Without another word, Isabella moved into the den with Lily. They sat together on the couch.
“Isabella?”
Isabella looked up as though startled. A smile was frozen on her face. “Yes, Mrs. Burkett?”
“May I have a word with you?”
Lily was on her lap.
“Now?”
“Yes, please,” Maya said. Her own voice suddenly sounded funny to her. “I would like to show you something.”
Isabella gently placed Lily on the couch cushion next to her. She handed Lily a cardboard book, rose, and smoothed down her skirt. She moved slowly toward Maya, almost as if she were expecting a blow.
“Yes, Mrs. Burkett?”
“Was anyone here yesterday?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean,” Maya said, keeping her tone even, “was there anybody inside this house yesterday besides you and Lily?”
“No, Mrs. Burkett.” The fixed expression was back. “Who do you mean?”
“I mean, anyone. Did Hector come inside, for example?”
“No, Mrs. Burkett.”
“So no one was here?”
“No one.”
Maya glanced toward the computer, then back at Isabella. “Did you leave at all?”
“Leave the house?”
“Yes.”
“Lily and I went to the playground. We do that every day.”
“Did you leave the house any other time?”
Isabella looked up as though trying to remember. “No, Mrs. Burkett.”
“And did you leave the house at all by yourself?”
“Without Lily?!” She said it with a sharp intake, as though this were the most offensive thing she could imagine. “No, Mrs. Burkett, of course not.”
“Did you leave her alone at all?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a simple question, Isabella.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Isabella said. “Why are you asking me these questions? You don’t like the job I’m doing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I never leave Lily alone. Never. Maybe when she takes a nap upstairs, I come downstairs and clean up a little—”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Isabella studied Maya’s face now. “Then what do you mean?”
There was no reason to delay this any longer. “I want to show you something.”
The laptop was on the kitchen island. Maya reached for it as Isabella moved in closer. “I keep a camera in the family room,” she began.
Isabella looked puzzled.
“A friend gave it to me,” Maya said in a way of explanation, though really, did she need to explain herself? “It records what goes on when I’m not here.”
“A camera?”
“Yes.”
“But I never saw a camera, Mrs. Burkett.”
“You’re not supposed to. It’s hidden.”
Isabella’s gaze slid back toward the family room.
“A nanny cam,” Maya continued. “You know that new picture frame we have on the shelf?”
She watched Isabella’s eyes land on the bookshelf. “Yes, Mrs. Burkett.”
“That’s a camera.”
Isabella looked back at her. “So you were spying on me?”
“I was monitoring my child,” Maya said.
“But you didn’t let me know.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“There’s no reason to get defensive.”
“No?” Isabella’s tone spiked up. “You didn’t trust me.”
“Would you?”
“What?”
“It wasn’t a question of you, Isabella. Lily is my child. I am responsible for her well-being.”
“And you think spying on me is best for her?”
Maya maximized the screen setting and cued up the video. “Before this morning, I figured that it couldn’t hurt.”
“And now?”
Maya flipped the screen around so Isabella could see it. “Watch.”
Maya didn’t bother to watch the video again. She had seen it enough times for now. Instead, she focused on Isabella’s face and looked for signs of stress or deception.
“What am I supposed to be looking for?”
Maya glanced at the screen. The fake Joe had just exited the screen after blocking the camera. “Just watch.”
Isabella narrowed her eyes. Maya tried to keep her breath even. They say you never know how someone will react when the grenade is thrown. That
“Isabella?”
Isabella looked up as though startled. A smile was frozen on her face. “Yes, Mrs. Burkett?”
“May I have a word with you?”
Lily was on her lap.
“Now?”
“Yes, please,” Maya said. Her own voice suddenly sounded funny to her. “I would like to show you something.”
Isabella gently placed Lily on the couch cushion next to her. She handed Lily a cardboard book, rose, and smoothed down her skirt. She moved slowly toward Maya, almost as if she were expecting a blow.
“Yes, Mrs. Burkett?”
“Was anyone here yesterday?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean,” Maya said, keeping her tone even, “was there anybody inside this house yesterday besides you and Lily?”
“No, Mrs. Burkett.” The fixed expression was back. “Who do you mean?”
“I mean, anyone. Did Hector come inside, for example?”
“No, Mrs. Burkett.”
“So no one was here?”
“No one.”
Maya glanced toward the computer, then back at Isabella. “Did you leave at all?”
“Leave the house?”
“Yes.”
“Lily and I went to the playground. We do that every day.”
“Did you leave the house any other time?”
Isabella looked up as though trying to remember. “No, Mrs. Burkett.”
“And did you leave the house at all by yourself?”
“Without Lily?!” She said it with a sharp intake, as though this were the most offensive thing she could imagine. “No, Mrs. Burkett, of course not.”
“Did you leave her alone at all?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a simple question, Isabella.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Isabella said. “Why are you asking me these questions? You don’t like the job I’m doing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I never leave Lily alone. Never. Maybe when she takes a nap upstairs, I come downstairs and clean up a little—”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Isabella studied Maya’s face now. “Then what do you mean?”
There was no reason to delay this any longer. “I want to show you something.”
The laptop was on the kitchen island. Maya reached for it as Isabella moved in closer. “I keep a camera in the family room,” she began.
Isabella looked puzzled.
“A friend gave it to me,” Maya said in a way of explanation, though really, did she need to explain herself? “It records what goes on when I’m not here.”
“A camera?”
“Yes.”
“But I never saw a camera, Mrs. Burkett.”
“You’re not supposed to. It’s hidden.”
Isabella’s gaze slid back toward the family room.
“A nanny cam,” Maya continued. “You know that new picture frame we have on the shelf?”
She watched Isabella’s eyes land on the bookshelf. “Yes, Mrs. Burkett.”
“That’s a camera.”
Isabella looked back at her. “So you were spying on me?”
“I was monitoring my child,” Maya said.
“But you didn’t let me know.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“There’s no reason to get defensive.”
“No?” Isabella’s tone spiked up. “You didn’t trust me.”
“Would you?”
“What?”
“It wasn’t a question of you, Isabella. Lily is my child. I am responsible for her well-being.”
“And you think spying on me is best for her?”
Maya maximized the screen setting and cued up the video. “Before this morning, I figured that it couldn’t hurt.”
“And now?”
Maya flipped the screen around so Isabella could see it. “Watch.”
Maya didn’t bother to watch the video again. She had seen it enough times for now. Instead, she focused on Isabella’s face and looked for signs of stress or deception.
“What am I supposed to be looking for?”
Maya glanced at the screen. The fake Joe had just exited the screen after blocking the camera. “Just watch.”
Isabella narrowed her eyes. Maya tried to keep her breath even. They say you never know how someone will react when the grenade is thrown. That
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