Chapter 2 - THE SECURITY ROOM DISCOVERY
The fluorescent lights of the hotel basement hallway flickered softly, casting long, pale shadows across the concrete floor.
Mr. Cole placed a protective hand on young Clara’s shoulder, guiding her and the soft pink canvas bin out of the linen closet.
The manager, Brenda, stood rigid against the wall, her dark green uniform jacket stretched tight over her crossed arms.
"Mr. Cole, reviewing security footage for an unauthorized employee child is against company protocol," Brenda warned coldly.
"Corporate protocol allows me to investigate potential illegal surveillance and privacy violations, Brenda," Mr. Cole fired back without breaking stride.
Clara clutched her tiny sleeping baby girl, Maya, close to her chest, her light blue button-down shirt wrinkled from sweat and fear.
They entered the security control room, where four large monitors displayed real-time black-and-white footage of the entire luxury resort.
The night shift guard immediately stood up, adjusting his dark uniform cap with a nervous, hurried expression.
"Rewind the footage from the fifth-floor linen closet starting from six o'clock this evening," Mr. Cole commanded firmly.
The guard pressed a series of buttons, causing the high-definition video timeline to jump back three hours.
On the screen, a man in a dark hooded jacket appeared in the frame, entering the linen room five minutes before Clara arrived.
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The hooded man didn't take any hotel linens or cleaning supplies; instead, he carefully installed a tiny pinhole camera inside the ventilation grille.
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