Page 49 of Deliverance

“What are you thinking?” Alexander asked.

“Liam said that it looked like it was frozen on the footage from earlier that day,” Evelyn murmured, engrossed in the screen.

“There!” Maya and Evelyn shouted at the same time.

I jumped slightly and pointedly ignored Sebastian laughing at me.

“What is it?” Adrian asked, peering closer at the screens.

“The same bird flew across camera three in the top corner two days in a row,” Maya said.

“A bird?” Dominic questioned. “What if there’s a nest nearby?”

“A possibility,” Evelyn said. “But two days in a row at the same exact time down to the second? Even birds aren’t that exact.”

“What time?” Liam asked, typing on his laptop.

“2:34pm.” Maya said.

The screen shifted so camera three showed up in all four boxes. Liam fast forwarded it to 2:33pm and pressed play. Like it had been perfectly coordinated.

“The footage has been looped,” I breathed out. Drake had played us from the start.

“Is it looped every day?” Alexander asked.

“I’m not sure,” Liam said. “I would have to go through it.”

“I bet it’s not,” I said. “That would be too obvious. I bet he loops it around shipments.”

Evelyn’s face paled. “We could have missed a shipment without even knowing it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Adrian comforted her. “You were the one who caught it.”

“He’s right,” I said. “It’s not your fault.” I knew we would have to keep telling her, though. Evelyn took the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Speaking of someone who took the weight of the world on their shoulders, Alexander pushed back from the table and started pacing. I knew this had to be hitting him hard as well. He had met Nathaniel Drake in person, and it had been his idea to go to him to get the camera access.

“So are we thinking Nathaniel Drake is Kingfisher?” Izzy, ever practical, questioned.

“I think so,” Liam said. “He fits a lot of the profile, and he’s developing the rail yard. Director Keller and Judge Jefferson talked about a mutual friend who would ensure continued access to the rail yard despite the development happening. I’d bet money it was Kingfisher.”

Sebastian nodded. He had spent the most time going through Judge Jefferson’s hard drive. “I agree,” he said. “Besides, what’s that law that the simplest solution is usually the correct one?”

“Occam’s razor?” Izzy raised an eyebrow at him.

“Sure?” Sebastian shrugged. “But it makes sense.”

“I agree,” Adrian said. “But this isn’t an accusation we can just throw around on a whim. Drake is well-known and well-liked in the philanthropy world. He’s nationally respected. We have to be sure.”

“We need proof,” Evelyn agreed. “Concrete evidence that we can turn over to the SID or show to the world if needed. He has reach, alongreach. We need irrevocable evidence. Camera footage isn’t enough.”

“And we need to be careful while we dig,” Izzy cautioned. “If he is Kingfisher, we don’t want to tip him off that we know who he is.”

Alexander nodded. “Agreed. Sebastian, Liam, how do we cover our tracks?”

Sebastian’s eyes lit up. “I’ve been preparing for this.”

He got up from the table and dashed to his bedroom. Evelyn watched him go with a bemused smile. He came back with an armful of laptops.