Iris arrived at the Gap store first, so she asked around about the dead woman. She flashed around a photo she had taken of the woman, carefully cropped to hide Kairos' web. None recognized her, nor could speak to having seen her die. By the time Olivia arrived she was about to try the security guards; so they did.
"Where are your security cameras?" she asked.
"We don't store footage past 90 days."
"You do, you just don't know it. Show me the screen the camera for this hall's hooked up to."
This cryptic bullshit did not endear her to anyone, but no matter, they were escorted to the security room anyway. Iris & Olivia sat down beside the man currently observing the screens, who directed them to which screen they wanted to see. "What date you looking for, anyhow?"
"July 23rd, 2022."
"Bit late for it, don't you think? We don't store footage past 90 days. Police already requested it, though. Maybe they got a copy."
"Why did they request it?" said Olivia.
"Something about that lady who died here, far as I remember. Think she just up and killed herself, or..."
Iris felt uneasy. "…give us about five minutes alone with these."
He did so, and Kairos reverted the screen to July 23rd, 2022. This allowed her to view the scene of the woman's death without using Timeline, and she plucked her from the crowd; she could not see well who she was with, but she suddenly collapsed. Some civilians noticed this, and went over to help her as she coughed and vomited on herself.
The tape continued, but Iris spoke. "That isn't what the scene was in Timeline." She began writing some notes into her phone: at the top she wrote: 'DO NOT DELETE OR MODIFY THIS.' "Olivia, I'd like for you to keep a copy of this. Send it out to Naomi and Kate, if you can."
"What's your theory?"
"…not entirely sure yet. Feel there's something odd going on with the police, and the information they've given us. Not a single student besides me could wring any information out of this. Hell, even the security footage doesn't seem right, unless..." Iris mused. "Let me put it this way. If I was some malicious son of a bitch police officer attempting to protect a coworker, I wouldn't act any differently than they have been."
"The problem is that cops are completely incompetent at their best, Iris. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but, to be honest, that's better than most cops I've had to deal with. Something about students really fires up their feelings of inferiority."
"I suppose I could attribute this to stupidity and not malice." Iris frowned. "Mostly anxious about what the alternative might imply."
Olivia turned to face her and nodded. "I remember one investigation, I had to explain to them that they can't use psychics to find hosts. Television psychics, not even local ones."
They laughed.
"But it's a theory to keep in mind." said Olivia.
"Maybe so." muttered Iris. "Lemme text this over to Amelie, too."
"And Claire?"
"I don't have her number."
"You can use my tablet."
"Alright, you got me, I just don't like her."
Olivia snickered. "Got something against New Zealand?"
(Amelie) "I'll keep my own set of notes, then."
(Amelie) "I'm sorry I can't be there... I know I should be devoting myself more to this investigation."
Iris remembered months ago where Amelie & her were to go out hunting together. Amelie had been waiting for the train, rather close to stepping off, and Iris had come up behind her and pulled her away. Amelie looked at her, then grinned, and kissed her. "Sometimes I get a little bored."
"I'd hate to see you really bored."
In the present Iris replied to her: "You're devoting yourself plenty."
She left the security room with Olivia, who asked if they could get some food on the way out, and Iris ordered herself a few corndogs from the local diner. She bit into one, then heated it further with Kairos. She bit it again, pulled her head up, sighed, then heated it thrice more, until nearly without texture, then dipped into it.