Chapter 9 - The Setup
Cameron stared at the officer in complete shock as he secured heavy steel handcuffs around her wrists.
“What are you talking about?” Cameron cried out, dropping the bearer bonds onto the floor.
“I just saved that little girl's life!”
Matteo stepped forward, blocking the officer's path.
“This woman is my employee and she protected my daughter,” Matteo stated firmly.
The lead officer pulled a tablet from his tactical vest and turned the screen toward Matteo.
“We received an anonymous tip an hour ago with this security footage, Mr. Duca.”
Cameron looked at the screen and felt the blood drain entirely from her face.
The video showed a perfect, high-definition recording of Cameron unlocking the blue room.
It showed her fighting the security guard and triggering the alarm.
But the audio had been completely altered.
In the video, Cameron's voice could be heard demanding a ten-million-dollar ransom from Matteo.
“That is a deepfake!” Cameron screamed, struggling against the officer's grip.
“Silas Kincaid engineered that video to frame me if his plan failed!”
The officer shook his head slowly.
“Silas Kincaid has been in solitary confinement at a federal penitentiary for three years, ma'am.”
“We verified his cell presence ten minutes ago.”
Cameron looked at Matteo, begging him to defend her.
But Matteo was staring at the video with a look of growing suspicion.
He looked down at the massive pile of bearer bonds resting at Cameron's feet.
To the police, it looked exactly like a completed ransom drop.
“Did you plan this, Cameron?” Matteo asked, his voice suddenly cold and distant.
“Did you help the intruder get inside my home?”
“No!” Cameron sobbed, realizing the trap was perfectly designed.
The officers dragged her toward the elevator, completely ignoring her desperate pleas for justice.
She looked back at Elena, hoping the mother she had saved would tell the truth.
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Elena was holding Leah tightly, but she wasn't looking at Cameron with gratitude.
Elena was smiling a cold, terrifying smile that did not reach her eyes.
