At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded

She didn’t claim the files proved anything before they’d been reviewed.

She placed the device in the evidence bag.

Sealed it.

Recorded the identification number.

“Everything stays preserved until we can determine what’s relevant.”

I stared at the bag.

For twenty-one days, the device had sat above my bookshelf.

I had thought about checking it constantly.