Chapter 186
Chapter 186
Olivia
We all crowded around behind him, watching as he manipulated the playback. The time stamp in the corner moved backward rapidly, showing people coming and going in fast motion.
On the security monitor, Frank slowed down the footage until we could see my Porsche clearly. The time stamp showed it was just over forty minutes ago, during the height of evening arrivals.
“Let’s see here…” Frank muttered, his fingers clicking rapidly at the keyboard.
We watched as a dark sedan pulled into the frame and parked a few spaces away from my car. The vehicle sat idling for nearly two minutes before someone emerged.
“There we go,” Frank said, pointing to the screen.
The figure stepped out wearing dark clothing and a baseball cap pulled low, effectively obscuring their face from the camera. They moved with purpose toward my Porsche, briefly glancing around before approaching the windshield. The person quickly tucked something under the wiper blade and hurried back to their car.
“Can you zoom in?” Claire asked, leaning closer to the monitor.
Frank clicked a few buttons to enlarge the image, but the quality deteriorated. “Unfortunately, this is as clear as it gets.”
“What about the license plate?” Emilia suggested.
Frank rewound slightly and froze on a frame showing the back of the sedan. “It’s partially blocked by that SUV,” he said with a frown. “I can only make out part of it.”
“Do you have cameras covering the entrance to the garage?” I asked. “Maybe we could see the car coming in.”
“Good thinking,” Frank said, switching to a different camera feed, clicking through several angles of the parking structure. “Let me check the entrance cameras. Maybe we can get a clearer view of the driver or license plate when they came in.”
We all huddled closer, watching as Frank’s fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up footage from the entrance gates. The screen showed cars passing through the entrance boom gate one after another during the busy evening hours.
“There,” Claire pointed at the dark sedan as it approached the entrance. “That’s the same car.”
Frank paused the footage and zoomed in, but just as we were about to see the driver’s face, a large delivery truck pulled up alongside the sedan, completely blocking our view.
“Damn it,” Frank muttered, rewinding and trying another angle. “The security cameras are positioned to capture license plates, not faces.”
He switched to another view, this one from above the entrance, but the baseball cap effectively shielded the driver’s face from this angle too..
10:14 Wed, Oct 8
Chapter 186
“Can you at least get the license plate?” Emilia asked, leaning forward intently.
Frank zoomed in on the back of the car. “I can make out part of it… looks like ADR and then… 4, 9, something.”
“ADR49–something,” I repeated, committing it to memory. “That’s a start at least.”
“I can run a partial plate through the system,” Frank offered, “but without proper authorization, I can only check if the vehicle has been flagged in our garage before.”
“Please do that,” I said.
73
Frank typed the partial plate into his computer and waited as the system searched. After a moment, he shook his head. “No matches in our database. This is the first time this vehicle has been recorded in our garage.”
“So we have nothing,” Ariana sighed, throwing her hands up. “Just some creep in a hat driving a dark sedan with a partial plate.”
“It’s better than nothing,” I insisted, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “ADR49–something is a start.”
Frank looked apologetic as he shut down the security footage. “I’m sorry we couldn’t be more help, ladies. I can file an incident report if you’d like.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Emilia asked, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.
“You could report it to the police,” Frank suggested, “but honestly, for a single note with no direct threat…” He shrugged. “They might not prioritize it.”
“Great,” Claire muttered. “So someone can just leave threatening notes on cars and nothing happens?”
“I wouldn’t call it a direct threat,” Frank clarified. “Offensive, definitely. But not explicitly threatening.”
“It’s still harassment,” Emilia argued.
I glanced at my watch and sighed. “Look, it’s getting late. Let’s just go.”
We thanked Frank for his help and made our way back to the parking garage. The partial plate number kept repeating in my head: ADR49–something. I wondered if it would be enough for Alexander to track down.
“Are you okay to drive home alone?” Claire asked as we reached my Porsche.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured her, though my stomach still felt uneasy.
Ariana frowned. “You should tell Alexander about this.”
“I will,” I promised, fishing my keys from my purse.
“No, I mean now,” Ariana insisted. “This is serious, Olivia.”
Emilia nodded. “She’s right. You should call him.”
10:14 Wed, Oct 8
Chapter 186
0733
45 vouchers
I hesitated. Would Alexander even be awake at this hour? More importantly, did I want to drag him into this? He’d probably overreact, insist on picking me up, maybe even hire additional security.
Then again, after Ryan’s confrontation and now this note, maybe some overreaction was warranted.
“Fine,” I relented, pulling out my phone. “I’ll call him.”
My friends gathered around me as I dialed Alexander’s number. He answered on the second ring, his voice alert despite the late hour.
“Liv? Everything okay?”
“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Sorry to call so late. I’m at Skyline with the girls, and… something weird happened.”
“What kind of weird?” His tone sharpened instantly.
“Someone left a note on my windshield,” I explained, pacing beside my car. “Just one word. Not very friendly.”
“What did it say?” The edge in his voice was unmistakable now.
I hesitated, glancing at my friends. “It said ‘whore.“”
There was a pause, then Alexander’s voice, deadly calm: “Where are you exactly?”
“Skyline rooftop bar. The parking garage is on level three.”
“Did anyone see who left it?”
“We checked the security footage with the guard,” I explained. “Just someone in a hat and dark clothes. We got a partial plate: ADR49–something.”
“Stay where you are,” Alexander said, his voice brooking no argument. “I’m coming to get you.”
“Alex, you don’t need to-”
“Twenty minutes,” he cut me off. “Don’t leave the garage. Stay with your friends.”
Before I could protest further, the call ended.
“Well?” Emilia prompted.
“He’s coming,” I said, slipping my phone back into my purse. “Said to wait here.”
Ariana nodded approvingly. “Good. I wouldn’t want to drive home alone after this either.”
“It’s just a nasty note,” I said, though I was secretly relieved Alexander was on his way. “Probably Victoria or Penelope being petty.”
“Or Ryan,” Claire suggested. “He seemed pretty bitter at O’Malley’s.”
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Chapter 186
“Whoever it is,” Emilia said firmly, “they clearly want to intimidate you”
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