Chapter 3: High Definition
"It's the clearest footage I've seen in twenty years on the force."
Detective Miller hit the spacebar on his keyboard. The video on the monitor paused. We were sitting in the fluorescent-lit bullpen of the 12th Precinct, two days later.
On the screen, in crisp 1080p, was the indisputable truth.
The camera had caught it all. Not just the assault. It had caught Preston, twenty minutes prior, casually walking past our table while Sophie was in the restroom. It showed him looking over his shoulder, pulling his titanium iPhone from his jacket, and slipping it into Sophie’s little denim pocket.
"He premeditated it," I whispered, feeling a fresh wave of nausea.
"He wanted a show," Detective Miller agreed, his face grim. "He wanted to humiliate you publicly. But he didn't count on the eye in the sky."
Miller hit play. The silent footage showed the confrontation. It showed me stepping in front of Sophie. It showed Preston’s face contorting into unhinged rage. It showed him tearing the heavy oak board from its stand and swinging it with the force of a baseball bat.
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"His defense attorney tried to claim temporary insanity," Miller said, closing the laptop. "Tried to say he was overwhelmed by wedding stress. The DA laughed him out of the room. We're pursuing felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, plus child endangerment. With this tape? It's a slam dunk. He’s looking at three to five years, minimum. No bail."
I took a deep breath. The air in the precinct tasted stale, but to me, it felt like oxygen.
