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He was in full uniform, crisp and terrifyingly neat. His boots shone like mirrors. The silver eagles on his epaulets caught the fluorescent light. Behind him, looking pale and sweaty, was Principal Henderson.
The two young officers snapped to attention, their backs straightening instinctively.
“At ease,” Rob said briefly, barely glancing at them. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on me. He gave a microscopic nod. “What is happening here?”
Mrs. Sharp turned a shade of pale usually reserved for the sick. She looked from the Colonel to me, then back to the Colonel. The connection was invisible, but the power dynamic had just flipped.
“That… that student stole money from my bag—” she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at Lily.
“Are there hallway cameras?” the Colonel interrupted, his voice cutting through her panic like a knife.
“Yes,” Principal Henderson answered quickly. “We have a full surveillance suite.”
“Bring a laptop,” Rob ordered. “Now.”
Five minutes later, a laptop was set up on a student’s desk. The entire class craned their necks to see.
The footage was grainy but clear.
- 10:15 AM — Lily enters the frame holding the attendance book. She looks tired.
- 10:16 AM — She exits exactly forty seconds later. Her hands are empty. She walks calmly toward the office.
- 10:40 AM — The custodian enters with a mop bucket.
- 11:00 AM — The teacher, Mrs. Sharp, returns holding a coffee cup.
The Colonel leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Forty seconds,” he said calmly, turning to Mrs. Sharp. “To enter a room, locate a specific bag, open a zipper, find a wallet inside that bag, remove cash, replace the wallet, close the bag, and leave everything exactly as it was? Either your student is a master illusionist… or there are other possibilities.”
He paused, letting the silence stretch.
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