Richard left after ordering Tessa to meet him at the team bus.
She didn’t go.
For the first time that night, Maya and Tessa sat side by side.
“I spent my whole career trying to beat you,” Maya said.
Tessa gave a tired smile. “You’ve been senior elite for eight months.”
“Long eight months.”
That almost made Tessa laugh.
Elena contacted the event director and reported a possible integrity issue without accusing anyone. The director agreed to preserve competition footage.
Maya remembered the overhead camera used for broadcast transitions.
“What about warm-up day?”
Tessa looked at her. “What about it?”
“The routine file disappeared from Elena’s laptop today. Somebody might have needed physical access.”
They asked to see the corridor footage outside athlete check-in.
At 11:43 the previous morning, Elena left her laptop bag beneath the coaches’ table while helping Maya with a taped ankle.
At 11:46, a man in a Vale Athletics jacket approached the table.
Not Richard.
Vale’s operations manager, Nolan Price.
He sat for less than a minute.
Then he walked away.
Tessa whispered, “Nolan has access to our server.”
Elena replayed the clip.
“Can he access your father’s office?”
“He runs everything.”
Maya felt the first solid shape of an explanation.
Nolan could have downloaded Tessa’s routine using Elena’s old account, placed the file on Elena’s laptop, and later deleted it.
“But why?” Maya asked.
Tessa’s phone rang.
Nolan Price.
Nobody spoke.
Tessa answered on speaker.
“Nolan?”
His voice was low and rushed. “Are you with your father?”
“No.”
“Good. Listen carefully. I need you to leave the arena.”
Tessa stood. “Why?”
“Because Richard knows the security footage was preserved.”
Elena looked at Maya.
Tessa asked, “Did you put the file on Elena’s laptop?”
A long silence.
Then Nolan said, “I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“Not on the phone.”
“Then tell me where you are.”
“The east parking structure. Level four.”
The call ended.
Maya grabbed her jacket.
Elena blocked the door.
“No. You two stay here.”
Maya shook her head. “This is my score, my career, and my name attached to that routine.”
Tessa moved beside her.
“And it’s my routine.”
Elena knew she had lost the argument.
Ten minutes later, they reached the parking structure.
Nolan’s car was there.
Nolan wasn’t.
On the driver’s seat lay a large brown envelope.
Across the front, someone had written two names:
MAYA BROOKS + TESSA VALE.