Chapter 8 - The Footage They Missed
The server’s name was Ben Walker.
He was twenty-two, had a chipped front tooth, and looked ready to bolt when Nora opened her office door.
“I didn’t record it on purpose.”
Nora stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Ben worked for the same catering company that had canceled Abigail’s shifts.
That night, he had propped his phone against a water pitcher to film the ballroom decorations for his mother.
“She cleans offices,” he explained. “She likes seeing places like that.”
Abigail waited.
Ben put the phone on Nora’s desk.
The video began with chandeliers and music.
Then Abigail appeared carrying champagne.
Vanessa stepped backward.
Abigail moved the tray away.
There was no spill.
No argument.
Then Vanessa’s hand rose.
The sound filled the office.
Abigail looked down.
Isabella reached for her hand beneath the table.
The recording continued.
At the edge of the frame, Richard caught the hotel manager by the sleeve.
Their words were faint but audible.
“Get rid of the camera record. I’ll handle the staff.”
Nora paused the video.
“Has anyone else seen this?”
“My supervisor.”
“What did he say?”
“That I should delete it if I wanted my next paycheck.”
Ben swallowed.
“I told him I already had.”
Abigail looked at him.
“Why come here?”
He shrugged, embarrassed.
“My mom asked how the party went.”
Nobody spoke.
“I couldn’t tell her.”
Nora arranged for the original file and phone data to be preserved.
Ben insisted on returning to work.
“I need the money.”
“We’ll talk about protecting your job,” Nora said.
He gave a tired smile.
“You can talk. They can still fire me.”
After he left, Matteo watched the footage once.
His face didn’t change.
That worried Abigail more than anger would have.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find out who came to your apartment.”
“And then?”
He looked at her.
She held his gaze.
“Daniel doesn’t get justice if this turns into a story about what you did.”
Something in his jaw tightened.
Then he nodded.
“You’re right.”
Nora’s phone rang.
She listened, asking only two questions.
When she hung up, she turned toward Ben’s empty chair.
“What happened?” Abigail asked.
“The catering company says he stole cash from the event.”
Isabella stood.
“That’s a lie.”
“Yes,” Nora said.
May you like
Outside the office window, traffic moved through an ordinary afternoon.
“They called the police twenty minutes after he left here.”
