She nodded.

“Then you have nothing to fear.”

Twenty minutes later, two officers arrived at the school.

Mrs. Porter immediately transformed herself into the picture of concern.

She spoke softly. She sighed dramatically. She even dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a tissue.

I almost admired how quickly she had changed her performance.

The officers listened carefully and opened their notebooks.

Then the classroom door swung open once again.

An Old Friend Arrives

The entire room fell silent.

A tall man wearing a dark blue uniform stepped inside.

The silver insignia on his shoulders gleamed beneath the fluorescent lights.

Principal Walsh hurried behind him.

The two officers stood straighter the moment they recognized him.

“Colonel Dalton,” one of them said.

Colonel Marcus Dalton gave a brief nod before turning toward me.

A smile spread across his face.

“Reid, I heard there was a problem.”

Mrs. Porter’s eyes widened.

She looked from my stained work jacket to the colonel’s uniform.

“You know each other?” she asked.

Marcus laughed quietly.

“We’ve known each other since we were nineteen years old.”

Mrs. Porter suddenly looked as though she had forgotten how to breathe.

“This young girl stole money from my purse,” she managed to say.

Marcus remained perfectly calm.

“Are there security cameras in the hallway?”

Principal Walsh immediately nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s review the footage.”

What the Cameras Revealed

A laptop was brought into the classroom a few minutes later.

Every student leaned forward in anticipation.

The video appeared on the screen.

Marcus carefully examined every minute.

10:14 a.m.

Sophie entered the room carrying the attendance folder.

10:15 a.m.

She walked back into the hallway.

Her hands were empty.

10:39 a.m.

The school custodian appeared with a cleaning cart.

10:58 a.m.

Mrs. Porter returned with a cup of coffee.

Marcus paused the recording.

Then he rewound it.

Again and again, he studied the screen.

Finally, he enlarged one corner of the image.

“Interesting,” he said.

Mrs. Porter shifted nervously.

“What is it?”

Marcus pointed toward the screen.

“This desk drawer appears to be partially open before Sophie even enters the room.”

Nobody spoke.

He advanced the video several seconds.

“And here, your purse is already sitting on top of the desk instead of inside the drawer where you claimed it was.”

Mrs. Porter’s face turned pale.

“I… I must have forgotten.”

Marcus folded his arms.

“Perhaps.”

Then he zoomed in even farther.