Chapter 3

"A phone that's been in water still keeps its data. It can be recovered."

I looked straight at Cora and made sure every word came out clearly.

"Once we find the earliest audio file, we'll know exactly who spliced my voice into it."

The color drained from Cora's face.

Her eyes went to Ezra first, then darted away the moment they met his.

Ezra's brow creased, and he stepped in fast.

"Nellie, stop clawing at nothing."

"The evidence on that phone is clear enough. How long do you plan to keep making a scene?"

I ignored him and turned toward the back of the banquet hall.

The chaos a moment ago had actually given me time to study the live comment wall.

Every key comment had gone up a full ten minutes before the thing it described happened. And the sender's ID prefix looked familiar, carrying the special tag only a backend administrator would have.

There was no seeing the future.

It was a live script, timed to the minute.

A comment appeared, someone carried out the instruction, and everyone was left believing the prophecy had come true.

I walked over to the officers.

"Officer, the network for the wedding's backend may have been tampered with."

"Someone's using the comment system to steer everyone through his plan, step by step."

The two officers exchanged a look.

"Miss Fox, cases run on evidence. We can't act on suspicion alone—"

"Then check it."

I cut him off and pointed toward the corridor outside.

"Check the hotel's cameras, and check the equipment room."

The instant he heard the words equipment room, Toby's eyes flinched away.

Ten minutes ago, I'd said on purpose that the data on the phone could be recovered.

As long as the person on the backend heard it, he'd keep feeding Toby instructions, sending him off to destroy the real, original evidence.

"Toby just said he was going to the restroom."

"But the direction he went was all wrong. Out that side door is the equipment room."

Toby's head jerked up.

"That's a lie. My stomach hurt, I was in a rush and took a wrong turn!"

"Wrong turn or not, we go in and look, and we'll know."

Before the officers could answer, I'd already shoved the side door open and strode out.

Two security guards, afraid I'd run, came right behind me.

The equipment room door wasn't locked. Inside it was dark, stands and light boxes piled everywhere in a mess.

In the corner sat a spare computer, screen still lit, a formatting progress bar crawling across it.

Toby had used the chaos to work behind the scenes, trying to remotely wipe a certain backup memory card.

"Pull the power!"

A guard bent down, grabbed the plug, and yanked it out.

The screen went black. The progress had frozen at 87 percent.

An officer walked over and pulled an SD card out of the reader.

"What's this?"

Toby's legs gave out, and he slid down the wall to the floor.

"It's… it's the card from the backup camera."

I took the card, went straight back to the control console in the banquet hall, and plugged it into the screen's playback device.

"Toby, you were afraid they'd silence you afterward, so you quietly kept a card as insurance. Right?"

The screen flickered a few times, then a video came up.

The place in the frame was the bridal suite.

Cora, in her wedding dress, her back to the camera, was pressing the emerald necklace into Toby's hand.

"At 11:20, I'll say the necklace is missing."

"Once Cornelia calls your name, have them search your bag and find it on you."

"Then bring out the transfer and the recording. She won't be able to explain any of it."

Toby held the necklace, still hesitating.

"What if someone actually calls the police?"

Cora let out a scornful little laugh.

"Even better. That's exactly what I want, for her to end up with a record."

"I want her never able to lift her head again, wherever she goes."

The banquet hall erupted.

Every eye swung from the screen to Cora. Lucretia staggered back two steps and dropped straight into a chair, clutching her chest, gasping.

"God, so the bride staged the whole thing herself?"

"Passing an heirloom off to frame her own best friend. She really went through with it."

"Is she insane? What kind of grudge is this?"

Cora was shaking all over, her face white going gray.

"No… this isn't real…"

She could only say the same thing over and over.

I walked up in front of her.

"Cora, the video's already played."

"What else do you want to explain?"

Before she could answer, the big screen suddenly went black.

A few seconds later, a new anonymous comment took the video's place:

【11:58, the bride will admit to framing the bridesmaid.】

【But the motive she gives will be false.】

It was 11:48 now.

Ten minutes early again.

I watched Cora's hand clench around her clutch, gripping so hard her knuckles had gone white.

"Cora, what exactly are you still hiding?"