It was from her.

I looked back at the laptop screen, searching for more answers.

I clicked on a desktop shortcut titled *System Controller*.

A black window opened, displaying a long list of active IP addresses and hardware names.

The smart-home system Julian had designed was far more complex than I ever realized.

There were twenty-three separate camera feeds listed on the network.

I only knew about four.

The cameras on the front porch, the driveway, the garage, and the back deck were visible on my own phone app.

The other nineteen were hidden.

I scrolled down the list of device names, my heart hammering against my ribs.

*Hallway_01.*

*Pantry_East.*

*Pantry_Floor_Access.*

*Kitchen_Ceiling_01.*

*Spice_Rack_01.*

I stopped scrolling.

*Spice_Rack_01.*

My gaze fixed on the name of the camera.

The spice rack was the centerpiece of my professional kitchen.

It was a beautiful, custom-made oak carousel that Julian had built for me when my food blog started gaining traction.

He had installed it at perfect eye level, right next to my prep station.

I remembered how he had insisted on its exact placement.