Chapter 8 - THE DELETED FOOTAGEMarcus recovered six seconds.
Not enough.
But useful.
The video came from a temporary cache stored inside one of Asterleigh’s ballroom camera processors.
Six seconds before the deletion gap.
Cambria entered frame.
She looked directly toward the camera.
Then toward someone near the service corridor.
She gave the smallest nod.
The footage cut.
Arielle watched it twelve times.
“Who is she looking at?”
Marcus zoomed.
Blurred.
A woman.
Black dress.
Event staff.
“Can you identify her?”
“Maybe.”
Asterleigh employment records gave a name.
Kendra Moss.
Evelyn’s private events manager for eleven years.
The same person whose admin account deleted the footage.
Marcus found something else.
A text record recovered from a company phone.
Sent by Kendra at 8:56 p.m.
READY WHEN YOU ARE.
Recipient deleted.
At 9:13:
SHE’S BY WEST WINDOW.
At 9:16:
CAMBRIA MOVING NOW.
Deletion flag initiated at 9:18.
The staged fall happened around 9:29.
Arielle stared.
Someone had coordinated positioning.
Her positioning.
Cambria’s.
The camera.
“Can we prove recipient?”
“Not yet.”
“Evelyn?”
“Maybe.”
Arielle shook her head.
“No assumptions.”
Marcus smiled faintly.
“You're learning my job.”
“I’m paying enough.”
That evening Miriam reviewed the evidence.
“If the full footage is recovered, it could destroy any attempt to characterize you as violent.”
“And if not?”
“Six seconds plus logs suggest planning but not the fall itself.”
“Not enough.”
“Correct.”
May you like
Arielle looked down.
“Then keep digging.”
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