Is this real or did someone make it? I've seen it around since forever but I've never heard if it's true or not.
SHORT ANSWER: It is kind of true. The timestamp on the top screenshot is fake. But it's not too far off. The OG video doesn't have timestamps burned onto it. HOWEVER, there's more to this.
LONG ANSWER, FULL ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS OF ALL THIS.
1. BRIEF EXPLANATION OF 2 TYPES OF CCTV TIMESTAMPS.
Timestamps burned onto the CCTV footage itself - they become part of the picture and cannot be removed. Whatever was shown behind them - won't ever be visible. This seems to be the case of the bottom screenshot you've shared.
Timestamps in the metadata of the CCTV footage. They're not visible in the CCTV footage - so nothing is hidden, but they're easier to fake. They're in a separate file and usually require a specific software to view. This seems to be the case of the top screenshot you've shared - if you look up the video, it doesn't have any timestamps.
2. ANALYSIS OF CCTV FOOTAGE TIMESTAMPS FROM THE CRIME SCENE (TOP SCREENSHOT)
BUT various legal documents do list the time of incident as 6:44 or 6:45. Also, Manhattan DA's office seems to have shared the metadata of the CCTV footage with the media back in Dec'25. ABC, for example, included the timestamps in one of their videos, and they list the time as 6:44:18. Sources:
If you watch the full video, the suspect leaves the scene and crosses the street on foot ~ 23 seconds later, which would be at ~ 6:44:41. Not a good look on prosecutors who kept on saying in the legal docs that it happened "at (approximately) 6:45 a.m." - the suspect had already left the scene and UHC CEO was already dead at 6:45 a.m.
3. ANALYSIS OF CCTV FOOTAGE OF THE SUSPECT CYCLING AWAY (BOTTOM SCREENSHOT)
Now, the bottom screenshot comes from NewsNation's "exclusive" footage released on Dec 7, 2024. In which, the host Ashshleightgh Banfield (who, by the way, lusted after p*dofile Jeffrey Epstein) says that the timestamps on their video are definitely showing "the right time". She does point out that goes at odds with law enforcement's "6:45 a.m." narrative. Here's the relevant excerpt:
4. REAL LIFE DISTANCE & TIME COMPARISSON
I mapped both locations depicted in CCTV videos + the distance between them. Something to keep in mind: we don't actually know where exactly the suspect stashed (or when exactly he mounted) his electric bike. Feds said he mounted his bike on West 55th St., so I'll assume he covered the whole distance of the alleyway (75m / 245 feet) between East 54th St. and West 55th St. on foot.
Anyways, I'm being really pedantic here and it doesn't really matter, because even if we were to say that the suspect didn't walk at all, and covered the whole distance (0.31miles / 500meters) on his electric bicycle - without ever stopping - it would still mean that he did that in ~ 18 seconds. It would mean that he was going at around 62mph or 100km/h. And, folks, forget about electric bicycles - that's the speed at which cars go on highways. In other words, it's impossible. In other words, timestamps on one of these videos must be incorrect, unless:
5. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS.
The second video came from mainstream media - not prosecutors. So, there's a small possibility that it doesn't actually depict the suspect, but someone else. In this case, defense could use it as a proof that there were multiple similarly looking people in the area - casting doubt on prosecutor's tracking of them.
Metadata of the first video (and/or the video itself) has been altered. I'm just saying - it is a possibility. Especially, given that in most legal docs prosecutors list the time of the incident as "(approximately) 6:45 a.m.) - which would be incorrect.
Timestamps of one the videos were inaccurate. This can happen. In such cases, prosecutors get a witness to testify on he correct time. Such witness is usually a person who installed and/or maintained the CCTV equipment in question. We already saw one such witness during the Dec'25 suppression hearings, when prosecutors had someone briefly testify about McDonald's CCTV footage.
So, prosecutors are likely going to get someone responsible for Hilton Hotel's CCTV and have them testify that the timestamps are off by a few minutes/seconds, but the footage is authentic (Essentially: "Trust me, bro"). Could such witnesses lie? Yes, of course. Plenty of innocent people have been convicted based solely on false prosecution's witness testimonies. Scientifically speaking, it's a f*cked up system. It's hard to disprove such testimonies, and it's going to get even more difficult at the age of fake AI videos.
However, while CCTV footage with inaccurate timestamps is often admitted into evidence - the inaccurate timestamps do negatively affect "the weight of the evidence". This means that such footage is less likely to be viewed as credible evidence and less likely to be convincing. Which works in defense's favor. Additionally, this is not the only CCTV footage with inaccurate timestamps. For example, the footage of the suspect talking on the phone before the shooting is timestamped at ~7:29 a.m. - i.e. around 45minutes after the shooting. (Presumably, due to daylight savings time changes, but still - in a case, where every second is important and where law enforcement and prosecutors have been caught messing up with their tracking of the suspect - it all adds up.)
Lastly, never forget that prosecutor Joel Seidemann admitted that the quality of his evidence was bad. Inaccurate timestamps are one of the things that can decrease the "quality" of the evidence.
What do you think about this comment? I still want to believe that the team is doing a good job, but I can't help but feel like this person in the Reddit comments. WELP! 😩😩😩
Okay so I don't know what is the OG post they're replying to, so I might be missing something, but yeah, let me address each of Extra_Article2872 points:
"EED notice reveal & withdrawal"
OP seems to generalize and catastrophize the situation based on their own personal subjective opinion. "EVERYONE in America now thinks that Luigi is guilty." That's not true. I've talked about it on Twitter before - there seems to be some extra censorship attempts happening lately (+the aftermath of the fangirls' situation), which meant that these news got really suppressed, for example TWO days of EED news barely had 12k posts (so like 6k posts/day on avg.) and all of them had very little engagement (there were only ~a dozen posts/comments with 1k likes in total, all over the site. No viral posts). Compare this to just from ONE day of news from May 18 hearing - almost 150k posts, lots of engagement (I alone had over a dozen posts/comments with 1k likes, and a few viral posts):
This is obvs only twitter, but having checked other social media: there are plenty of comments under new Luigi posts saying that they think he's innocent. So, I guess this censorship and suppression has helped us lol. Also, most people don't know what EED is, so most were confused and didn't know how to take it and given that it was changed so quick, most never bothered to learn about it or just thought it all was some sort of mishap/journo misreporting/etc.. Plus, some people know that even innocent people plead guilty to get a better sentence, etc. Anyways, his supporters don't seem to grasp the fact that majority of the public does not follow his case as closely as they do.
"Defense refuse to speak to press / Do PR"
This is how you can know that OP doesn't know what they're talking about and is probably some k-pop fan. This is a legal criminal case, not a celebrity affair. These people's obsession with "PR" is just so... 😬 "We're exploring a variety of defense strategies for variety of reasons bur look forward to winning this case" LMFAO this is just so dumb oh my god. Like a <23 year old dumbass must've written it.
Defense doesn't need to convince the whole public, just 12 people. Marc Agnifilo has plenty of experience with high profile cases, I know he was on NYS bar association's panel for this specific topic. But also, defense is limited by both the protective order and Local Criminal Rule 23.1 regarding what they can say.
"Defense affiliated individuals speak to the press.."
They're not "affiliated" with defense. They don't speak for the defense. We don't know how close they really are with Agnifilos. Geragos clearly hasn't been following the case closely, neither has Aidala. Most lawyers don't follow other cases as closely as supporters are unless it's their own case. I've said this on TikTok about the Geragos interview:
Supporters who've been following Luigi's case closely and have read all the case files (and have common sense) know more about this case than all these tele-lawyers do (esp. if they're not NY/Federal lawyers), tbh. And no lawyer knows all the laws, for example, federal stalking cases are pretty rare, and I found that no lawyer has actually read all the case LM case files as well as other precedent case verdicts/decisions.
I used to work with and know many lawyers, and they bullshit so much.. all the time. Because they're betting on majority of the public not being able to catch them. There have been so many lawyers giving bs comments in this case, and I've corrected them so many times, so I wouldn't pay too much attention on what any of them say.
"Defense let a lot of prosecutorial misconduct slide"
Okay, I do kinda agree with this one. But y'all know if it was up to me, I'd be out there breathing down Hoel's neck & filing motions to disqualify him for every single stupid thing he said & did.. 🙄 So, idk how objective I could be on this topic, but I would've expected to push more on this. Esp. in federal case & Pam Bondi stuff, because their first motion for it was denied without prejudice to renewal, but defense seems to have let it go. :/ I mean, some of the issues they did preserve for the appeals, but imo it would've been more helpful for them to address the law enforcement/prosecution bias/misconduct right now because it would help with seeding reasonable doubt in public/jury's mind. Maybe they will. Not many people noticed that they did some of it during the suppression hearings, which could be considered as a mini-trial. I would've liked them to have addressed a lot of these issues before the trial ofc lol.
"A more aggressive team could have won on reasonable doubt"
I mean, defense would still have a chance to argue against prosecution's evidence even if they went with EED. And EED's a good back up to have. Mind you, EED≠insanity. Let's not forget that defense did argue a lot for prosecution's witness testimonies being fake. And that was only during the suppression hearings, you can 100% expect them being more ruthless and aggressive on the cross-examination during the trial. I think the issue here is that a lot of supporters didn't read suppression hearing transcripts and they don't know how suppression hearings are a preview/set up for trial hearings. For example, you can bet mugwort gnome boy's trial testimony is gonna end up being a laughing stock during the trial OR, if he changes it, defense will be able to argue for perjury. Either way, no jury's gonna take all those testimonies seriously. And fake testimonies ain't gonna go well with the jury.
Last comments
Look, those who know me know that I hate lawyers - as a profession -and I do have my issues with Luigi's defense. I've had them since day 1. The thing is tho (and what OP doesn't seem to grasp, tho they came so close) there's a phenomenon called Halo Effect, which I'm sure you've heard of. In legal world specifically, it can manifest through one's lawyer. E.g. if jury finds defendant's lawyer charismatic / trustworthy / etc., they're more likely to view the defendant as such, too. Now, Luigi's defense team may, in fact, suck. Or whatever they're doing might be strategic. The thing is - we won't know until after the trial's over and also, there's nothing we can do/say that could change it right now. Criticizing the defense right now is just gonna make them look bad, less trustworthy/charismatic/etc. in the eyes of the potential jury. The effect would be small of course, but still I'd rather not risk it. There was at least one potential juror during the Alexander brothers' voire dire, who heard about Agnifilo specifically before bc of Luigi's case.
So yeah, I know all this waiting game sucks, but we gotta think and act pragmatically sometimes. And doomerism and catastrophizing right now over something we cannot control is not going to help anyone. Let's not forget that we don't know everything defense knows. So, for now you just gotta have hope and faith in them. 🤷♀️
are we fucked because the backpack evidence was allowed in? 😭 what did u think about garnet's judgment in general and what can we expect from her in the future? I need yyour analysis pls I was so happy that dp was gone but now i dont know it doesnt look good💔😓
Sorry for late response, but no, we're not f*cked, while it sucks that backpack wasn't suppressed, there were some other thins in Garnett's order that revealed that the fed's case is f*cked actually 😌 As in, there's a high chance that not even jury nullification will be necessary to secure an acquittal. (I've been working w/others @ archive on explaining all this, but it'll have to be its own post as there's a lot of legal stuff to cover)
As for the rest of her order. I hoped this wouldn't be the case, but well.. she's proven an age-old saying: Once a prosecutor - always a prosecutor. The whole judicial system is built upon this notion that one should always give law enforcement (LE) ✨the benefit of the doubt✨ & have 🌺an inherent trust🌸in them (i.e. "presumption of regularity" in legalese)... Which is what Garnett has done to the f*cking extreme... and imo, we should hold LE to a much higher standard.
Her reasoning was so f*cking weak ngl... Not to mention, highly inconsistent. Lemme give you 3 examples, so she pretty much said:
1. APD has "established" & "standardized" policies, even though lots of them are unwritten. But Officer Snyder testified that they do, so it must be true. Even though, Snyder's testimony was all about how sometimes they follow some procedures & sometimes they don't, depending on their mood or tOtALitY Of cIrCuMsTaNcEs
Comment: How tf is that "established" and "standardized" ? Let's not forget that for example multiple APD cops were fighting over the need for the search warrant while at McDonald's. If their policies were oh so "standardized" - everyone would've been in agreement.
2. Prosecutors also provided an undated document about officer training that also must be real and in effect in Dec 2024, because Snyder said so and he trains other officers, so it must be true.
Comment: NY prosecutors didn't rely on this document - never even mentioned it, APD officers didn't mention it at the state suppression hearings. Feds could've very well created it or edited it afterwards to suit their needs, there's no way to tell since there's no date. And everyone in the legal field (prosecutors, judges, defense lawyers, etc.) knows that cops lie pretty much all. the. f*cking. time. It's an open secret... but there were even cases were prosecutors told the cops to lie during their testimonies. Since it benefits them both (cops won't ever admit that they did something wrong if they can help it.. especially, if evidence admittance/suppression is at stake)... It's so common there's even a word for it - testilying.
3. McDonald's search was done all according to APD search policies AND when Officer Wasser said she was looking for a bomb she was being truthful and APD did nothin wrong...
Comment: ok ok okaaaaayy... sit with that for a second... because you can't have both. Because if Wasser really "needed to be sure" that there wasn't a "bomb or anything" in the backpack - SHE WOULD'VE CHECKED ALL OF IT AND NOT JUST A FEW COMPARTMENTS... also what kind of "established practice & training of the APD" for the bomb checks is that?? No bomb squad / no evac of civilians - they let civilians walk by!! / opening a tiny cardboard container (where no bomb would fit)
Anyways, the biggest tell was in the footnotes (as always) where she said she would've admitted the evidence either way under the good faith exception even though no one, not even prosecutors, mentioned it before, i.e. she was dead set on admitting that evidence no matter what
So yeah, while Garnett might not be as pro-prosecution biased as Carro (btw - f*ck that mf), she's def on prosecution's side in this case (as you can also tell from her tone in her order dismissing counts 3 & 4). And don't even get me started on the mess that was the federal warrant...
anyone else remembers when a "paralegal" in Luigi Mangione's prosecution team "inadvertently" illegally listened to Luigi's calls with his attorney? and then they all lied about it? several times? and then gave multiple excuses that don't make sense? as in, there's no way it was "inadvertent"... it's been happening for years before with prosecutors always claiming that they ensured it won't happen again..? also, the manual of inmate call system doesn't support it...?
Chapter 3 is up! I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think. I love hearing your ideas and feedback. See below for more :-)
The team gets their case, while Happy struggles with her past
AO3 | FanFiction
Chapter 3: Case Facts
"Alright," Cabe started loudly as Toby and Happy made their way into the garage. "Now that we are all here, I'd like introduce you Matthew Boone, CEO and founder of Boone Research Industries."
The middle aged man beside Cabe nodded at the team. He had an air of superiority and control about him with his custom made suits and relaxed posture. A touch of early grey in his short brown hair creating the only sign of stress on the man. Five sets of eyes locked on him, no words being said. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the team. Toby, analyzing his behaviors and words, was staring at him, waiting for the man to give him clues about who he was. Walter and Happy stood there, waiting for Matthew to continue, both with a bored look on their faces. While Sylvester stayed behind the team, not wanting to get too close until he knew more.
Paige was the first to step forward to shake his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Sir. How can Scorpion help you today?"
Matthew cleared his throat and turned to the computer at his other side, "I need your help with a security issue at our main research facility. We at Boone Research Industries pride ourselves in creating the newest advancements in the technological, medical, military, and environmental fields."
"That's quite a big feat for a relatively small company like yours," Toby commented, interrupting the man as he spoke.
Matthew nodded and continued, "Yes, it is. And because of that, we often have prototypes stored on site for safekeeping. I am coming to you because I need help in updating our safe, making it impenetrable to anyone on the outside."
This time, Walter spoke up, "But you already have a team working on improved security features. Why do you need us?"
"I have reason to believe that one of my former employees is looking to steal a certain item I currently have in my possession. I don't know who, if anyone, she is working with, so I can't trust any member of my staff. I had to go out of the company for this. This is a sensitive issue that needs to stay quiet."
Walter nodded, "That's understandable. Before we move forward, we're going to need more information, both on the item you need secured and your safe."
"And if you have any information on your suspect, I'll be able to profile her, follow her actions, and we can stop her before anything happens," Toby added.
Matthew nodded and started handing the team folders, "I've already put all that information together for you in these packets. This is time sensitive, so we need to get to work right away. Agent Gallo has already informed me you are not currently working on anything else. From what I know, she is planning on stealing the item tonight."
"How do you know that?" Sly asked.
"Because tomorrow the item will no longer be at BRI. The buyer is coming into town to pick it up tomorrow morning, so tonight is her last chance. I've been keeping it on my possession to keep it safe, but I have a dinner tonight and can't take it with me. I'll have to store it in our safe, especially because I don't know who I can trust to keep it safe for me. Will you guys be able to help?"
Walter looked up from the folder he had been studying, "It seems like a fairly easy job. Happy and I should be able to secure your safe, while the rest of the team pulls information on your suspect." He looked over at Toby, "What have you got so far, Toby?"
Toby looked up, a smirk on his face, "What I've got is that this suspect, Courtney Miller, is brilliant."
Happy's head shot up and she looked over to Toby, "What did you just say?"
Toby chuckled, "No need to get jealous, honey bear, you're the only person I want."
Happy growled under her breath and continued to look at Toby, eyes wide, "Tob-"
"What do you mean, she's brilliant?" Walter asked, interrupting Happy, shooting a glare her way. He hated when their relationship got in the way of work.
"She right up there with us, 197. She has an IQ of 162 and was a low level researcher in the medical division of BRI when she was fired. While there, she made quite a few amazing discoveries that helped a lot of people both here and across the globe - AIDS research, malaria research, sanitary. You name it, she's been involved with its research. Like I said, she's brilliant."
"If she did so much, then why wasn't she higher up?" Paige asked.
"She didn't want to be," Toby stated, "Look at these pictures of her. The way she dresses in loose, plain clothing, the style of her hair, flat brown either in her face or a low pony, her smile is tight lipped, all of it suggests someone who prefers to stay under the radar. She didn't want attention drawn to her, so she was fine staying at the level she was at. As long as she got to continue her research."
"I don't understand why someone who was succeeding would want to steal from her company," Paige commented.
"That's where it gets interesting," Toby continued, "She grew up in the system, bouncing around. But when she was 17, she suddenly got adopted."
"That's pretty old to get adopted," Sly said.
Toby nodded, "It is, but they saved her. Before, she was constantly getting into trouble - trespassing, breaking and entering, small time things, most likely with a crew as bad as her. This couple adopted her and all of that stopped. She stopped breaking the law. She went to Stanford, graduated early with a degree in Microbiology and Chemistry, got a job right away and started making these amazing discoveries. The couple was older though and they both passed last year. Psychologically speaking, the people that sparked the best change in her life were gone. That causes unmeasurable grief, especially for someone who lived a life like her. It could send anyone into a downward spiral and in her case, it did."
Everyone was so caught up listening to what Toby had to say, that no one noticed Happy growing pale and the tightening of her fists. She had to sit down before anything more happened to her.
"He's correct," Matthew confirmed, "This past year has been difficult for her. She started coming in late, causing problems with other coworkers, and even threatening me, saying she deserved the money and credit for her discoveries. I couldn't have someone that unstable working for me, so I put her on paid leave until she could get better. Her threats escalated until I had to fire her. That was when she let it slip that she was planning on getting revenge and I knew she was going to steal this." He pulled up a picture of a 17th century Ming dynasty vase on the computer.
"All of this over a vase?" Sylvester asked incredulously.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. It's a very expensive vase, appraised at over $5 million. It also has sentimental value for my family. It has been passed down throughout the years starting with my four times great grandfather who found it in his travels. I would be devastated if I were to lose it."
Happy cleared her throat, "I don't know guys, this isn't really what we do. We don't deal with art. I'm not sure this is a good job for us to take."
Walter nodded, "She's right. This is an odd case for you to need us on. Is there anything else?"
"Nothing," Matthew exclaimed.
"He's lying," Toby stated, "He cast his eyes down briefly and swallowed hard right before responding. Not to mention, it is strange that a scientist would be interested in a vase of all things."
"So Mr. Boone, what are you hiding from us?" Cabe asked, putting his hand on Matthew's shoulder. A reminder that the other six people in the room don't take lightly to people who lie to team Scorpion.
Matthew shifted uncomfortably and sighed, "Alright, it's not really the vase she's after. It's this." He pulled up a picture of a micro chip. "We have buyers who are particular about the information they receive. In this case, the buyer wants the information protected as much as possible, so we've taken precautions to hide this computer chip on the vase."
"What's on this chip that's so interesting?" Sylvester asked.
"It's the formula for the cure of encephalitis. Courtney was a part of the team that discovered it and now she wants the credit and the formula for herself to sell to the highest bidder."
Toby rocked back on his heels, "Whoa, this is huge. Encephalitis causes brain inflammation and, often times, isn't caught until the virus has infected the body. We can treat the symptoms, but not the actual disease. Many times it's too late to do anything, but this," Toby leaned in to get a better look at the screen, "this could change everything. Lives everywhere will be saved."
"Exactly, and if we let Courtney steal this, we have no idea how much longer it'll be before the cure is released. We can't let that happen."
"That still doesn't explain the vase," Happy said, "Why the vase?"
Matthew shrugged, "I have no idea. The client we've been working with had those specific instructions. They are going to pay well and we've had deals like this in the past with them, so we've learned to not question it. I need this deal to take my company to the next level."
Happy scoffed, "Good to know you're in it for the people."
Matthew looked surprised someone would talk to him that way. He stumbled over his words trying to backtrack, "I - I am in this for them. For the people I mean. I - I didn't mean to make it seem like it was just for the company."
"I'm sur-" Happy started.
"Let us look everything over and figure out what we need to do, Mr. Boone," Walter interrupted Happy again. "We'll be at your facility after lunch, installing what is needed."
Matthew smiled and sighed in relief, "Thank you so much. I'm very appreciative. I will see you all later."
Cabe walked him out of the garage as the rest of the team got to work.
"Happy, you and I need to figure out the best way to quickly make this safe, well, safer. The rest of you need to get to work figuring out what you can about Courtney. Let's see if we can stop her before tonight."
Nodding, they all went to work. Before Happy made her way over to where Walter was, she stopped by Toby. He looked down and smiled at her.
"What's up, sweetie pie?"
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. She sobered quickly though, "I don't like this case."
An understanding washed over Toby's face, "This hits too close to home for you, doesn't it? It reminds you of your past."
Happy nodded, "If I hadn't joined Scorpion, who knows, that could've been me."
Toby quickly pulled her in for a hug, "Oh, baby, this could never have been you. You're so much better than this." He kissed the top of her head.
"But you don't understand, Toby, I-"
"Stop, Hap. Don't do this to yourself. I won't let you."
Happy stepped out of his embrace. Looking down, she quietly spoke, "Think Walter will kill me if I excuse myself from this case? I don't think I should be involved."
Toby tilted her head up and put his hands on her shoulders, "You can do whatever you want to do, but, if you want my opinion, we need you. You are the one with the expertise that we need. You can't let something like the maybes affect you."
"It's not just the maybes, Toby, there's more. More that you don't know."
"Maybe so, but I do know you. You don't run scared and don't start doing so now."
Happy pursed her lips and sighed, resigned to the fact that she had to do this case, "I guess you're right, but if this messes everything up, I swear I will kill someone."
Toby laughed, "It's not going to mess anything up."
Happy stared at him. Toby quit laughing and cocked his head at her. He could tell she was hiding something, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask what more she had to tell him.
"You don't know that, Doc, but I hope to hell that you're right."
Before Toby could say anything else, Happy turned on her heel and made her way over to Walter to start discussing the upgrades they could quickly add to the safe.
The next couple of hours flew by, as each person focused on the job in front of them. The quiet mutterings coming from each person was ordinary and expected. This was Scorpion in their natural habitat - focused and calm. Paige looked around at each of the team members. To an outsider, they each appeared to be ignoring the others, just focusing on what's in front of them. But she knew better. She saw the glances between Toby and Happy. She saw when Sly would find information and he'd write it down, putting it on the edge of his desk for Walter or Toby to pick up. She saw Walter and Happy working quietly together, drawing schematics or building parts. Or Toby resting his hand on Happy's back as he walked by. Sylvester taking over coding when Walter ran into a problem. All of this was done wordlessly. They had it down to a science. They were all working parts of a well oiled machine. She dread the day this all came to an end. When the family they worked so hard to become fell apart. She shook her head and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. There was no space for it there anyways.
Suddenly, an exclamation from Sylvester cut the quietness. The team walked over to his desk to see what he found.
"I've got a lead, guys."
Toby leaned over his shoulder, careful not to touch him, "This looks very promising."
"What did you find?" Paige asked. She couldn't see what everyone was agreeing on.
"Her credit card statements," Sly said, "On them, it shows that she visits a place called "Daily Grind" regularly. Like every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday regularly. The times differ though."
"There's a good chance we could find her there," Toby said, "It's a comfortable place for her. When people are facing something big, they always go to a comforting place. Cabe, I suggest you start there."
"Where and what is it?" Cabe asked.
"It's a coffee shop on the corner of Oak and Tranley," Happy spoke up.
Everyone turned their heads to look at her. They were surprised she would know someone like that. None of them had ever heard of this place.
She crossed her arms and spoke with indifference, "What? It's on the way to the junkyard. I've stopped in there a few times."
Everyone was quiet for a few beats.
"Ok then," Cabe said, breaking the awkwardness suddenly surrounding the team, "I'll take a team over there. Keep me updated if you find anything else."
"Will do," Walter nodded sharply at Cabe. He turned back to the team, "Happy and I are just about done. Toby, you'll come with us to BRI to help install the safety features. Sylvester and Paige will stay here. You two need to keep digging into her background. Everything you find can help."
As the team turned to do what was needed, Toby followed Happy to her space. When they were hidden behind a wall, he reached out and snaked his hand around her waist, pulling her back flush against his front. His other hand stroked up and down her arm softly.
"Doc," she admonished, "we're at work, not to mention on a time schedule." She didn't pull away though.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear teasingly, "Happy Quinn visits a froo-froo coffee shop? I never thought I'd see the day."
Happy smiled and turned her head slightly to look up at him, "Hey, I like to indulge every now and then. I'm not always a badass."
Toby chuckled, "Yes you are, sweetheart," he kissed the side of her neck, "but you're my badass."
"And you're so possessive," she said, then dropped her voice so when she spoke it was low and breathy, "But I like it. It makes me want to do certain things." She quickly turned around in his arms and pulled his head down for a quick, hot kiss. "But we've got to be somewhere. Oh well." She shrugged and pulled out of his embrace.
"Happy," he whined at her retreating back, "that's not fair!"
Happy's laughter filled the air. She turned over her shoulder, shooting a glance at Toby, "All's fair in love and war, baby. You started it and I just finished it."
Toby couldn't help but smile. God he loved that he got to see her like this - light, playful, carefree. It was a special treat that he never expected when he first met her. She only ever showed this side of herself to him. Damn, he was a lucky guy. He internally puffed his chest as he grabbed his bag and made his way out to the car where Walter was waiting.
Once they arrived at Boone Research Industries, they were ushered inside to where the safe was located. Toby could tell the earlier tension had returned to Happy. He stepped behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he tried to squeeze some of the tension out. Happy quickly stepped away and glared at him.
"Now's not the time, Doc. We have work to do. Stop."
Toby pulled her aside, away from the interested ears of Matthew and Walter. "Listen, you need to relax Happy. You're not going to do your best work if you're tense. Just stop thinking about why you're here right now. This is not about your past. You can dwell all you want on it later at home, but now you have to push it aside. I know how hard that is, trust me."
She sighed, "You're right. Fine, lets get this over with. The quicker we get this done, the quicker I can go home."
Toby couldn't help himself, he needed to see her smile, so he leaned down and quietly asked, "With me, I hope?"
Happy smirked and jabbed him in the stomach, "Yes, you big dork, with you."
Toby feigned relief as he wiped his forehead, "Phew, I was worried there."
Happy giggled, "Oh god, why am I with you?"
Toby shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? But I sure am glad."
"Me too," Happy said quietly. She grabbed his hand, giving it two quick squeezes as they made their way back to where Matthew was showing Walter the safe.
"As you can see, I've already taken steps to make the safe harder to enter," Matthew pointed to a screen next to the safe door. "This hand sensor reads not only fingerprints and palm lines, but also predetermined unique pressure. For instance, when programming a new hand print into the system, the person will decide which part of the hand they want to add pressure, like the first two fingers. Then each time they come, their fingerprints and palm prints will be read, as well where they are putting pressure. If the pressure is not right, the safe won't open."
Happy let out a harsh laugh, "Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous. Anyone with half a brain knows how to trick something like that."
As Happy was speaking, she felt a slight pressure to the small of her back. She turned her head slightly to see Toby standing there. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and shot her a look that told her to stop and back off. She turned back and saw both Matthew and Walter standing there uncomfortably, not sure what to do next. She fisted her hands and took a deep breath.
"Listen, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. My bad. I'll stay quiet now," Happy said, an edge still to her voice.
Matthew nodded and turned back to Walter, leading him inside the safe. Happy went to follow, but was stopped when she felt a slight tug on her shirt. As Toby passed by her, he mutter under his breath.
"Relax Happy. I think you and I need to have a talk later about all of this."
Happy just narrowed her eyes at his figure walking away. That was not a conversation she was looking forward to. She followed behind the others. She walked in to Walter telling Matthew about their plans.
"Mr. Boone, unfortunately, since this was such short notice, we don't have the time to do a major overhaul of the safe. What we can do, though, is add a few features inside the safe making it harder for a thief to get away."
Happy chimed in. She had the most experience with safes, so she knew what she was talking about. "Your biggest weakness is your security system. That includes the alarms and the cameras. All of this is connected on the same power source. This can be exploited and used to the thief's advantage. By shutting down the electricity, they have time to get to where they need to go. This is something that cannot be quickly changed."
Matthew was surprised to hear how vulnerable his system was, "Well what can I do? I have to protect this information."
"Since you already have motion detectors, heat sensors, and cameras set up on the outside," Walter said, "what we can do is set up a new system on the inside. This includes cameras and heat sensors, among other things. This security system will be on a different electricity source and since it will be new, there is no way to know about it, so it won't be shut down."
"If we would have had more time, we could have updated your safe to contain hydraulic stands that could only be lowered and raised with the correct code. Or even set up a program that was based on the weight distribution of an item where the only way to remove something would be by manually overriding the weight. We could've even added a step analysis program that reads how someone walks. Something like these would require calibrations though, and we don't have time for that," Happy added.
Toby chimed in, "What we can do is not necessarily keep a person out, but instead keep them locked in for long enough to be caught."
"Do what you need to do," Matthew said, "I trust you guys. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to business."
Once Matthew left them, the team got started. They worked quickly and efficiently to update the safe. Happy kept quiet and just focused on the job. No more outbursts or tension filled moments from her. They rigged the door with a magnet and spring system that automatically shut the door behind anyone who entered. The only way to get out was to release the magnets with a code that only Matthew and other higher ups would know. The code software Walter designed was unhackable in a short period of time. Even for someone like Walter or Sylvester it would take hours. They were also able to set up the new security cameras and heat sensors in the safe, feeding that information directly to security. The only difference was that is was on a different system than the rest of the security features. There would be constant eyes on the inside of the room. Happy had even designed a new, complicated lock with 12 tumblers that the most skilled lock picker would have trouble with. This was added to the outside of the box containing the vase.
Just as they were finishing up the security cameras, Matthew came back informing them that he had to leave and place the vase in the safe. Walter quickly went over everything with Matthew, while Happy and Toby double checked everything.
"Hey Doc, come over here and check this out," Happy said, looking up at the ceiling.
Toby followed her eyes and saw an air vent. They had not seen it before.
"Do you think that'll be a problem?" Toby asked.
"I'm not sure. It's hard to see and high up, but it is large enough for a person."
"Well we don't have time to change it or lock it up."
Matthew and Walter came over to join them.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Matthew began, "We have security precautions in our vents from awhile ago. And the person who designed the safe made it almost impossible to see the vent unless you were directly underneath it. Plus, with all your other features you've added, I'm confident that we'll be safe."
"If you say so," Happy muttered, rolling her eyes.
Toby nudged her arm with his to quiet her.
"I appreciate everything you've done. Now, I'm sorry, but I must rush off. My head of security will see you out."
Matthew shook Walter's hand before quickly walking away. Once he had disappeared, Happy sighed and leaned into Toby's side, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders. It had been a highly emotional and tension filled day, something she wasn't used to. She was glad to have Toby by her side, his strength and understanding comforting her. She laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes for a few moments. It reminded her of what she had in her life and how her past doesn't define her, even though she let it from time to time. When she opened her eyes she saw Toby looking down at her, a look of love on his face. She raised on the tips of her toes to give him a quick kiss, Walter's work rules ignored. Toby smiled, surprised by her show of affection.
"Ready to get out of here, love?" Toby whispered.
Happy smiled before kissing him again. She wanted to thank him for being there for her today when she wasn't herself, but she couldn't express that with words.
"You have no idea," she said, wrapping her arm around his waist, "How about Chinese for dinner?"
They started walking down the hall, arms still wrapped around one another. For that moment, all was good. Toby could see she was still struggling with something, but he decided to stay quiet for the time being. He just wanted to spend his night with her, forgetting about all the troubles they had. He squeezed her tighter to his side.
"That sounds great."
Note: Next chapter is the very beginning of the angst, if you're wondering when it'll be here :-)
