Chapter 10 - The Technician's Confession
Jules Barlow asked to meet Elena in a coffee shop near the marina. He arrived carrying a folder and kept looking over his shoulder as if someone might be following him.
"I should have said this earlier," he began. "The tower was safe when my crew left. I signed the inspection sheet myself. The stabilizing pin was in place, and the release pedal was covered."
"Who changed it?" Elena asked.
"Adrian's assistant, Peter Lang, called me the afternoon of the gala. He said the pedestal needed to be easier to move because the photographer wanted a cleaner angle. I told him the tower shouldn't be moved after it was loaded. He said Julian had approved the change."
"Did you verify that?"
Jules looked down. "I returned and found the cover removed. Adrian said he was checking the display, and I believed him."
"Did you see him press the pedal?"
"No. I saw him crouch by the base, then he sent me to storage. When I returned, the cover was still off. I should have stopped the event."
Elena asked why he had stayed quiet.
"He admitted he feared being blamed and said Adrian had threatened his career if he spoke."
He gave her copies of the original inspection photos and the call record from Peter Lang. Elena told him not to send anything else to her privately; she would pass the material to the investigator so it could be preserved properly.
Julian received the documents officially. The photos showed the brace locked before the call, which had been made from a foundation phone.
Peter admitted making the call. He said Adrian told him the tower would be moved after the guests left and denied knowing the pin would be removed early.
"I thought it was a harmless adjustment," he said. "I never thought anyone would be hurt."
The investigator asked why Adrian had ordered a camera override at the same time.
Peter's eyes dropped to the table.
"He said he needed ninety seconds," he whispered. "He said nobody would notice if the tower fell after the speech began."
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Then he added the detail that changed the case.
"He said the boy would be upstairs by then. But Noah never went upstairs.
