Page 113 of Under His Protection
Detective Bauer opens a manilla folder on his desk and sorts through some papers. “Christian pled guilty, so there won’t be a trial. We got his confession on audio, so there really wasn’t much point in him denying the charges. Additionally, some new evidence has come to light which pretty much seals his guilty fate. He’ll go straight to sentencing, which is scheduled for about two months from now.”
“What new evidence?” Philip asks.
He’s reading my mind, because I’m wondering the same thing.
Bauer pulls a few sheets of paper out of the folder. “After the arrest, we got a warrant to search his phone and laptop. We uncovered a large number of photos and videos of Haley taken here on campus. Apparently, he’d been following her, photographing her, and video recording her, more than we realized.”
The detective lays the pages out on the desk in front of us. “This is a compilation of a small sampling of the images. There are several hundred in all.”
We glance down at the pages showing pictures of me in the library, walking across campus, eating in the student union, having breakfast with Melissa in the cafeteria. Eating lunch with Layla and Jasmine.
“Several hundred?” I say, feeling sick to my stomach.
The detective nods. “Several hundred images, as well as a dozen videos.”
Philip reaches for my hand and lays it on his thigh, covering it with his own hand. “How will all these images play into his sentencing? Obviously, he was even more obsessed with Haley than we first realized.”
“It strengthens the prosecutor’s case, that’s for sure,” Bauer says. He frowns. “There’s more, though.”
“More?” I ask, frowning in confusion. “How could there be more?”
Bauer looks from me to Philip. “The images and videos are bad enough, but we also found some AI-generated videos on his laptop. He’d been experimenting with creating AI videos featuring Haley’s likeness.”
My stomach knots. I don’t like the sound of this.
“What kind of videos?” Philip asks as he squeezes my hand.
“Videos of a sexual nature,” the detective says. He looks as uncomfortable as I feel. “That’s why I asked you both here.” He makes a point of looking at Philip. “The images and videorecordings Christian took are pretty tame, but these AI videos—they’re more disturbing. They depict Christian’s likeness and Haley’s engaged in sexual activity. I don’t know if you want to view some of them or not.”
I shake my head adamantly. “I don’t want to see them.”
Detective Bauer nods. “I think that’s a good idea, Haley. It’s why I asked Philip here. Maybe he wants to see a bit of them just to know they exist. Or, if Philip isn’t comfortable seeing them, maybe you want someone else from McIntyre Security to view them.”
I study Philip, who’s gone perfectly still. “Philip doesn’t have to look at them if he doesn’t want to, right?” I ask.
“That’s right,” Bauer says. “I’ll write up a report on what I saw in the AI videos, and a summary will be sent to the judge. You can have a copy of the summary if you like. That’s optional.”
“Can you summarize the nature of these videos?” Philip asks. “Just top level stuff? No details.” He nods toward me.
“I can,” Bauer says. “Haley, maybe you should step outside the room for a few minutes.”
“No, I should hear,” I say despite feeling sick. “Just don’t go into a lot of detail, okay?”
Bauer sighs heavily. “Some of the videos are pretty standard fare, shall we say. Vanilla. Others are of a more concerning nature. Some of them are quite violent.” He regards me with sympathy. “I think it’s best if I stop there.”
“I think so, too.” My stomach is churning, and I’m furious at Christian all over again.
“Of course, I’ll notify Haley’s attorney about the videos. They’ll be part of discovery, and he’ll have copies of them.”
“Is that everything?” Philip asks.
Bauer nods. “Yeah, that’s everything. I wanted to tell you in person. And as for the sentencing hearing, Haley will beinvited to make an impact statement prior to the judge’s final announcement.”
We rise from our chairs.
Philip shakes the detective’s hand. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for Haley. We appreciate it.”
Once we’re outside, Philip pulls me into his arms.
