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“I think it’s the deleted feed,” Maddox said.
“I think you’re right,” Ethan said. “It was hidden within this other file. Again, showing just how sloppily this was done.”
Sure enough, this new file showed a different side of things. Priscilla Malus went into the bathroom in her ball gown on the fifth floor and emerged in her custodial attire.
“That’s my purse,” Ella said. “I don’t use it very often, though. How had she gotten it?”
“She had keys to access the lockers,” I said. “Did you leave that bag in the locker?”
“I—I didn’t. But there was a day Pris was snooping around my complex. I wondered if she came again while I was gone and took my bag.”
Clandestinely, Pris snuck into the office. The same image I’d first seen appeared, but this time, rather than having the brief, jarring pixilation, the feed was clear and Pris’s image didn’t fluctuate.
She stole the tablets.
She returned to the breakroom.
She planted the items in Ella’s locker.
“It’s all there,” Ella said, her voice breathy. “In that deleted file.”
“It appears they tried to overlay Miss Embers’ face on this woman’s and then delete the footage,” Ethan said. “But they neglected to erase this backup copy that the program automatically kept.”
He rotated in the seat to face the rest of us and steepled his fingers, his expression stern and assuaging.
“The original files weren’t actually deleted,” Maddox said.
Ethan nodded. “They don’t have my access code for something like that, though how they managed to hack in as much as they did is still a mystery.”
“Maybe the man from the arcade had something to do with that,” I said.
Was it possible he was a hacker of some kind and had taught Pris how to do what she needed in order to insert this tampered feed? And then he’d paid her for doing so?
Duncan’s scowl deepened. “What are you talking about?”
“My private investigator trailed her meeting up with someone in secret. This man gave Pris a large amount of money. I’m guessing he was the one who put her up to this.”
“You’re kidding,” Duncan said.
“I wish I was.”
“Who was it?” Duncan asked.
I fixed my gaze on him. I had my suspicions fixed in my mind, but I was open to other options, other answers, too.
I turned to Ella. “Can you think of anyone whomight have a lot of money? Someone who might have a beef against you for any reason?”
Her hands were pressed to her stomach. “I don’t know. No one besides Stina. I don’t really have any other enemies.”
“Is there evidence of her coming to the security room?” I asked, turning back to Ethan, who still sat at my desk.
“None so far, sir,” Ethan said. “But if they covered their tracks this poorly, now that we’ve discovered the hidden files, I’m betting I can find it.”
His fingers flew on the keyboard for several minutes, and then he scooted aside and allowed Maddox in.
Thanks to his study of computers and software, Maddox had a lot to do with developing cutting-edge software for rides and running his theme park. His technology was so streamlined, he’d sold it to many other companies, and that had launched him into the seven-figure club. His mind was as sharp as cut steel.
“Wait,” Maddox said. “Here, look. I think this could be it. But it’s encrypted. Can you work with this?”
