The finding was serious, but the investigators still needed to determine who had used the credentials and whether the changes were deliberate. They interviewed the assistants with access to the system, checked sign-in records, and compared the time of the command with the security office's other activity. Sloan had been alone at the console at the relevant time. His own written maintenance note described the action as a routine storage reset, although no service ticket had been opened and the system had not been full.
When asked why he had deleted the files, Sloan initially said he was trying to solve a technical fault. When investigators showed him the diagnostic records, he changed his account. He said he feared that public circulation of a confrontation with police would damage the mall's relationship with Harrison Fine Jewelry and the veterans organization. He admitted that he had wanted the footage unavailable until the matter quieted down. He maintained that he had not intended to obstruct a formal investigation.
Olivia listened to the explanation during a meeting with mall counsel. She had given Sloan years of responsibility over a system designed to keep the mall safe. He had chosen to use that responsibility to protect appearances, and the attempt had made a correctable incident far worse. She suspended him immediately and, after a documented employment review, terminated his contract. The potential legal implications of the deletion were referred to the appropriate investigators rather than decided by mall management.
The first time Vanessa learned the archive had been deliberately altered, she was sitting in Elena's office with a cup of peppermint tea. Elena read the finding aloud from the investigator's summary, then set the pages on her desk. Vanessa looked toward the window for a long moment. Beyond it, traffic moved through a bright afternoon as though nobody had ever had to argue about whether a receipt was real.
"He knew," Vanessa said finally. "He knew the store had approved it, and he still tried to make the video disappear."
"The evidence supports that he knew the transaction was cleared," Elena replied. "The reason for the deletion is what the investigators are evaluating."
"I don't need to know what story he told himself. I need him to understand that he wasn't protecting anyone."
Elena closed the folder gently. "Sometimes accountability begins with an institution refusing to accept its favorite story about itself. That can be uncomfortable. It's still necessary."
The police department scheduled a formal administrative hearing for Harlan six weeks after the incident. Vanessa attended as a witness with Elena beside her. The room was not large. A long conference table occupied the center, and a recorder sat near a pitcher of water. Harlan wore a dark suit rather than his uniform. He looked older than he had in the mall, not because six weeks had changed his face, but because confidence no longer carried him through the room.