Page 106 - The Houseguest

SET-UP
On a cold winter’s Tuesday, I drove to Rachel’s apartment again and waited until she left. I entered and went straight to the laptop I’d watched her bring it to the coffee shop on Fridays, but never knew why she chose that day only. Regardless, I had watched her and also walked by several times which allowed me to record her keystrokes in my memory. It may take a few attempts, but I was certain I could gain access. I donned my gloves so as not to leave fingerprints and opened the lid to her computer. I typed in: ACCIDENT2009. No access was granted. I tried variations with caps lock on and off, etc. I knew this is what I’d watched her fingers type.
I tried Accident_2009. There it was. I scoffed at “advanced” security. All it takes it a good eye and a little concentration. She probably didn’t follow the advice at the ATM either to cover her pin as she entered it...such a naïve fool. Anyway, I was there today to make a cyber connection between Brian and Rachel. I knew how deep the detectives in computer forensic science dive seeking information in digital storage media. The pre-requisites to use digital evidence were that the information be: “authentic, reliably obtained and admissible.” Computer forensics has provided great evidence since the mid-1980’s. It was metadata that helped convict the BTK Killer. I knew that the most common technique used in computer forensics was the recovery of deleted files. The majority of operating systems do not always erase physical file data, allowing reconstruction by trained investigators. This is what I was depending on...because I was going to create, and then delete files that she would never know were there.
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The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life