Chapter 4 - A Camera That Forgot
"A whole camera doesn't just forget," I said.
The banquet captain, Elise Ward, looked miserable. "They said the fountain feed went black at eight twenty-one."
"That's four minutes ago," I said. "And thirty seconds after Vivian knocked me into the water."
Graham spread his hands toward the nearest guests. "The system glitches sometimes. See? This is why we don't let staff create scenes at formal events."
A man holding a champagne flute frowned. "My wife saw the push."
Vivian smiled at him. "Surely you don't mean to involve yourself in an employee matter, Mr. Granger."
He looked away.
I knew the fountain camera was gone before anyone told me. Graham had sent his IT director a short message after his wife shoved me. I'd caught the reflection of his screen in the window behind him: DELETE LOBBY 8:00–8:30.
What I hadn't known was whether his IT director would obey.
Luis touched his earpiece. "I need the original server logs. Now."
Graham's voice cracked like a whip. "You take orders from me."
"I take orders from the law, too," Luis replied.
That was new. I filed it away.
At the edge of the crowd, Eli Marsh, the twenty-two-year-old valet, caught my eye. He'd helped me haul wet linen bags on my third day. He was the only person in the building who knew I'd been asking about the loading-dock camera, and he looked terrified.
He held up two fingers, then touched his phone.
Two angles. Two recordings.
Before he could reach me, Vivian gave a small gasp and stared at her wrist.
"My bracelet!" she cried. "My diamond bracelet is gone!"
Every head turned.
"It was here before that woman knocked into me," she added, pointing straight at my cart.
Graham didn't bother hiding his satisfaction. "Luis, search her things."
May you like
I looked at the cart. It hadn't moved since the splash. But its lower compartment was open.
And a blue velvet jewelry pouch lay where my clean towels had been.
