Chapter 2: The Witness in the Shadows
What Beatrice didn't know was that she hadn't been as invisible as she thought. Hiding behind the ornate bronze statue of a weeping angel near the poolside bar was six-year-old Leo, Elena’s nephew from her sister’s side, who was visiting for the summer. He had been playing with his toy boat, but when he saw Beatrice approach, he had frozen.
Leo watched in horror as his favorite person in the world was shoved into the depths. He was small, but he was fast. He didn't scream—he knew that if he did, Beatrice would silence him too. Instead, he pulled his own small, kid-sized smartwatch from his pocket. He didn't know how to call the police, but he knew how to use the "Emergency Video Stream" button that Elena’s husband, Julian, had installed to keep track of the house.
He pressed it and hid the watch in the shrubbery, angling the camera toward the pool. Then, he sprinted toward the house, his little heart hammering against his ribs, his lungs burning with the need to find someone, anyone, who could stop the monster in the white suit.
Down in the water, Elena was fading. The darkness of the deep end felt like an encroaching shroud. She felt the baby kick—a frantic, rhythmic protest against the danger. She kicked toward the surface, but her legs were cramped. She was losing her fight, the water entering her lungs, the light from above becoming a distant, distorted memory.
Above, Beatrice checked her watch. She was calm, her pulse steady. "It’s done," she whispered to the empty air. She prepared to turn around, to go back inside and "discover" the accident, ready to perform the role of the grief-stricken mother-in-law.
But the quiet of the estate was suddenly broken by the roar of an engine. A black luxury SUV tore up the driveway, tires screeching against the gravel. A door slammed. Footsteps—heavy, fast, and desperate—thundered across the patio.
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"Elena!"
Beatrice spun around, her eyes widening in horror. Julian. He was home three days early.
