Chapter 0342
“Mr. Caldwell,” I say, trying to keep my tone polite, “I need a favor.”
He turns to me, his expression one of mild annoyance. “Abby,” he says, “I’m in the middle of something
important. Can this wait?”
I take a deep breath and decide to push. “It’s about the CCTV footage from your security cameras,” I
say. “I need to see the recordings from a few specific dates.”
Mr. Caldwell raises an eyebrow. “And why should I help you with that?”
I hesitate for a moment, choosing my words carefully. “You’ve known me for a long time, Mr. Caldwell,”
I say. “I’ve always been a loyal customer, and I’ve done a lot of business with you. I’m in a difficult
situation right now, and I could really use your help.”
“What makes you think thatmyCCTV footage could help your little situation?”
“Because,” I reply, feeling a little more annoyed now, “I know you have cameras all around the
perimeter of your building, including the alleyway between our businesses. Surely you can see my
entrances on your cameras, can’t you?”
He sighs and looks me up and down, as if sizing me up. “Very well,” he says begrudgingly. “But this
had better not take too long. I have a collectoring in an hour.”
Relief washes over me as Mr. Caldwell leads me to his office, where he has aputer set up to
ess the CCTV footage. I exin the dates I’m interested in, and he begins searching through the
recordings.
We watch the footage together, starting with the day of the first food poisoning incident. I see myself
and my staffing in and out of the restaurant, but nothing seems out of the ordinary.
We move on to the day of the pipe burst and the electrical problems. Again, I watch as my usual staff
Finally, we reach the date of the Alpha party. I hold my breath as I watch the recording, hoping against
hope that I will find some clue, some evidence of what has gone wrong. But as the minutes tick by, it
bes clear that there is nothing unusual in the footage.
“See?” he says as he flicks through the footage. “Nothing.”
I can’t hide my disappointment. He’s right; there is nothing. “Try the alley footage,” I say, still
determined. “There has to be something.
Heplies with a sigh, flipping to the alley footage. I watch the dark alleyway from the night of the
Alpha party, searching for any hidden figures or anything of the sort.
But there’s nothing. Just an empty alleyway. At one point, I can see myself slip out in my party dress to
get a breath of fresh air, but there’s nothing else.
I’m about to give up and leave when something catches my eye.
In the corner of the screen, I see a figure, wearing a ck hooded jacket, walking past the alley. They
seem to stop, look around, and then turn. And then they’re gone, out of sight. I point at the screen, my
heart pounding.
“There!” I say, my heart pounding. “Who is that?”
“Just a passerby,” Mr. Caldwell says with annoyance. “Abby, I really don’t have time—”
“Just… Go back,” I insist. “Where did he go?”
Mr. Caldwell does as I ask, and we watch the figure’s approach in slow motion. Once again, he stops,
looks around, and then turns. But he doesn’t just disappear; he slips into the alley, sticking to the
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shadows. His clothes are so dark that I missed it the first time, but I can see him now.
And he’s headed toward the side door to my restaurant.
I can see the figure walking past, but after he stops and looks around, he just keeps going. He doesn’t
turn, doesn’t disappear. He just walks down the street.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” I say, holding my phone out so Mr. Caldwell can see. “Do you see that?
The footage is different.”
Mr. Caldwell looks at me with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “What are you getting at, Abby?”
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Mr. Caldwell pauses, looking over the rim of his sses at me, but finally nods. “Very well, Abby,” he
says.
Who is this hooded figure? And how is it possible that the footage from the same night, at the same
time, ispletely different?