At 4:05 p.m., Daniel entered the security monitoring room.
The room was small and windowless, with several monitors mounted along one wall. Each displayed a different section of the dealership.
The entrance.
The reception desk.
The central exhibition floor.
The service corridor.
The customer parking area.
A security supervisor named Thomas Reed stood beside the main workstation.
He was a broad-shouldered man in his late forties who had worked at the dealership for nine years.
Richard introduced them.
"Thomas, this is Mr. Carter. He needs access to the footage from this afternoon and several previous incidents."
Thomas nodded.
"Of course."
Daniel took a seat.
"Please start with the recording from 2:15 p.m."
Thomas entered the date and time.
The main showroom appeared on the monitor.
Daniel watched himself enter the building.
He saw himself pause near the entrance, look toward the dark grey supercar, and walk across the polished floor.
Then Vanessa entered the frame.
Even without audio, her body language was obvious.
She moved quickly.
She stepped directly in front of him.
She pointed toward the vehicle.
Daniel watched himself withdraw his hand.
Then the footage showed Vanessa stepping closer.
The manager arrived.
And when Richard instructed her to step away, she moved backward.
Thomas paused the recording.
"Would you like the audio?"
"Yes."
The sound played.
"Don't touch that car."
"I'm looking at it."
"Looking is enough."
"Open the door."
Daniel watched the interaction without speaking.
When the recording reached Vanessa's security call, Thomas glanced toward Richard.
"She shouldn't have called us."
Richard frowned.
"Why?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Because there was no incident."
"Explain."
"Security responds to threats, disturbances, suspicious activity, and safety concerns. A customer asking to inspect a vehicle isn't a security issue."
Daniel turned toward him.
"Did she contact security before I attempted to open the door?"
Thomas checked the timeline.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"She said you were interfering with the vehicle."
Daniel nodded.
"Did she report that I touched it?"
Thomas looked at the screen.
"No."
"Did she report that I damaged it?"
"No."
"Did she report that I threatened her?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Not in the initial call."
Richard crossed his arms.
"Then what exactly did she say?"
Thomas opened the incident report.
"She said there was an unidentified male customer attempting to access restricted inventory."
Daniel looked at Richard.
"Restricted inventory?"
Richard looked irritated.
"That vehicle isn't restricted inventory."
Thomas continued.
"She also said she was uncomfortable with his presence."
The room went quiet.
Daniel looked back at the monitor.
"Play the previous incidents."
Thomas selected the first recording.
An older man entered the showroom wearing a simple brown jacket. He approached a vehicle and waited near the reception desk.
Vanessa walked past him twice.
Eventually, he approached her.
She pointed toward another section of the showroom.
The footage showed him speaking calmly.
She shook her head.
He waited.
Then she called security.
Thomas switched to the second recording.
A young Black couple entered together.
The woman carried a small handbag. The man wore a simple sweater.
They approached Vanessa.
She spoke to them briefly before walking away.
They waited.
Several minutes later, she returned with a brochure for a considerably cheaper vehicle.
The man pointed toward a sports car displayed nearby.
Vanessa shook her head.
She spoke again.
The couple exchanged glances.
Then they left.
Daniel leaned forward.
"Do we have the audio?"
Thomas checked.
"Unfortunately, not for that camera."
"Any other camera?"
"No."
Daniel sat back.
He had expected evidence of poor customer service.
He had not expected the pattern to be so consistent.
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
"Mr. Carter, there's something else."
Daniel turned.
"What?"
Thomas lowered his voice.
"I was told not to include certain incidents in the official reports."
Richard looked sharply at him.
"What are you talking about?"
Thomas glanced at the manager.
"I didn't want to cause trouble."
Daniel remained silent.
Thomas continued.
"Sometimes Vanessa would call security, but afterward, management would tell us to classify the incident as a routine customer interaction. Other times, we were told to delete temporary notes because the customer had already left."
Richard's face tightened.
"Who told you that?"
Thomas looked at him.
"Gregory Shaw."
Daniel slowly turned toward Richard.
Gregory Shaw.
The former regional sales director.
The man who had recommended Vanessa's promotion.
And the man who had resigned shortly before the ownership change.
Daniel looked at Thomas.
"Can you provide a written statement?"
Thomas nodded.
"Yes."
"Will you include the names of anyone who instructed you to alter or omit reports?"
Thomas took a breath.
"Yes."
Daniel stood.
"Good."
He looked at Richard.
"I want to speak with Gregory Shaw."
Richard hesitated.
"I don't know whether he'll agree to come in."
Daniel picked up his phone.
"Then I'll contact him myself."
For the first time, Richard wondered whether the dealership's problems had begun long before Vanessa ever walked onto the showroom floor.