A video file appeared beneath the message.
The thumbnail showed our driveway.
Caroline stood near the garage.
Beside her was her mother.
Ella was between them.
I opened the clip.
For the first few seconds, the camera showed only Margaret’s porch rail, the edge of the lawn, and the corner of our driveway.
Then Ella ran into view with her stuffed rabbit tucked under one arm.
She was heading toward Margaret’s house.
Caroline followed.
So did her mother.
The camera angle did not show what had happened inside our home, but it clearly showed Caroline’s mother catching Ella by the wrist before she reached the street.
It showed Ella twisting away.
It showed Caroline standing close enough to intervene and doing nothing.
Then the microphone caught Caroline’s mother’s voice.
