My Daughter Makes Me A Special Coffee Every Morning To Help With My Memory Loss. I Thought She Was An Angel Until My Doctor Called With A Terrifying Blood Test Result. Now I Am Watching Her Through A Hidden Camera, And I Cannot Believe What She Just Dropped Into My Mug.
Setting the Trap
“I need you to listen very carefully,”
Vinnie said.
“Go home. Act normal. Don’t confront them yet. We need evidence. Real evidence, not just pharmacy records. We need to catch them in the act.”
“How?”
He handed me a business card.
“This is my nephew. He installs security systems. Tell Andrea you want cameras for safety. Old man living alone, that kind of thing. But what you’re really doing is catching her drugging you.”
I looked at the card. My hands were shaking.
“What if she refuses?”
“Then you tell her the insurance company recommended it, or your old department is offering a discount to retirees. Whatever works. But get those cameras in your house.”
I drove home in a fog. The Tucson sun was already brutal at 8 in the morning, but I felt cold. My daughter. My little girl. The one who used to climb into my lap after bad dreams, the one who’d sobbed in my arms at Helen’s funeral. She was poisoning me.
When I got home, Andrea was in the kitchen making pancakes.
“There you are! Happy birthday, Dad. Sit down, I made your favorite breakfast.”
I looked at the plate she was preparing. Blueberry pancakes with extra butter and maple syrup. My mouth went dry.
“Actually honey, I ate already. Big breakfast with the guys.”
Disappointment flickered across her face.
“Oh well, I’ll save these for later.”
Kyle came downstairs then, already in his expensive suit. He worked from home most days trading, though I’d never seen any evidence of success.
“Happy birthday, Richard. Big 62, huh?”
He clapped me on the shoulder. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. It never did.
“Thanks, Kyle.”
“We’re taking you out tonight. Andrea made reservations at that steakhouse you love.”
“That’s nice,”
I forced a smile.
“Hey, speaking of plans, I’ve been thinking. I’m getting older, living in this big house. Some of the guys from the department were saying I should get a security system. You know, cameras and such.”
Andrea’s head snapped up from the pancakes.
“Cameras?”
“Yeah, just for safety. There’s been some break-ins in the neighborhood.”
There hadn’t been.
“The insurance company is offering a discount if we install them. Motion sensors, the whole thing.”
I watched her face carefully. She glanced at Kyle. Something passed between them. Then she smiled.
“That’s a great idea, Dad. Very smart. When were you thinking?”
“I’ll call today. Get someone out this week.”
“Perfect.”
Her smile was bright, too bright.
“More coffee?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Vinnie’s nephew Danny came out two days later. Young guy, mid-20s, but he knew his stuff.
“My uncle told me what’s happening,”
he said quietly while Andrea was at the store.
“I’m putting cameras everywhere. Kitchen, living room, your bedroom, bathroom. She might be crushing pills and putting them in your toothpaste, your mouthwash, anything.”
He handed me a phone.
“This is linked to all the cameras. They record to a cloud server. She can’t access it, can’t delete it. You’ll have everything.”
“Thank you.”
“My uncle saved my mom’s life when I was a kid. House fire. I was 10.”
Danny looked at me.
“We take care of our own, you know.”
The cameras went up, small, discreet. Andrea barely glanced at them.
“These are great, Dad. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re protected.”
