Page 78 of I Will Find You

“Here’s the footage from Rachel Anderson’s first prison visit,” Sarah told Max. “As I told you before, this was Burroughs’s first visitor since he arrived at Briggs five years ago.”

The surveillance van was a modified Ford. The back van windows appeared tinted, but they were painted black for complete privacy. Your only view of the outside world—and it was a good one—came from hidden cameras strategically placed around the van. Max and Sarah sat side by side in reclining and ergonomic seats at a workstation with three computer monitors. It was more comfortable than you’d think, what with agents spending hours at a time back here. Two agents sat in the driver’s cabin. One was the tech expert, but Sarah knew her way around the system as well as anybody.

“Can you turn up the volume?”

“There is no volume, Max.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“There was a lawsuit a few years ago,” Sarah said. “Something about privacy being violated.”

“But privacy isn’t being violated with the CCTV?”

“Once Briggs lost the right to use audio in court, they claimed the video was a matter of security and didn’t infringe on privacy.”

“The courts bought that?”

“They did.”

Max shrugged. “So what did you want me to see?”

“Look here.”

Sarah started playing the video. The camera must have been placed on the ceiling somewhere behind David Burroughs’s shoulder. They had a face-on shot of Rachel, who took a seat on the other side of the plexiglass. Sarah hit the fast-forward button, and the two figures moved jerkily. When on-screen Rachel pulled out what looked like a manila envelope, Sarah stopped the fast forward and hit the play button. The speed returned to normal. Max frowned and watched. On the screen, Rachel looked down as though she were trying to muster strength. Then she took something out of the envelope and pressed it flat against the glass.

Max squinted. “Is that a photo?”

“I think so.”

“What’s it of?”

Even with no sound, even with mediocre quality in terms of pixels and lighting, Max could feel everything in that visitors’ room change. Burroughs’s body stiffened.

“I don’t know yet,” Sarah said.

“Maybe it’s an escape plan.”

“I tinkered with it before you got here.”

“What could you see?”

“People,” Sarah said. “One of them could be Batman.”

“Pardon?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I’ll need more time, Max.”

“Let’s also get a lip reader.”

“On it. Legal says we have to apply for a warrant.”

“That privacy lawsuit?”

“Yes. But I forwarded it anyway. I don’t think the pixel quality will be good enough.”

“Can you zoom in more?”

“This is the best I have so far.” Sarah clicked a key. The image blew up. She paused so that the pixilation could catch up, but it never really became clear. Max squinted again.

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