Chapter 16 - The Other Camera
Detective Collins obtained a warrant for the safety-deposit box, but Martin's attorneys tried to block access before the judge could sign it. For two days they argued about corporate ownership and privileged documents while the original recordings sat behind steel doors. Priya told Owen not to mistake a delay for defeat.
"He has money," Owen said.
"He has lawyers," she corrected. "Neither gives him permission to destroy evidence."
By Tuesday, the investigators had the box open. Inside were two flash drives, a memory card, and a narrow folder containing photographs of the music hall's east exit. A forensic specialist made working copies and recorded every transfer. Natalie had been right: someone had cloned Adam's card after stealing the music-box house.
The images were grainy but clear enough to change everything. One showed Wade fitting a new chain. Another showed Martin speaking to a broad-shouldered man wearing a mechanic's jacket identical to Adam's. A third showed the man's face reflected in a delivery truck mirror.
Collins recognized him. His name was Grant Bell, a former security supervisor who had testified at Adam's trial that he had seen Adam outside the hall just before the fire. He was now Martin's head of security.
"The witness in the jacket was the man who put my brother there," Owen said.
"That's one strong possibility," Collins answered. "We'll test it and interview him."
The folder carried a handwritten instruction from Martin: USE THE 11:30 FRAME. KEEP BELL OFF THE FINAL CUT.
Priya took the copies to the prosecutor's conviction-integrity unit. They requested an expedited review. A state investigator began checking Bell's movements and the payments to the private video contractor. Owen was relieved to see the case moving, but he couldn't erase the thought of Adam spending another night behind bars.
That afternoon, a television station aired a statement from Martin's lawyers calling the evidence a malicious campaign against a respected philanthropist. A blurred wedding still appeared behind the anchor, with Ivy's little cream cardigan visible at the edge of the stage.
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Owen turned off the television before she could see it.
Then Ben called from Ivy's school. "Someone told her classmates her dad killed a man and her uncle ruined his own wedding. She's hiding in the music room. She asked me whether everybody thinks our family lies."
