Chapter 10 - The Department Opens a Case
Boston Police Internal Affairs became involved after Derek’s supervised welfare-check issue and Harper’s attorney submitted records.
This is where stories usually invent one brave detective who fixes everything overnight.
No.
The department had process.
Slow.
Document-heavy.
They reviewed:
Derek’s personal database queries.
Incident reports involving Harper.
Welfare-check request.
Vehicle location information he accessed.
Communications with officers.
Duty status.
Whether he used department resources for personal reasons.
The first strong finding:
Derek had queried Harper’s name, vehicle registration, and two prior incident reports repeatedly without documented investigative purpose.
Seventeen access events over nine months.
That did not mean every query was criminal.
Policy mattered.
Authorization mattered.
He had no assigned case involving Harper.
Bad.
Second:
The morning after Harper updated her vehicle registration to the Beacon Hill address tied to staff housing, Derek accessed the record.
Four hours later he drove within two blocks of the Ashford residence while off duty.
That did not prove stalking alone.
Together with other evidence, relevant.
There was our answer.
How did he find her?
Not a tracker.
Not a secret informant.
He used official data he was not supposed to use for personal reasons.
A computer log.
Boring.
Powerful.
Harper sat in Aisha’s office when told.
She started crying.
“Why?”
Aisha asked.
“Because I thought I was stupid.”
“For what?”
“Everywhere I moved, he found me.”
There.
She had blamed herself.
Forgotten form.
Careless friend.
Visible car.
He had access.
Not magic.
System misuse.
Knowing mechanism reduced some fear.
Not all.
Derek was placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
Initially paid, as required by department procedures and contract.
My uncle called that outrageous.
I said:
“Due process.”
He looked at me like I had become a priest.
Harper did not celebrate.
She said:
“He’ll have more time now.”
Also true.
Safety plan changed.
May you like
More important than punishment.
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