Chapter 2: The Digital Truth
The room went deathly silent. The man pulled a sleek digital tablet from his jacket and tapped the screen once.
A high-definition video feed began to play, projected onto a hidden screen that had been lowered by his team mere seconds ago. It showed the VIP dressing room from an hour earlier.
The guests watched in stunned silence. In the video, Evelyn Vanderbilt was alone. She was seen opening the brooch case, slipping the ruby into Clara’s leather bag, and then walking out with a satisfied, predatory smile.
"The security cameras," Elias said, his voice calm, chillingly precise. "You were so focused on framing your assistant that you forgot you were standing under one of the newest thermal-imaging systems in the city. A system installed by the federal government for the protection of this gala."
Evelyn’s face turned from bright red to a ghostly, sickly pallor. She looked at the screen, then at the guests, who were now backing away from her as if she were carrying a contagion.
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"This... this is a misunderstanding," she stammered, her voice losing its edge. "I was just—"
"You were just creating a distraction," Elias interrupted. He stepped closer, his demeanor changing. The polite, professional exterior vanished, replaced by the steely authority of a federal agent. He unbuttoned his jacket to reveal a gold federal shield pinned to his belt. "Agent Elias Thorne, FBI. And Mrs. Vanderbilt, the ruby was only the distraction."
