Chapter 4 - The Digital Web
David was an systems architect for a major cybersecurity firm. He knew networks, he knew encryption, and he knew how to trace digital footprints.
He locked himself in his home office on the second floor, his fingers flying across the keyboard of his laptop. He booted up a network protocol analyzer to scan the local Wi-Fi traffic. Within seconds, his screen lit up with a dozen active local IP addresses that didn't belong to his computer, his phone, or his smart television.
They were all streaming encrypted data to a localized network storage device.
David traced the source of the storage device. It was a hidden network-attached storage (NAS) drive, likely tucked away somewhere in the master bedroom closet. Using his administrative access to the home router, he bypassed the encryption protocols, forcing a decryption sequence on the stored video files.
A directory of thousands of video clips appeared on his screen, organized by date, time, and camera location.
His fingers trembled as he clicked on the folder labeled Living Room - Camera 2. He selected a file from three days ago, when he was supposed to be in Chicago.
The video loaded.
On the screen, Evelyn was sitting in her wheelchair near the window. Rebecca walked into the frame. She didn't look angry; her face was completely blank, almost robotic. She stood over Evelyn, took the control joystick of the electric wheelchair, and unplugged the battery cable.
"Please, Rebecca," Evelyn’s recorded voice was weak, pleading. "I need to use the bathroom."
"You'll use it when I tell you to," Rebecca replied cold, her voice flat. "If you keep complaining, I’ll tell David you tried to strike me again. You know he’ll believe me. He thinks you're losing your mind."
Rebecca then wheeled the chair out of the room, leaving the elderly woman stranded on the couch, unable to move.
David stared at the screen, a wave of intense nausea washing over him. He had to bite his own hand to keep from screaming, tears of raw, agonizing fury spilling over his eyelids. The woman he had married, the woman he had loved for five years, was a monster.
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He clicked on another folder, this one labeled Master Bedroom - Audio.
He expected to find more evidence of his mother’s mistreatment. Instead, he found a series of recorded phone conversations.
