“Then when did he die?””
“He didn't.””
Jordan stepped forward.
“Vanessa, stop.””
“I can't keep doing this.””
Marcus's voice was quiet.
“Where is he?””
Vanessa pointed toward the rear of the showroom.
“There.””
“There?””
“The office.””
Marcus glanced toward the glass-walled office overlooking the showroom.
The blinds were closed.
He started walking.
“Wait.””
She released him.
“You need to understand what happened that night.””
“Tell me.””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“The owner discovered someone had been using the showroom's cars without authorization.””
“We never found out.””
Marcus looked toward the office.
“Keep going.””
“He installed hidden cameras. Everywhere. He wanted proof.””
Marcus looked at the old key fob.
“The key.””
“The key was his emergency camera controller.””
“So the blinking light…”
“Wasn't recording Marcus,” Vanessa said.
“It was showing him what the cameras had already captured.””
Marcus frowned.
“What did they capture?””
“You.””
“Doing what?””
“Walking into this showroom three months ago.””
Jordan interrupted.
“That's impossible. He said he had never been here.””
“He didn't remember.””
“Because you were injured.””
A long silence followed.
Vanessa continued.
“You came here that night after an accident. The owner found you sitting in the driver's seat of that car.””
“The same car.””
“You kept asking where the owner was.””
“He came out of his office.””
“You accused him of something.””
“I heard shouting. Then the cameras went offline.””
Jordan asked, “And the owner?””
“He disappeared.””
“Disappeared?””
“We searched everywhere.””
“Did you find him?””
“Then why tell everyone he died?””
“Because he told me to.””
“This makes no sense.””
Vanessa pointed at the office.
“Go look.””
Marcus walked toward it.
The door was unlocked.
He pushed it open.
The room was dark.
A desk.
Two monitors.
A leather chair.
A wall of security screens.
Marcus turned on the light.
The monitors immediately came alive.
Every camera in the showroom appeared at once.
The reception desk.
The entrance.
The black car.
The marble floor.
And the mirror.
Marcus stared at the central screen.
It showed the showroom from three months earlier.
The image was grainy but clear.
Marcus was there.
He was sitting in the driver's seat.
Vanessa stood beside the car.
And another man stood behind them.
The owner.
Alive.
Jordan stared at the monitor.
“That's him.””
The owner leaned toward Marcus.
His lips moved.
The audio slowly came through the speakers.
“You don't remember me, do you?””
Marcus's face tightened.
On the screen, the younger Marcus shook his head.
The owner placed something on the dashboard.
The old key fob.
Then he said something that made Marcus stop breathing.
“You built this system.””
The owner spoke directly to the camera.
“Marcus designed the security system for this showroom. He installed every camera. Every sensor. Every hidden recorder.””
Jordan stared at Marcus.
“You?””
On the screen, Marcus stood beside the car.
The owner continued speaking.
“And three months ago, Marcus discovered someone was stealing customer information through the showroom.””
The video changed.
Another camera angle.
A person entered the office.
The face was visible.
Marcus stared at the screen.
It was Jordan.
“That isn't me.””
The recording showed him entering the office, opening a locked drawer, and removing a small drive.
Vanessa whispered, “You were the one.””
Jordan's eyes darted toward the exit.
Marcus blocked his path.
“I didn't kill anyone.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“You stole the data.””
Jordan's voice broke.
“I was going to sell it.””
“And the owner?””
Jordan looked at the floor.
“I didn't know he was watching.””
Marcus looked at the monitor.
Jordan entered the owner's office.
The owner confronted him.
There was an argument.
Then Jordan shoved him.
The owner fell.
Jordan covered his face.
“He hit his head.””
Marcus watched the screen.
The owner lay motionless.
Jordan panicked.
He dragged him out of frame.
Then the recording stopped.
Marcus looked at Jordan.
“You told everyone he died.””
“You sent the messages.””
*SHOWROOM OWNER: NOW YOU KNOW.*
Marcus looked toward the security monitors.
One screen changed.
The owner's face appeared.
Sitting somewhere Marcus couldn't identify.
A final message appeared beneath the image.
*THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK.*
Vanessa started crying.
Jordan backed away.
The red light blinked once.
Then went dark.
The office door suddenly locked behind them.
Jordan grabbed the handle.
“Open it!””
“What do we do?””
For the first time, he smiled without hesitation.
“We wait.””
On the monitor, the owner's image disappeared.
A final line appeared.
*NOW WE FIND OUT WHO ELSE WAS HELPING HIM.*