Chapter 6 - The Woman Behind the Camera
The sender's name was Josie Bennett, a junior banquet coordinator who'd been stationed near the staircase. She agreed to speak with Nora and an investigator, but only after we promised not to post her messages online.
“I can't afford to lose my job,” she said over the phone. “But I couldn't sleep after I saw them laughing.”
She described Sloan asking Bellamy to film the bridal-party entrance from the bottom landing. Sloan had complained about my brace, then joked that one little stumble would send me straight to the elevator for the rest of the evening.
Josie hadn't understood how cruel the joke was until she saw me hit the stairs.
“The camera I used belongs to the venue,” she added. “Our security manager has footage of the foyer and the payment desk.”
Nora sent the venue a preservation request immediately. She also asked Josie to write down what she remembered without guessing about conversations she hadn't heard.
Greer noticed me squeezing the bedsheet. “Breathe. You're not responsible for proving every minute of your sister's life.”
“I spent thirty-four years being told she meant well,” I said. “I'm done accepting that as proof.”
The following afternoon, Nora received a response from the venue's corporate office. They would retain the recordings and cooperate with lawful requests. The events director also confirmed that my father had named me the backup payer weeks earlier.
“He said you were the family's financial safety net,” she told Nora. “We believed you knew.”
The phrase made my skin crawl. Financial safety net. As though I were furniture the family owned, available to catch every expensive mistake.
Then Josie forwarded one more detail: a photo of the payment terminal's receipt, its time stamped during the minutes I was being taken out of the ballroom.
May you like
A handwritten note on the receipt said, “Cardholder injured. Father authorized.”
Someone at the venue had treated my injury as permission to spend my money.
