The specialist said that would be speculation.
Investigators compared the clip with lawful reference samples and other evidence, but they would not report a certainty the audio could not support.
I respected the caution even though it meant another unanswered question.
The recording itself was significant because it suggested deliberate positioning.
A device placed accidentally would not ordinarily be accompanied by a discussion of what it could see.
Leah told me that the evidence could be assessed alongside Fallon’s testimony and the contractor records.
I realized that the strength of a case often came from different facts supporting the same conclusion.
No single line needed to carry the entire burden.
Chapter 61: The Day I Went Back to Work
After months of rehabilitation I returned to the office without the brace I had worn since surgery.
My colleagues welcomed me with the ordinary indifference that healthy workplaces sometimes provide.
They asked about my knee and the new scheduling software rather than my neighbor.
I spent the morning reviewing delivery routes and correcting a staffing forecast.
At lunch a coworker asked whether the stories online were true.
I told her a camera had been found and the police were investigating.
She apologized for bringing it up.
I said she had not done anything wrong by asking respectfully.
The conversation ended there.
For the rest of the day I concentrated on work that had clear beginning and ending points.
A missed truck could be rescheduled.
A damaged shipment could be replaced.
The camera investigation rarely offered that kind of closure.
I learned to value the satisfaction of solving ordinary problems again.
On the drive home I called Daniel and asked how the shop was doing.
He complained about a worn bearing and a supplier who sent the wrong steel grade.
I listened with relief.
Our lives still contained problems that had nothing to do with Patricia.
That was a kind of progress I had almost forgotten to notice.
Chapter 62: The Advocate’s Advice
The victim-witness specialist invited Elena and me to a meeting about the upcoming legal proceedings.
She explained what testimony might involve and what support was available.
She said victims sometimes expected a court result to erase the emotional effects of a violation.
In her experience, recovery often continued after the case ended.
Elena asked whether we could request limits on unnecessary public disclosure of private recordings.
The specialist described the procedures for raising those concerns through the prosecutor and court.
I asked whether I had to listen to every file before giving a statement.
