Chapter 13 - The Film That Went Missing
Darren said the payment covered overdue fees and denied hiding anything.
Torres obtained a preservation order and requested the camera cards through counsel. The equipment room contained every drive except the one used by the time-lapse camera.
"I gave it to the client," Darren insisted.
"Which client?"
"The bride."
Victoria claimed she'd never received it.
Tired of vanishing evidence, Rose walked by the river, checking behind her out of habit.
Nathaniel found her sitting on a bench outside Harbor House.
"I owe you more than money," he said.
"You don't owe me anything for helping her."
"I owe you the truth about why this was allowed to happen. Miles was my best friend. I signed things because I trusted him. I ignored the people who did the work, because I assumed the people in suits understood more."
"You can change that," Rose said. "But you have to change it when nobody is watching."
He nodded. Then he handed her a list of legal services and counseling resources Amelia had arranged without attaching any employment condition.
"My mother wants to see you when you're ready. Not as a witness. As Rose."
Rose put the paper in her pocket.
That evening, the detective called. Darren had admitted his assistant copied the time-lapse footage to a cloud backup before the camera card was removed. The production company kept automatic copies of every upload for thirty days.
"Do you have the recording?" Rose asked.
"We have access to the account, but the first download was damaged. Technicians are working on the original."
A pause followed.
May you like
"Rose, there's something else. Darren says Victoria's team asked him to delete a twelve-second section, by its exact timestamp."
It was the twelve seconds surrounding Eleanor's fall.
