When June ordered him to open the case, Travis refused a second time.
Before Travis could attempt to drive away, a sleek unmarked county vehicle pulled up behind his truck. A cybercrimes investigator stepped out, her badge catching the morning light.
Her name was Simone Park.
Simone walked over and presented an official search authorization tied directly to an ongoing regional investigation into BrightCurrent. At the sight of the federal-level warrant, Travis’s arrogant confidence evaporated entirely.
Officer Alvarez and investigator Park moved in, unlocking Travis’s equipment case. Inside, they uncovered an alarming cache: miniature pinhole cameras, high-gain wireless receivers, and dozens of SD memory cards meticulously labeled with local street addresses.
My address appeared on four separate cards. Helen’s address appeared on seven. Naomi’s previous school address appeared on another.
Travis stammered, claiming the equipment belonged to BrightCurrent’s corporate security division. Simone asked him what exactly the security division was protecting. Travis stood silent, unable to provide an answer.
Within minutes, a local fire department unit arrived with an extension roof ladder to assist the investigation. Firefighters carefully unbolted and removed panel number six from my roof array.