Page 64 of Absolution

“You should. Even just hotel records from that night. Call logs. Maybe the EMT report. If it shows he wasn’t home while you were in active labour…”

“I know what it shows.”

He stands, brushing his hands off. “If you can get that, and pair it with current evidence of parental neglect, even just passive absence, then you’re walking into court with power. Real power.”

I stand too.

“Good luck,” he says. “Be smart. And make it real.”

Driving home, I know the kids won’t be back from school for another hour. The house will be empty. I’ve had this opportunity before, and every time I hesitated. Not today.

I park fast, unlock the the door, and head straight for his office like I’m crossing enemy lines.

The door’s closed, not locked.

I push it open, heart pounding. His office is just how he left it, tidy, with everything in its place. His computer is right on the desk. He has a work laptop but keeps his important files on this computer and keeps it mostly offline. Taking a seat, I take a sticky note and stick it on the camera on top of the screen. I don’t even know why I do it. Paranoia, maybe.

The second it turns on; I type in the password.

His files are organized, of course they are. There’s a hidden folder right on the desktop labelled ‘Corporate Card.’

I click.

Bingo.

There it is: the full card number, his login credentials for the online portal, a PDF with monthly summaries, even a file labelled"Reimbursements."But the bills only go back five years. Nothing older. Shit.

Still, I take photos of everything, card details, passwords, each summary. No way I’m printing. Too risky.

I check his downloads. Nothing suspicious. Then his videos. All blank. This is clearly his work machine.

Damn it.

I move to email. His main inbox is filled with deposition notes, filings, case updates. All lawyer stuff.

Come on, come on.

Out of desperation, I connect to the Wi-Fi before clicking on Chrome. His profile is the same but there’s a second private one. I click on it without hesitation.

New email account. Still lawyer-related, but not firm addresses, more freelance consultations, personal communications. Why create a second account just for this?

Scrolling through, most of it is boring. Then, ping.

A new email comes in, right as I’m about to give up.

It’s a reply to one Kyle sent moments earlier. Subject line: “Card reconciliation.”

I click.

“Attached are checks made to the company account for the amount charged for personal use to the cc.” It’s addressed to his boss. I’m guessing “cc” means corporate card.

The reply? “Lol how long are you gonna use the company card to hide shit from your wife?”

I freeze.

Then I start taking pictures.

Dozens of emails pop up when I search “payment.” Jesus, how many times has he done this?

---