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A link pops up on the screen and Mark uses the tablet to click on it. The screen goes black and a green cursor blinks.Authenticating…types out.
A few seconds pass.Access grantedappears and a video plays. The time and date stamp tell me what I’m looking at. It’s black and white security footage from the jewelry store where my mom was killed.
There’s no audio. My mom comes into view and my heart jumps into my throat. Her hair is piled on top of her head with a plastic clip. She wears capris and a light colored tank top tucked into them with a thin belt. The camera points down at her. The rest of the store spreads out behind her. There’s only one man browsing rings in the background. She looks down at the men’s watches. She had mentioned getting an engraved one from us for dad’s birthday. A wave of shame and guilt assaults me, and I close my eyes for a second. With a deep breath, I choke back my emotions, then face the screen. My mom talks to the employee with a friendly smile.
The employee pulls out a watch to show her, and she holds it and looks it over before handing it back. As the employee moves to set it on its stand, a man dressed in all black with a ski mask comes in from the back of the store and heads straight towards my mom.
My entire body goes tense. He ignores everything else and raises his gun at her and shouts something. The image is too grainy and choppy to read his lips. She turns to face him, her hands in the air. I can’t see her face, but I can tell she’s talking to him.
She steps out of frame towards the exit, but the gunman stays put, tracking her movement with the gun. A few tense seconds go by, then he pulls the trigger. Two shots. Her feet fall into the frame. The gunman takes another step towards her and fires another shot. My mom’s feet jerk, then they still. The gunman takes a deep breath before he turns and smashes a few of the glass displays with the gun as he makes his exit. The other customer, who’s hunkered behind a counter, waits for him to leave, then bolts to my mom’s side. That man is a doctor. He tried to save my mom, but couldn’t. She was dead by the time the ambulance arrived. That last shot hit her brain. She didn’t stand a chance. I’m startled when I hear someone sob.
I take a minute to realize it’s me. Mark is in front of me, holding me up by my shoulders. “Breathe,” he says, and I do. I grip the sofa cushion and settle my mind. Fifteen years later, and it still hurts like hell. I get my heart rate under control and nod at Mark. He returns to his seat. Jim and Fox observe me with concern.
“Who the fuck sent that video?” I ask.
Fox speaks, but Jim stops him with a hand on his arm. “Luke, I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Why would someone send that to him, is the better question,” Jordy says.
Jim nods. “I agree. My guess, it came from your dad.”
All of us, including Fox, regard him. “What do you mean?” I ask.
Jim sighs. “I don’t think your dad intended Nova to be just a home security system. James was secretive about it, but hinted he had other plans. He must have found a way for you to receive this video, even after his death.”
I stare at him for a moment. What the hell is he talking about? My eyes go wide. “The gunman… he didn’t take anything.”
Jim nods, his face grim as I piece together what he already has. “The police report stated he made off with over half a million in jewelry. The store even got an insurance settlement out of it."
“Jesus. It was a cover up,” Mark says, looking at me.
“Mia wasn’t an innocent bystander. She was murdered,” Jim says.
My heart squeezes and I grab my chest to soothe the pain. My mom was sweet and generous. Who would want to murder her?
I meet Jim’s gaze as something else pops in my head. “How long have you known?”
He sighs and shakes his head. “I only ever suspected. Your dad asked me to stop looking into it, and I respected his request, but something about it just didn’t sit right.”
“He knew,” I say.
Jim nods. “I suspected that too.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell me? And why now?”
Jim leans back in his chair as he gathers his thoughts. “My best guess? He’s protecting you. And you’re finding out now to warn you.”
The room fills with silence as I contemplate that.
I turn to Jordy. “Liv."
“If someone killed your mom and your dad didn’t retaliate, they had something on him. Something he couldn’t even tell you about,” he says.
“But whoever was after him isn’t aware that he didn’t tell Luke. They could try the same thing with Liv,” Mark says.
Jordy flexes his hands. “Over our dead bodies.”
“I can send more officers,” Jim says.
