Regina crouched in front of her and took her hands. “Something happened, sweetheart. Your aunt took money from our accounts and left. I need you to know that we are safe, but things will be different for a while.”
Piper listened without interrupting, then tilted her head with an expression far older than her ten years. “I know,” she said quietly. “I was waiting for you to find out.”
Regina blinked. “What do you mean you know.”
Piper ran to her room and returned with an old tablet that Regina had given her for games. She unlocked a hidden folder and turned the screen toward her mother. On it were video files, dozens of them, each labeled with dates and times.
Piper explained that she had started recording after hearing Madison’s boyfriend whispering in the kitchen late at night about needing fast cash and having a plan. The videos showed a tall man with restless eyes pacing through the apartment, speaking in urgent tones. In one clip he said, “Your sister keeps her savings in three accounts. We move the money and leave before she notices.”
In another, Madison sat on the couch crying while he told her, “If you do not do this then everything from Seattle comes out, and you know what that means.”
Regina’s fingers shook as she watched. She did not recognize the man’s name until he spoke it himself during a phone call, bragging about how easy it was to find women through family connections. His name was Tyler Griggs.
The final video made Regina’s stomach turn. Tyler stood in Regina’s bedroom, leaning over her desk, taking a photo of the notebook where she had once written her login information for convenience. He smiled at the camera like a predator certain of victory.
When the screen went dark, Regina sat frozen, unable to speak.
Piper touched her arm. “I uploaded everything to your cloud drive, so even if they take the tablet, it is safe.”
Regina pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. “You just protected us,” she whispered, voice breaking for the first time that day. “I am so proud of you.”
The phone rang before Regina could gather her thoughts. Madison’s name flashed across the screen. Regina put the call on speaker.
Madison’s voice erupted in frantic sobbing. “Gina, please, listen to me. They arrested Tyler. The police are looking for me. I did not mean to do this. I swear I was scared. You have to help me.”