Chapter 7 — Manager Marcus Arrives at the Booth — Then Demands to See the Tablet Recording
Manager Marcus stepped out from behind the register.
He held a black leather clipboard clutched firmly against his chest.
His heavy work boots clicked rhythmically against the checkered diner floor as he crossed the room.
He stopped directly beside the red vinyl booth where Caleb still sat quietly beside his mother.
What is going on over here, Marcus asked, his voice low and steady.
Todd tried to shrink back into the narrow space between the table and the server station.
He reached out a hand toward Marcus’s arm.
Marcus, let me explain this to you in the back office first, Todd whispered frantically.
It’s just a small misunderstanding with a customer table.
Marcus ignored the outstretched hand.
He brushed past Todd without breaking his stride.
Marcus stood directly over Brenda and looked down at the glowing tablet screen resting on the sticky wooden tabletop.
Hand that tablet over to me, Marcus instructed, holding out his palm.
Brenda lifted the device immediately and pressed it into the manager’s waiting hand.
Marcus looked down at the high-definition color display.
The digital video timeline was frozen right at the incriminating timestamp.
Marcus did not say a single word.
He tapped the screen with his thumb to replay the recorded security footage from the beginning.
The silent dining room watched as Marcus tracked the movement of the digital figures on the glass.
The video played through the clumsy tray collision once.
Marcus watched it with a completely blank expression.
He tapped the screen again and replayed the exact same segment a second time in complete silence.
Marcus’s eyes tracked the timestamp flashing silently in the corner of the display.