Chapter 8 - FOOTAGE THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST
Twenty minutes later, Daniel and Alex sat inside the hospital's private security office.
Three monitors displayed surveillance footage collected from the airport.
The head of hospital security folded his arms.
“We've synchronized the airport recordings with the hospital visitor logs.”
Daniel nodded.
“Show us everything.”
The first video appeared.
Alex entered the terminal carrying his worn backpack.
Nothing unusual.
The second camera showed him buying coffee.
Still nothing.
The third camera overlooked Gate 42.
Daniel paused the video.
“There.”
The gray-jacketed man stood beside a column, pretending to scroll through his phone.
He never looked at the departure board.
Never checked his watch.
Never approached the gate.
Instead, every few seconds, his eyes followed Alex.
“Zoom in.”
The technician enlarged the image.
Although slightly blurry, the man's face became more visible.
Alex stared at it.
“I've never seen him before.”
“Neither have I,” Daniel replied.
The technician switched to another camera.
This one overlooked the corridor leading toward the café.
Everyone watched silently.
The timestamp showed exactly two minutes before Lily ran toward Alex.
Alex appeared again.
Then, unexpectedly, the gray-jacketed man began walking.
Not toward the boarding gate.
Toward Alex.
“He's closing the distance,” Daniel murmured.
The footage continued.
Before the stranger could reach Alex...
Lily suddenly burst into view.
She collided with Alex's leg, crying desperately.
Alex immediately knelt beside her.
The gray-jacketed man stopped walking.
He remained completely still.
For several seconds he simply watched.
Then he slowly turned around...
...and disappeared into another corridor.
Daniel leaned forward.
“Back it up.”
The technician replayed the moment frame by frame.
Something caught Alex's attention.
“Stop.”
The image froze.
Alex pointed toward the edge of the screen.
“There.”
Another person stood partially hidden behind an advertising display.
Unlike the gray-jacketed man, this individual wore a baseball cap and dark sunglasses despite being indoors.
The technician zoomed in.
The face remained impossible to identify.
But one detail stood out.
A small wireless earpiece.
Daniel's voice became colder.
“They were communicating.”
The technician nodded.
“It looks that way.”
Another recording appeared.
This one was taken outside the boarding area.
The gray-jacketed man walked calmly toward an exit.
Halfway there, he slowed.
He removed his phone from his pocket.
The camera couldn't capture the audio.
But it clearly showed him making a call.
Seconds later...
The person wearing the baseball cap answered a phone as well.
Daniel looked at Alex.
“This wasn't random.”
Alex nodded silently.
Someone had been monitoring him before Lily ever reached him.
Someone had watched every movement he made.
Someone had expected him to board Flight 618.
Before anyone could speak again, the technician frowned.
“Wait.”
He typed rapidly.
“There's one more camera.”
“This one wasn't included in the first transfer.”
A new angle appeared on the largest monitor.
It showed the exact moment Lily grabbed Alex's coat.
Everyone focused on the screen.
Then the technician slowly froze the image.
“Sir...”
Daniel looked up.
“What is it?”
The technician pointed toward the background.
Standing several yards away...
...was a third person.
Unlike the other two, this individual wasn't hiding.
He was looking directly into the camera.
Almost as if...
May you like
...he knew exactly where every surveillance camera in the airport was located.
Then, with deliberate calm, the stranger smiled.
