Page 39 of 4th Silence
I rip open the tab at the top, and a USB falls out.
“What is it?” Meg asks.
A single piece of paper is stuck inside the cardboard. I snag it, and my knees nearly buckle at the familiar handwriting. “A gift.” The corners of my mouth tug up. I show them the USB. “This is the missing security footage from that night.”
“From Alex?” Meg asks. “Guess his intern found it.”
“Not Alex.” My smile breaks free. “Someone else in the AG’s office who might still believe in our mission, regardless of what he said yesterday.”
Her eyes widen. “JJ?”
I clutch the thumb drive. The pounding in my head fades as my pulse races. “JJ,” I confirm. “Let’s have a look.”
12
Meg
* * *
Charged energy fills the room while Charlie downloads the thumb drive to her laptop.
Despite JJ sending this footage, he’s on my shit list. I understand his passion for the job, but really? Dumping my sister?
If I didn’t think Charlie would bury me alive, I’d call him myself and blast him.
I may risk it anyway.
“Meg!”
Charlie’s sharp tone snaps me from my spiraling thoughts, and I swivel to face her. The artist in me can’t help but notice the flush in her cheeks. The spark in her eyes is classic Charlie. If we weren’t deep into a murder case, I’d be sketching her.
We Schocks get off on our work.
Even when our souls are crushed.
Charlie passes me the thumb drive. “Download everything to your laptop. Then back it up to the cloud. We’re not taking any chances.”
Since I don’t have it with me, I set the drive on the table while Charlie hammers away at her keyboard.
“I’ll put it on the big screen,” she says.
Seconds later—voila—a grainy, black and white video appears on the large television mounted on the wall.
I once hated that thing. I thought it was tacky.
Now?
Not so tacky.
Mom slides into the chair next to Matt, the two of them swiveling to face the television.
“This is good,” she says. “We can study it frame by frame.”
“Great,” Matt deadpans, his voice flat. “I’ll clear my day.”
Indeed.
Charlie taps her keyboard, and footage rolls of what appears to be the front of the Hartman mansion.
