Chapter 4

I handed the documents to the female officer responsible for maintaining order at the scene.

Then I turned my phone screen toward the nearest livestream camera.

“First, for the two hours before the accident, my car was parked the entire time in parking space B218 on Basement Level 2 of the underground garage at Oakmont Residences.”

In the video, Zach, the property manager, stood beside my car and clearly stated the time, license plate number, and parking-space number.

“Second, at 5:42 p.m., property management installed a temporary wheel lock. The installation form bears the management office’s official stamp, and there’s surveillance footage to back it up.”

I flipped to the next page.

“Third, at 6:03 p.m., I had my car keys and spare key sealed as evidence at Tanner Notary Office. At the time of the accident, neither key was in my possession.”

Someone nearby muttered, “He must’ve planned all this in advance, right?”

I looked up. “Yes. I did prepare in advance because I suspected someone might have stolen and misused my license plate information, I made sure I had evidence. Preserving evidence isn’t a crime. Faking an accident is.”

I continued, “Fourth, at 6:12 p.m., I entered Chandler Street Station on Subway Line 1. There was a medical emergency inside the station, and I helped the staff handle it at 6:41. There are emergency-call and medical-response records to verify that.

“Fifth, at 7:18 p.m., I swiped into the 24-hour self-service area at the Government Services Center. At 7:20, the exact time of the accident, I was standing at a self-service machine printing documents.

“Sixth, I’ve already asked the dealership to preserve the vehicle’s T-Box data. My car’s engine didn’t start that night. It didn’t move, and there was no collision alert.”

Natalie was startled for a moment.

She turned to look at Vanessa. “Is what he’s saying true?”

Vanessa’s expression was solemn, and her voice turned deliberately soft. “Reid’s evidence does show that he wasn’t personally at the scene.”

She paused for a moment as her eyes reddened. “But what if someone else was driving the car? Or what if he arranged for someone else to do it?”

The moment those words left her mouth, the crowd erupted again.

James immediately jumped in. “Reid, you studied law. Of course you know how to establish an alibi. It’s not that we don’t believe you, but Mrs. Williams died such an unjust death. We can’t afford to overlook a single possibility.”

‘Can’t afford to overlook a single possibility.’

He called my evidence a possibility while the video they edited together was treated as the truth.

Natalie’s expression shifted again. Pain, doubt, and fury tangled across her face.

“Who did you give the car to?”

I looked at her. “No one.”

“Then how do you explain the license plate in the video?”

“Someone cloned my plate.”

One of the livestreamers scoffed, “Cloned your plate? You say it’s cloned, so we’re just supposed to believe you? Where’s the evidence?”

Vanessa let out a soft sigh. “Reid, the public backlash is huge, and the recruiting agency is watching too. The more defensive you get, the more people will think you’re trying to exploit some legal loophole.”

For the first time, I smiled. “Vanessa, you’re in such a hurry.”

Her face stiffened slightly.

I did not give her another glance. Instead, I made a video call. It rang for more than ten seconds.

The people around me started jeering.

“Calling in another connection?”

“Let’s see who he can bring out.”

“Some government official?”

The call connected. An elderly man with a full head of silver hair appeared on the screen.

He wore a dark-blue sweater. He looked much healthier than he had at the subway station three days earlier, though his face was still slightly pale.

I turned the volume all the way up.

“Mr. Shane, sorry to bother you. I need you to confirm something. Around 6:40 p.m. three nights ago, was I at the Chandler Street Station?”

The old man nodded. “You were. You saved my life.”

The streamer sneered, “Of course he’d vouch for the guy who saved him.”

James added in a low voice, “Reid, witnesses can let their emotions get in the way, but the accident footage doesn’t lie.”

The old man lifted his eyes.

“Accident footage?” His voice was not loud, but there was something in it that made the crowd fall silent.

“Are you looking at the original footage, or an edited version?”

Vanessa’s gaze darkened for a moment.

A female disciplinary officer from the recruiting agency stepped out through the doors. The moment she saw the face on my phone, she stopped dead.

The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them.

“Mr. Shane?”