Court clerk Sarah Collins worked late into the evening reviewing the information.

She knew the pressure was enormous.

Finding an error inside a court system was uncomfortable.

But ignoring one would be worse.

She opened the original evidence file again.

Then the modified version.

The difference was small.

Almost invisible.

A single description had been changed.

A note had been adjusted.

A timeline entry had been moved.

To someone unfamiliar with legal records, it might have looked meaningless.

But Sarah understood.

One small change could create a completely different interpretation.

She contacted the investigation team.

"The person who changed this knew exactly what they were doing."

The investigator asked:

"Why do you say that?"

Sarah replied:

"Because they didn't destroy the file."

"They changed just enough to create doubt."

That detail made the investigation more serious.

This was not an accident.

Someone had intentionally manipulated the record.

Meanwhile, Elena was finally allowed to speak with her attorney.

Her attorney immediately apologized.

"We should have known something was wrong."

Elena shook her head.

"No."

"We all believed the records were reliable."

Her attorney looked frustrated.

"But you were the one who suffered because someone changed them."

Elena looked toward the courthouse window.

"I know."

She paused.

"But the important thing is finding out who did it."

That response surprised many people.

Because Elena was focused on truth, not revenge.

Chapter 7 — The Person Behind the Midnight Access

The digital investigation continued.

The access records slowly revealed the truth.

The account used to modify the evidence belonged to Thomas Reed.