Chapter 4 - HER FATHER CHOSE THE WRONG SIDE
"She attacked me," Vanessa said, voice trembling now that she had an audience she wanted. "I was trying to help Mia, and Claire came in and just lost it."
Daniel stared at Claire. "You hit her?"
"Yes."
His face hardened.
Claire stepped aside. "Now look at your daughter."
Daniel finally did.
Mia stood wrapped in Claire's coat. Her torn pink dress showed beneath it. Her cheek was still red.
Vanessa spoke fast. "She panicked before the show. She tore her own bow. She was crying. I tried to stop her from running out onto the stage like that."
Officer Ramirez asked, "Did you strike Mia?"
"No."
"Did you tell her her father would be ashamed?"
Vanessa hesitated one beat too long. "No."
Mr. Cole cleared his throat. "That part went over the house speakers."
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
She blinked. "Out of context."
Claire said, "How do you put that sentence in context?"
Vanessa turned on her. "You don't know what was happening."
"Then explain it."
"I was telling her that if she quit because she was scared, she would feel ashamed later. She twisted it."
Mia whispered, "No."
Everyone went quiet.
Mia's voice shook, but she kept going. "You said Dad would be ashamed because I looked stupid."
Daniel closed his eyes for half a second.
Vanessa's face tightened. "Mia, that is not what I said."
The technician returned with a laptop under his arm. "I checked the camera system. Someone accessed the security folder at 7:18."
"What time did Claire enter the dressing room?" Ramirez asked.
"About 7:16."
Claire stared at him. "So someone deleted it two minutes later?"
The technician nodded.
Daniel looked from the laptop to Vanessa.
Vanessa's hand slid toward the pocket of her coat.
The technician added, "And the deletion was done from a phone connected to our staff Wi-Fi."
Officer Ramirez asked, "Can you identify the device?"
May you like
The technician looked directly at Vanessa.
"I think I already did."
