Victoria glanced at it too.
Daniel had installed the system eight months earlier after someone stole two cordless impact wrenches and a catalytic converter from a customer’s truck.
Three exterior cameras.
Four interior.
One aimed directly down the center of the first service bay.
He had almost delayed buying them because money was tight.
Mia had been the one to convince him.
“Cheaper than losing more tools,” she had said.
Eleven years old.
Already calculating loss.
Daniel hated that.
Now he walked to the monitor.
Victoria followed.
Her security team followed her.
Mia stayed several feet behind Daniel.
He opened the archive.
“What time did your driver bring the Mercedes?”
“Yesterday at three-twenty.”
Daniel selected the file.
The camera view filled the screen.
Yesterday afternoon.
The black Mercedes sat exactly where it had been.
A tow truck backed away through the open bay.
Daniel appeared on screen speaking to the tow operator.
Then another man entered the frame.
Tall.
Silver hair.
Dark chauffeur’s coat.
Thomas Bell.
Victoria’s expression softened automatically when she saw him.
Daniel noticed.
“That’s your driver?”
“He has been with my family thirty-one years.”
Daniel pressed play.
Thomas approached the Mercedes.
He looked toward Daniel and the tow operator.
Both men were still outside the bay.
Thomas opened the driver’s door.
Victoria’s face remained calm.
“He probably forgot something.”
On the screen, Thomas sat inside the Mercedes.
The security camera did not have a perfect view through the windshield.
But it had enough.
Thomas leaned across the center console.
His right shoulder moved.
His hand disappeared.
Then came back.
Something small and burgundy was visible for less than one second.
Victoria stopped breathing.
Mia stepped closer.
Daniel said nothing.
Thomas slipped the object inside his coat.
Closed the console.
Exited the Mercedes.
Then walked toward Daniel and handed him the keys.
The footage continued.
Victoria whispered:
“No.”
Daniel paused the video.
Nobody moved.
The garage seemed suddenly enormous.
The compressor in the rear bay clicked off.
Rain tapped lightly against the metal roof.
Victoria stared at the frozen image of Thomas Bell.
Daniel expected anger.
Instead, the color simply left her face.
“That can’t…”
She stopped.
One of her security men moved closer.
“Ms. Sterling.”
Victoria stepped toward the screen as if distance might be the problem.
“Play it again.”
Daniel did.
Thomas opened door.
Thomas leaned across.
Burgundy box.
Inside coat.
Keys.
Again.
Victoria removed her sunglasses completely.
Daniel saw her eyes clearly for the first time.
Not furious now.
Terrified.
“That’s Thomas.”
The security chief beside her said quietly, “Yes.”
Victoria shook her head.
“He raised me.”
No one answered.
Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper.
“My mother died when I was eight.”
“My father was never home.”
“Thomas drove me to school.”