Chapter 8 — Grant identifying the staff login — Then questioning the true motive behind the lockdown
David traced the highlighted user ID with his finger.
Samuel Vance.
Grant let out a sharp breath.
The head of stage operations?
That makes no sense, Grant said, shaking his head.
Samuel hasn’t touched the lighting or security rigs in months.
That’s what the schedule says, David replied, his voice dropping low.
Look at the sub-permissions linked to that login.
Maya stared at the expanding text box on the monitor.
More lines of system data populated the lower half of the screen.
It wasn’t just a remote toggle.
The user profile executed a direct file transfer.
An encrypted batch of audio and video logs was downloaded off the local drive.
Sent directly to an external server outside the theater network.
David straightened up from the console.
This wasn’t about enforcing standard training guidelines.
The lockdown on the metal locker had nothing to do with teaching responsibility to junior staff.
Grant crossed his arms, his gaze shifting toward the heavy iron doors of the costume storage.
Then why go through the trouble of staging the whole thing?
To keep those specific garments hidden from inventory audits, David said.
Whatever is locked inside that metal box, someone didn’t want the board of directors finding it during the seasonal review.
Maya recalled the conversation she had earlier that week with the administrative office.
They told me those historical pieces were permanently decommissioned, Maya said, her eyes widening slightly.
They said the fabric was too fragile to survive another production.
Fragile enough to hide, David muttered.
Or valuable enough to replace quietly.
Grant stepped away from the console and took a slow step toward the dusty metal locker.
So the cameras were turned off to cover up a theft.
Or an exchange, David corrected.
Before either of them could examine the locker latch closer, a sharp metallic click echoed from the hallway outside the costume storage room.