The Nanny
Wendy OgilvieA live-in nanny starts experiencing unsettling incidents in a smart home where the technology never seems to behave quite as it should.
Email - M. Peterson to K. Stenning (new nanny)
Dear Kaley,
Thank you for returning your signed Contract of Employment. I'm pleased to confirm that everything is now in place for you to begin your position caring for Rose.
As agreed, you will move into our home on 14 May 2024. Your room will be ready for your arrival, and either Anna or I will be here to welcome you and help you settle in.
We will also take you through Rose's usual routine, feeding schedule and sleeping arrangements before your first day with her.
As previously discussed, the house has a smart-home system. We'll show you how to operate the security, lighting, baby monitor and other household controls, and set you up as an authorised user.
Please let me know what time you expect to arrive and whether you need any help with your belongings or travel arrangements.
We look forward to welcoming you into our home.
Journal page - K. Stenning, 26 May 2024
It happened again today! That damned baby monitor keeps sending out an alert but when I run into the nursery Rose is sound asleep.
Three times tonight.
I was trying to watch The Hunger Games and it was so frustrating.
The weirdest one was when I was actually standing next to her cot and another crying alert appeared on my phone.
Rose hadn't made a sound.
If it happens again, I'm going to ask one of the Petersons to report it to the company that installed it.
On the upside, I really like it here.
The house may be a bit too techno for me, but it feels incredibly safe.
I'm sleeping better than I have in ages.
This feels like a proper new start.
Journal page - K. Stenning, 12 June 2024
I had to tell Mrs Peterson about what happened tonight.
I was downstairs with Rose when I heard a man's voice upstairs.
Just for a second.
He said my name.
I completely froze.
It sounded like someone I know.
I picked Rose up and went upstairs but there was no one there.
I checked every room.
I know how stupid this sounds, but I definitely heard it.
I'd got used to running back and forth to the nursery for no reason and I didn't want to cause trouble in my first few weeks here, but there's definitely something wrong with this house.
Yesterday, Mr Peterson asked me why the front door was unlocked when he got home.
I apologised and said I must have been busy bringing Rose and the pram indoors and forgotten, but I'm sure I locked it.
This is the second time it's happened.
I'm going to double-check it every time from now on.
Internal email - Verdant Home customer support to Technical Services
Good morning,
We've received a follow-up request from our client, Mr Maxwell Peterson, regarding ongoing concerns about the smart-home system at his property.
Mr Peterson has asked whether we can review activity across the household system over the past seven days, including:
- External door activity
- Security cameras
- Nursery baby monitor
- Connected audio devices
The customer advises that the baby monitor has generated several unexplained alerts.
They have also reported an incident on 12 June in which their nanny heard an unidentified male voice somewhere upstairs despite no other adult being present.
There have separately been occasions on which external doors were found unlocked despite the nanny believing they had been secured.
Mr Peterson would like to know whether any recorded system activity corresponds with these incidents.
Could the assigned technician review the available logs and advise whether any anomalies are present?
Remote Diagnostic Incident Report - Nursery monitor
Report Summary
Following customer reports of unexpected audio alerts, remote diagnostics were carried out on the above device for 12 June 2024.
No hardware faults detected.
No software corruption detected.
Wireless signal strength remained stable throughout the reporting period.
No unauthorised firmware modifications identified.
The report logs five entries.
Remote Diagnostic Report - Door monitoring
Report Summary
Following customer reports of unexpected door activity, remote diagnostics were carried out on the above device.
No hardware faults detected. No software corruption detected. Wireless signal strength remained stable throughout the reporting period. No unauthorised firmware modifications identified.
Routine door activity was recorded throughout the week.
One entry falls outside this pattern.
Text exchange - A. Peterson / K. Stenning
Text exchange - A. Peterson / M. Peterson, 20 June
Emergency Call Transcript - K. Stenning
Request for Household System Activity - Peterson Residence
At approximately 14:28 on 23 June 2024, officers attended the Peterson residence following a 999 call reporting suspected persons inside the property.
The caller, Kaley Stenning, reported hearing what she believed to be two male voices upstairs.
Officers conducted a search of the house and surrounding grounds. No persons were found, and there were no visible signs of forced entry or disturbance.
Please preserve and supply available system activity relating to the Peterson residence between 13:30 and 14:30 on 23 June 2024.
Please include, where available:
- External door activity
- Security camera activity
- Nursery monitoring equipment
- Connected audio devices
- Live-view sessions
- Remote access sessions
- Account logins or administrative activity
Transcript of Voice Message - K. Stenning to her mother
Mum, it's me.
I'm freaking out.
I called the police today.
I heard men's voices upstairs. There were definitely two of them.
I got Rose out and went next door.
The police searched the whole house and couldn't find anyone.
I know they didn't find anyone, but I know what I heard.
I don't know what's happening here.
The Petersons haven't said much, but I'm worried they might fire me.
I'd lose the job and the room.
I don't know what I'd do.
And I love Rose. I don't want to leave her.
Can you call me when you get this?
Love you.
Information Note - K. Stenning
Routine checks following attendance at the Peterson residence identified previous police contact involving Ms Stenning in late 2023.
Ms Stenning was recorded as the reporting party in two incidents following the breakdown of a personal relationship.
No charges resulted.
Safeguarding advice was provided.
Records indicate that Ms Stenning subsequently changed her telephone number and residential address.
Her current address does not appear in the earlier case material.
There is presently no information linking those incidents to events at the Peterson residence.
Text exchange - A. Peterson / M. Peterson, 26 June
Recovered System Audio - Peterson Residence
Files recovered during preservation and examination of household system data requested by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The following transmissions were not accurately reflected in customer-facing diagnostic reports previously supplied in relation to the property.
Internal Security Review - Peterson household account
Internal Account Search
Review of internal system activity identified an unusual search conducted shortly after Kaley Stenning was added to the Peterson household account as an authorised user.
Date of search: 14 May 2024
Search term: KALEY STENNING
The search was carried out using an internal customer-support lookup tool used by Customer Operations and Technical Services staff.
The query returned one active residential account:
Peterson Residence, ███ ███████ Road, Chelsea, London
No customer enquiry, support ticket or technical issue requiring a search for Kaley Stenning by name has been identified.
Account Access
At the time of the search, the lookup tool was accessed through a shared Customer Operations service account.
Available audit records do not identify the individual staff member who submitted the query.
The search was performed manually.
Read next
- The Safe PlaceA woman keeps taking in parcels for the neighbour across the landing, until she starts to wonder why they never arrive at his door.Verdant · Crime · 10 documents · about 7 min
- LENA-4A family’s new android caregiver becomes indispensable to their daughter in ways no one agreed to.Like Us · Dystopia · 15 documents · about 6 min
- A Good CallDaniel’s father says their Sunday calls mean everything to him. Daniel hasn’t made one in six weeks.Like Us · Dystopia · 8 documents · about 8 min