Chapter 4 - The Morning After at Home
At 10:00 AM, my phone began to buzz relentlessly with notifications from my home security system. Before leaving that morning, I had remotely reactivated the interior smart cameras I had installed months ago for home defense. From my iPad on my desk, I pulled up the live feed of our kitchen.
Eleanor was standing in her silk robe by the espresso machine, screaming at Marcus. "What do you mean the card was declined? I tried to pay the caterer for my charity brunch and it said account frozen!"
Marcus was frantically tapping on his smartphone, his face pale and sweaty. "I can't get into the online banking, Mom. The password's been reset. The joint checking is completely gone. Balance is zero. Even my backup gas card is dead."
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"Call her!" Eleanor shrieked, slamming her coffee mug onto the granite countertop. "Tell her to fix this right now! She thinks she can throw a little temper tantrum over a haircut?"
I watched Marcus pace the floor, dialing my number over and over. My phone remained silently on Do Not Disturb, funneling every single one of his desperate calls directly to a voicemail box that I had no intention of checking. They were finally waking up to the reality of their own isolation, but they still believed this was just a minor marital dispute they could bully me out of by lunchtime.
