Page 146 of Hidden Tide
Mom studies her. “You never told him.”
“I blamed Storm.”
Storm turns toward her. “You what?”
“You had taken his boat out without permission. He was already angry with you.”
“I was grounded for a month.”
“You deserved it.”
“I didn’t deserve an additional crime.”
“It worked out.”
“You’re going to pay me back for that.”
“It was nineteen years ago.”
“With interest.”
Ben looks at me. “Your family chooses unusual moments to resolve childhood grievances.”
“This is normal for us.”
Marquez holds up her hand.
“If that isn’t Daniel’s camera, what is it?”
“A replica,” Ivy says. “Someone replaced it.”
“Recently?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t opened the case in months.”
“Elliot believed it was real,” Ward says. “He risked entering the building to steal it.”
“Or he knew it was fake,” I say.
Everyone looks at me.
“What if he wasn’t stealing the frame?” I continue. “What if he was removing proof that someone had already taken it?”
Marquez turns back to the feed.
“Have the technician check the camera for fingerprints, hair, fibers—anything that could tell us who placed it there.”
Ivy shakes her head.
“They won’t find much. Naomi dusts the shelves and cases every week.”
“Does she open them?”
“No.”
“When did you last hold the real camera?”
Ivy thinks for a moment.
