Chapter 3 — Discussing the strict responsibility rule — Then Maya looks up toward the dark security lens
David stood up straight from the console table.
He looked across the dim floor toward the heavy metal locker.
“If the digital log says it was disengaged remotely,” David said slowly, “then why did someone spend time gluing the keyhole shut?”
“To make it look like a break-in,” Grant suggested.
He let go of the rusted padlock.
It swung gently against the painted steel door with a hollow metallic click.
“Or to trap whoever was assigned to finish the tagging,” Maya added.
She stepped away from the equipment rack and pointed up toward the ceiling.
“Think about what we were told when the shift started,” Maya said.
David turned his head to look at her.
“What do you mean?” David asked.
“Whoever gave me the assignment tonight made sure to mention the camera overhead,” Maya said.
She raised her hand again, tracing a line in the air toward the black dome fixed in the corner of the ceiling.
“She explicitly told me that the security lens was completely disabled for maintenance,” Maya explained.
“She?” David asked, narrowing his eyes.
“The supervisor who handed me the clipboard,” Maya answered.
“She said we didn’t have to worry about being recorded because the recording system was powered down until morning.”
Grant crossed his arms over his chest.
“That’s a direct contradiction,” Grant said.
“If the system was powered down, how is there a live timestamp from twenty minutes before we walked in?”
David did not answer right away.
He turned back to the glowing monitor.
His fingers rested on the edge of the desk.
“Because someone lied to her,” David said.
“Or someone wanted her to believe she was invisible while she worked,” Grant muttered.
David’s eyes narrowed as he studied the dark lens high above them on the wall, suspecting a deliberate setup.