It was a secure RSA hardware token directly synced to the federal judiciary and state financial monitoring databases. I opened the laptop, bypassed the standard login screen using a backdoor administrative portal I utilized for reviewing sealed digital evidence and typed in the rolling six-digit code from my token.
The screen flickered instantly, replacing Richard’s generic desktop wallpaper with the stark, highly encrypted interface of the unified court system and financial crimes network. My heart beat with a steady rhythmic precision. I was no longer a betrayed daughter. I was an investigator processing a crime scene.
I entered my own social security number into the query bar, crossing it with the Federal Commercial Lending Registry. The system processed the request for agonizing few seconds before the screen populated with a glaring new entry. There it was in black and white. A commercial bridge loan for $500,000 originated exactly 21 days ago.
