The Schedule That Exposed a Silent Betrayal in Our Break Room — Part 2 of 3

The Camera Doesn't Lie

The security camera in the hallway was mounted high in the corner, its red light blinking like a heartbeat. I stood beneath it, my heart pounding in my ears. Reggie's words echoed in my mind: "It records everything."

I found the security office, a cramped room with a wall of monitors. A security guard named Frank looked up from his crossword puzzle, his eyes narrowing. "Can I help you?"

"I need to see footage from last Tuesday," I said, my voice firm. "Around 4:47 PM."

Frank shook his head. "I can't just show you that. It's company policy."

"I'm a victim of a payroll theft," I said. "Someone used management access to cut my hours. I have a right to know who."

He hesitated. "Theft? That's a serious accusation."

"It's the truth," I said. "And if you don't help me, I'll go to the police."

Frank sighed, then turned to the monitors. "What day?"

"Tuesday. 4:47 PM."

He rewound the footage, the time stamp ticking backward. When the clock hit 4:47, he paused. "There," he said, pointing to a figure in the hallway.

I leaned in, squinting. The person was wearing a hoodie, their face partially hidden. But their build was familiar. The way they walked, the way they stopped at the office door and swiped a keycard—I knew that gait.

"Who is that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Frank shrugged. "I can't see the face. But the keycard... let me check the log."

He typed on his computer, then whistled. "This is interesting. The card belongs to Dana."

My stomach dropped. "Dana? But she said she didn't touch my hours."

Frank looked at me with a grim expression. "The card was used at 4:47 PM. The schedule was changed at 4:48 PM. That's not a coincidence."

I felt a cold fury settle in my chest. "I need to see more."

Frank advanced the footage. The hooded figure entered the office, and a minute later, another figure appeared—Reggie. He stood in the doorway, talking to the hooded person. They seemed to be arguing.

"Reggie," I muttered. "What are you doing there?"

Frank paused the video. "This is getting deep. You sure you want to keep digging?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

I left the security office with a copy of the footage on my phone. My mind was racing. Dana had lied to my face. And Reggie was involved somehow. But why?

I found Dana in the break room, sipping coffee like nothing had happened. She looked up, and her face went pale when she saw the expression on mine.

"Marcus," she said, "what's wrong?"

"Cut the act," I said, holding up my phone. "I saw the footage. Your keycard was used to access the office last Tuesday at 4:47 PM. And guess what? My schedule was changed exactly one minute later."

Dana's face went white. "That's not... I mean, I didn't..."

"You lied to me," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "You told me you didn't touch my hours, but your card did."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. "Marcus, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me," I demanded. "Why would you do this?"

She looked around the room, then leaned in. "Because I was trying to protect you," she whispered.

"Protect me from what?"

"There's a group of employees," she said, "who are trying to get you fired. They've been complaining about you for months. And someone in management decided to make an example of you."

"Who?" I asked.

"I can't say," she said. "But if you keep digging, you're going to find out—and it's going to hurt more than a missing paycheck."

I stared at her, my mind reeling. "I don't believe you."

"Then ask Reggie," she said. "He's the one who told me about the plan. He warned me that someone was going to sabotage your hours. I used my card to check the system, but I didn't make the change myself. I was trying to see who did before they could."

"You expect me to believe that?" I said.

"I don't expect you to believe anything," she said. "But it's the truth."

I left the break room, my head spinning. The footage showed Dana's card, but it didn't show her making the change. It showed someone else in the office—but who?

I called Reggie, my voice urgent. "Reggie, I need to see you. Now."

He met me in the parking lot, his face drawn. "I knew you'd find out," he said."What did you know?" I asked."That this was coming," he said. "Someone's been setting you up. I tried to warn Dana, but she didn't listen.""Who is it?" I demanded."It's not someone you want to mess with," he said. "But if you really want to know, the change was made from the office computer. And the login... it was yours."

My blood ran cold. "What? That's impossible."

"I saw it," he said. "The log shows your user ID. Someone used your credentials to make the change."

"That's why they cut my hours," I whispered. "To make it look like I did it myself."

Reggie nodded. "You're being framed."