Chapter 3 - The Man in Gray.
By midnight, the gala had become a rumor factory.
Some guests called it a freak accident.
Others blamed the hotel.
Several had already posted dramatic photographs online, each one showing the fallen chandelier from a different angle.
Claire sat at a desk inside the security office while Adrian scrolled through them.
Eleanor had refused to leave until Claire agreed to be examined at a nearby clinic later that night.
Marcus Reed occupied the chair opposite them.
Paige stood near the door with a clipboard held tightly against her chest.
"There," Adrian said.
He enlarged another photograph.
The gray-suited man appeared near a service entrance thirty seconds before the chandelier fell.
Claire leaned closer.
"That's him."
Reed studied the image.
"Do you recognize him from the guest list?"
Paige shook her head.
"Not yet."
"What about vendors?" Claire asked.
Paige's mouth tightened.
"Staff records aren't something servers normally review."
Claire stared at her.
"Neither are falling chandeliers."
Adrian almost smiled, but the expression vanished quickly.
Reed opened the digital vendor register.
They searched photographers, florists, audio technicians, lighting crews, catering assistants, and musicians.
No matching name appeared.
Then Claire saw a temporary access credential in the corner of one photograph.
The badge was clipped backward to the man's jacket.
Only the bottom edge was visible.
A blue stripe.
"Contract engineering," Claire said.
Paige looked surprised.
"How do you know?"
"Blue stripe. Catering is red. Security is yellow. Engineering vendors are blue."
Adrian glanced at her.
"You notice everything."
"That's my job."
Reed searched again.
One temporary engineer had signed in at 5:42 p.m.
Daniel Cross.
The company field read Northline Systems.
Reed picked up the phone and called the listed number.
A recorded message answered.
The number was disconnected.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Paige finally said, "Fake credentials happen. It doesn't mean he caused anything."
"No," Adrian replied.
"But it means he wanted to be in the building without anyone knowing who he was."
Reed asked an officer to preserve every image and access record.
Then he opened the ballroom camera archive.
The first camera showed guests entering.
The second showed the orchestra.
The third covered the center of the room.
At 8:16 p.m., Claire appeared carrying her tray.
At 8:17, the picture froze.
At 8:18, it returned.
The chandelier was already on the floor.
Adrian leaned toward the screen.
"Run that again."
Reed did.
Same gap.
Sixty-eight seconds were missing.
"Camera failure?" Paige asked quickly.
Reed checked the system log.
His jaw tightened.
"Manual interruption."
Claire felt the room shrink around her.
"From where?"
Reed looked toward the corridor.
"The ballroom control panel."
Paige's face lost color.
Adrian noticed.
"Who can access it?"
Reed answered slowly.
"Security management, engineering management, and the senior event coordinator."
Claire turned toward Paige.
Paige took one step backward.
"Don't look at me like that."
Adrian's voice remained quiet.
"Did you access the panel tonight?"
"No."
"Can you prove it?"
Paige stared at him in disbelief.
"I have worked this hotel for nine years."
The office door opened behind her.
A security officer entered carrying a clear evidence bag.
Inside was Claire's missing gold name badge.
"We found this in the service corridor," he said.
Claire frowned.
"That isn't where I lost it."
The officer placed a second bag on the desk.
Inside was the clean steel bolt.
"This was beside it."
Paige looked at Claire.
Then at Adrian.
Then at Reed.
May you like
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Someone moved both of them."
