" Boyd nodded along, supporting his lieutenant's version with an enthusiasm that looked, to Norah's eye, more like relief than conviction. The relief of a man grateful someone else was still willing to hold the line so he didn't have to. Hutchkins crossed his arms, savoring what he clearly believed was a complete and total victory over the two women who had dared to challenge him on his own turf. Vivien tilted her head slightly, her voice carrying an innocent, almost gentle curiosity. Lieutenant Voss, just to be absolutely clear.
You're confirming that the recorder found inside our house contained the only original footage of our encounters. Voss's smile widened. He believed Norah could see it plainly that Vivien was searching desperately for some technical loophole that might save them both. That is correct. He said that device held the sole authentic record of events and you destroyed it to conceal your misconduct and you're stating that officially Vivien pressed.
For the record, no other original recordings exist. Hutchkins laughed sharp and harsh. Stop fishing for excuses. You got caught lying and now you're going to pay for it. Voss raised a hand, silencing him without even looking his way, his expression still supremely confident.
Agent Whitfield, there are no other original recordings. Your privately owned system has been thoroughly examined by our technical people. The destroyed equipment contained the only legitimate documentation. Vivien nodded slowly, thoughtfully, and reached into her jacket pocket. She pulled out the small portable monitor she'd been carrying since sunrise.
A device no bigger than a paperback book. Its screen dark for now. The device came alive with a soft click. Crystal clear footage filled the small screen. Cued to begin at the exact moment Hutchkins first approached the porch 3 days earlier.
Timestamp visible in the corner, matching perfectly with dispatch logs. Norah already knew federal investigators would eventually pull and confirm. Voss's confident expression faltered as his own voice recorded just minutes ago began playing back from the small speaker. These charges stem from your destruction and manipulation of recorded evidence. The screen shifted showing Hutchkins's face as he first realized 3 days ago that this house had been recording every second of what he believed was a private confrontation.
The timestamp in the corner lined up exactly with the moment Hutchkins first grabbed Norah's wrist. What you're looking at, Vivien said, calm and even are the original cloud recordings that uploaded automatically every 30 seconds throughout our encounters. The device you destroyed contained only backup copies, local storage, nothing more. Boyd's face went pale, the last of his earlier bravado draining out completely. He'd stood in that entryway 2 days ago, watching Hutchkins smash the recorder, believing they were finally eliminating the sister's only evidence.
Instead, the two of them had simply destroyed a piece of property while the real recording sat safe on federal servers the whole time. "You're lying, " Hutchkins said, stepping forward, his voice rising. That footage was altered. "Actually, " a new voice cut in. "We've already verified its authenticity.