Chapter 5 - THE DRIVE STAYS DARK
The drive remained sealed for three days.
That nearly drove me insane.
I called Detective Ellison.
“When are you looking?”
“When digital forensics images it.”
“How long?”
“Long enough to do it correctly.”
“It could tell you where—”
“We found Claire.”
“It could show the injury.”
“Maybe.”
“Then—”
“Daniel.”
She used my first name.
I stopped.
“If we plug an unknown device into a random machine, alter metadata, or allow anyone without proper process to handle it, Wade’s attorney will correctly ask what happened to the evidence.”
I knew.
Still hated it.
The police obtained a warrant based on the hospital incident, Claire’s statement, the daughter’s disclosure, and the circumstances of the hidden drive.
The digital examiner made a forensic image.
Calculated hashes.
Preserved original.
Worked from the copy.
No one clicked through files like a family slideshow.
The drive contained eleven video files.
Four audio files.
One PDF.
One text document.
The detective did not tell me content immediately.
Some material implicated Claire’s privacy.
Some concerned Lucy.
Some concerned me.
Claire’s lawyer received process.
So did Wade’s.
The drive was not a magic truth machine.
Every file needed authentication.
Where did it originate?
Was it edited?
When created?
When copied?
Could time stamps be trusted?
Did home cameras actually record those angles?
Were the audio files legal to possess/use in our jurisdiction?
The state we lived in permitted a participant to record conversations they were part of.
Claire said she was present for the audio recordings.
That simplified one issue.
Still.
May you like
Authentication first.
Waiting became part of the story.
