The agents converted the library into a temporary interrogation room. William sat in a leather chair, stripped of his phone and watch.
“I didn’t plant that drive,” William repeated for the tenth time. “My father has access to those rooms. He has been renovating the house for weeks.”
“We checked the digital forensics, Mr. Croft,” the agent said, sliding a tablet across the desk. “The files were extracted using a biometric encryption key. Yours.”
William looked at the screen. The code match was 100%.
Suddenly, the landline on the desk rang. The agent answered, frowned, and put it on speaker. “It’s your legal counsel.”
It wasn’t a lawyer. It was Maya Khan, calling from the secure line in the clinic.
“William,” Maya’s voice was urgent. “I’m looking at the packet data. The encryption key wasn’t typed in. It was cloned. Someone mirrored your biometric signature from the company server three days ago.”
“Alistair,” William whispered. As the CEO, Alistair had admin access to every digital identity in the building. He hadn’t just framed William; he had stolen his digital fingerprint.