Chapter 2 - The Digital Footprint
The ambulance tires screeched as we arrived at the emergency room entrance.
Medical staff swarmed the stretcher, rushing Clara through the double doors before I could even process the terrifying text message.
I sat alone in the sterile waiting room, clutching the stolen tablet tightly against my chest.
My mind raced with terrifying questions about who my father was working with.
A tall man in a tan trench coat walked into the waiting area and flashed a silver badge.
"I am Detective Miller, and I need to ask you a few questions about your sister," he said.
I immediately handed him the tablet and explained everything I had found.
I told him about the smart-meter log, the freezing garage, and the suspicious text message.
Detective Miller nodded slowly, taking notes on a small pad.
"This is very solid evidence, and we are going to compare it with her banking history right now," Miller assured me.
He walked over to the intake desk and made a quick phone call.
I finally felt a small glimmer of hope that my father was going to face justice.
Ten minutes later, Dad walked through the hospital doors looking like a completely broken, grieving parent.
He wiped fake tears from his eyes and asked the nurses for an update on his beloved daughter.
Detective Miller approached him with the tablet in hand.
"We know you disabled the heater exactly two minutes before the beneficiary was changed," Miller said loudly.
Dad stopped his theatrical crying and stared coldly at the detective.
When Miller read the device registration number aloud, Dad stopped reaching for his own cell phone.
Dad looked directly at me and smiled a wicked, chilling smile.
"I think you need to look at the IP address associated with that transfer, Detective," Dad suggested calmly.
Miller tapped the screen a few times and frowned in deep confusion.
"The transfer was authorized from a secondary device," Miller muttered.
The detective turned around and stared at me with sudden suspicion.
"It was authorized using an older smartphone registered to your specific phone number," Miller announced.
My stomach completely dropped.
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Dad had stolen my old phone last week and used it to frame me for the financial crime.
"Turn around and put your hands behind your back," Detective Miller ordered, pulling out his handcuffs.
