"Jade."
Hudson pressed his hand to his forehead, sounding exhausted.
"Just stop. Lying to the police twice? You're just making it worse for yourself."
Jade looked at him, her voice sharp as a blade.
"Are you so desperate to see me in a cell that you're convicting me before the evidence is even out? Or are you just afraid of how embarrassing the truth is going to be for you?"
Hudson went still. "Do you have to talk like that?"
Jade ignored him. She handed her phone and a drive to the officer and stood back, waiting.
She'd dealt with Amara enough times to know how deep the woman's malice ran.
The moment she caught Mrs. Gable at the station—right when the recording of Jewell was sent—she'd suspected a trap. She'd kept her cool and turned on her own recording device just in case.
The speed at which Mrs. Gable had confessed was the first red flag.
A woman running away to avoid responsibility doesn't just drop to her knees and confess everything the second she's caught.
She'd known something was off, so she hadn't been idle on the way to the precinct.
She'd had Julian check Mrs. Gable's background and cross-reference the woman's movements since the grand opening.
And just minutes ago, Julian had messaged her. He'd found footage from a convenience store in the South Suburbs showing Amara meeting with Mrs. Gable in an alleyway.
Now, everything she'd gathered was about to tear Amara's plan to shreds.
The officer hit play on Jade's recording first.
It was the conversation at the transit hub. Clear as day, Mrs. Gable confessed that Amara Hoyt had bribed her.
"She's lying!" Amara pointed at Mrs. Gable, her voice high and frantic.
"I don't even know her! How could I bribe her?"
Jade spoke directly to the officer. "Please, play the footage."
The officer nodded and opened the file on his laptop.
The camera was at a distance, so there was no sound, but the visual was undeniable. Amara Hoyt was clearly talking to Mrs. Gable, before shoving something into the woman's hand.
Amara stared at the screen, her mind going blank. How? How had Jade found footage from such a remote spot?

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