The man exited the office, shut the door softly behind him, glanced at his watch, straightened his coat, and slid something into the inside pocket.
It was Michael Dawson.
The timestamp read 11:37 a.m.—twenty minutes after Ana Reyes had clocked out through the household cleaning app. Claire felt pressure tighten in her chest. She replayed the clip again and again, hoping for some missing detail that would change what she already knew.
Later that morning, she spoke to Michael in the kitchen. She didn’t accuse him outright. She asked whether he’d come home during lunch that day, whether he remembered moving the cash. His replies were calm, polished, almost rehearsed.
When she mentioned the camera, something flickered across his face before irritation returned.
“You’re imagining things,” he said. “You saw how she behaved. Guilty people always act defensive.”
Claire said nothing. She returned to her office and saved the footage.
That afternoon, she called Ana.