then the chandelier went dark.
From the hallway came the metallic scrape of a key entering the lock.
Grant had found a way into the dining room.
