“The receipt shows we bought it secondhand for thirty-five dollars just for tool storage.”

Marcus reached for the printout of the high-resolution screenshot Beatrice Miller had sent to my phone the night before.

He adjusted his wire glasses and held the page under his desk lamp without saying a word.

The image clearly showed our heavy brass padlock snapped shut on the freezer latch.

In the bottom left corner was a digital timestamp reading ten forty-two a.m. next to a promotional banner for Disciplined Minds LLC.

“The banner advertises a live behavioral self-regulation demonstration for fifty dollars a month,” Marcus said.