Chapter 14 - The house records
No hidden camera solved the case.
Our house technology did.
Door sensors.
Smart thermostat.
Wi-Fi logs.
Grocery deliveries.
Security entries.
The old service access door had a magnetic contact because the mechanical corridor contained pipes.
Open-close history survived in the home automation server.
Friday:
First opened 9:14 p.m.
Closed 9:16.
Then several later openings.
Saturday:
Long periods closed.
Sunday:
Closed 8:02 a.m. to 10:19.
Opened twelve minutes.
Closed again.
Then:
11:44 to 1:03.
Then shorter intervals.
This supported Nora’s account.
Temperature sensor in the corridor:
Safe range.
No extreme heat or cold.
Good.
Water meter data:
Utility sink used.
Vivian had access to water.
Kitchen deliveries showed enough food in house.
No scarcity.
Wi-Fi logs showed Vivian uploading video drafts to her private cloud account.
Investigators obtained them through legal process.
Three clips.
Nora sitting at kitchen table before confinement.
Vivian off camera:
“Tell them you don’t want Marlene.”
Nora:
“I want Mommy.”
Vivian:
“Your mom chose Marlene.”
Nora:
“Because rehab.”
Then another clip.
Vivian:
“Say they don’t feed you.”
Nora:
“They do.”
Video stops.
There.
No need to infer motive anymore.
Vivian wanted a statement.
Nora would not give it.
May you like
Then the corridor.
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