The Blind Spot

The security room was smaller than I expected.

Rows of monitors covered one wall, each displaying a different angle of the Grand Aster Hotel—the venue that had hosted the charity gala.

A technician slid a hard drive across the desk.

"This is everything we managed to recover."

"Everything?" I asked.

He hesitated.

"Almost."

I looked up.

"Define almost."

"Some files were corrupted."

"Were they corrupted..."

I paused.

"...or deleted?"

The technician avoided my eyes.

"We're still investigating."

I had heard that answer too many times.

Usually, it meant someone didn't want to admit the truth.

Adrian leaned against the doorway.

"Ready?"

"No."

I sat in front of the monitor anyway.

"Play the footage."

Hours disappeared.

Guests laughed.

Champagne glasses clinked together.

People smiled for cameras.

Business deals were made with handshakes that looked friendly and eyes that weren't.

The four victims appeared exactly where the guest list said they would.

Talking.

Laughing.

Moving through the ballroom.

Nothing unusual.

I replayed the footage.

Again.

And again.

By the sixth viewing, Adrian sighed.

"You've watched the same thirty seconds twelve times."

"I know."

"You expecting the killer to wave at the camera?"

"No."

I paused the video.

"I'm waiting for someone to disappear."

Adrian frowned.

"What?"

"Watch."

I rewound the footage.

A waiter crossed the ballroom carrying a silver tray.

He passed behind Victim One.

Five seconds later...

He was gone.

Not walking away.

Not turning a corner.

Gone.

Adrian straightened.

"Where did he go?"

"Exactly."

I switched to another camera angle.

The waiter never appeared.

Not once.

"It's like he vanished."

"No."

I zoomed in on the timestamp.

"The camera skipped."

Three seconds.

Three missing seconds.

Someone had edited the footage.

The technician looked confused.

"That's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible."

I stood.

"Who had access to these recordings?"

He swallowed.

"Only hotel management."

"I want every employee who worked that night."

"We've already questioned them."

"I wasn't asking."

By evening, the list landed on my desk.

One hundred and twelve employees.

Servers.

Bartenders.

Security guards.

Managers.

I read every name.

One by one.

Until I reached the last page.

One employee had resigned the morning after the gala.

No notice.

No forwarding address.

No references.

Just...

Gone.

His name had already been crossed out in red ink.

I stared at it for a long moment.

"Who crossed this out?"

Adrian looked over my shoulder.

"I don't know."

Neither of us had touched the file before today.

Someone else had.

Someone inside the Bureau.

A chill ran down my spine.

Someone wasn't just following the investigation.

Someone was ahead of us.

My office phone rang.

This time...

The caller ID wasn't blocked.

It simply read:

UNKNOWN

I let it ring once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then answered.

"This is Elena Voss."

No one spoke.

Instead...

I heard soft piano music.

The same melody that had been playing in the ballroom footage.

My pulse quickened.

Then the line disconnected.

No voice.

No threat.

Just the music.

Adrian looked at me.

"What did they say?"

I slowly lowered the phone.

"Nothing."

I looked back at the employee list.

The name that had been crossed out...

Was gone.

The paper was blank.

As if it had never been printed there at all.

I blinked.

No...

Not gone.

Someone had torn that part of the page away.

While we were in the room.

I looked toward the office door.

It was still closed.

Neither of us had heard anyone enter.

Someone had been close enough to touch our evidence.

And we never noticed.

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