An Ancient Hard Drive and Floppy Disc Caper

I felt my aunts' and uncles' secrets in my grandmother's dark, twisting basement storage and attic when she asked me to assist her in cleaning it. 

I was surprised that the hard drive we found used floppy discs, hard discs, and jump drives. The computer was stored correctly, and sturdy plastic protected the monitor and PC. A separate box held the discs safely near the neatly wrapped wires and adaptors. 

The floppy discs were jumbled and unlabeled, so no one could tell which was crucial or utilized most. I suddenly felt like a detective trying to figure out who owned the computer and why they kept it in such pristine shape, even by today's standards. 

When I asked my grandmother whether I might bring the pieces back to my house to find out why and who preserved them, she remarked, "I have to admit, Katy girl, I am also very interested in knowing the answer to those questions. Keep me in the know. Won’t you?"

“Yes, Grandma, I will. For sure,” I told her with a big smile.

After loading the hefty computer into my car, I promised her I would clear the basement in the next two weeks. We'd discuss the attic next. She died 48 hours later. I already had the computer in my tiny home and felt sick that my last moments were wasted busying myself with such trivial things as an ancient computer. 

After Grandma died, Uncle Ray and Aunt Martha returned to her house to help my mom organize things in her home and attend the burial. 

The three got along and quickly reconnected after being separated for so long. Uncle Ray grew up alone with his dad and his new wife, Celia. My aunt moved in with my grandmother's spinster sister, who sent Martha to private schools and fulfilled every desire of hers. But my mother stayed with her mother. She was the poorest of the three adults who adored my mother, who grew up knowing how much she was cherished.

Our village had a famous scandal before my grandfather left my grandmother. A beautiful damsel, Celia and an attractive suitor, Dale, were supposed to marry. But Celia got pregnant, and Dale left her at the altar on their wedding day. 

Dale concluded the baby wasn't his because he was hunting when the child was conceived. In that year, most local men went on a six-week shooting expedition. The respected local minister, an intelligent doctor, and my grandfather were three exceptions. 

The minister was busy and switched between communities. Celia’s father was the local doctor. My grandfather Dick frequented Celia's restaurant, where she was undeniably the most gorgeous woman around. After her wedding day rejection, Dick—who by now was smitten with her—learned of her anguish and had to admit that he was the child's father. Celia and Dick fled with my Uncle Ray and Aunt Martha. 

Dale disappeared without a trace under mysterious circumstances. Ray and Martha left breadcrumbs for my mother, Ellie and my grandmother, Simone, to follow to Dale’s murder. It was all on the computer. They uncovered it and alerted the local sheriff. Before he could put out the All-Points Bulletin, he was killed. 

The matter was lost on the law, and Ellie and Simone waited for something that would never happen.  

The death of Simone brought questions about where the computer was. Given my mother's ignorance, she replied, "I have yet to lay eyes upon it, and my mother has hired many antique dealers to move things from the basement and the attic."

"What? She allowed someone to take our stuff. Without asking if we wanted it." Ray appeared furious. 

"Indeed?" Why would a mother act this way? It sounds odd.” Martha intervened. 

I wanted to explain my thoughts but knew they would immediately take the computer and discs. I kept quiet because of this. It was valuable in and of itself, and their desire only fueled mine.  

I concluded their calm, thought-filled conversation by saying, "Very well, we will meet with you all tomorrow." I must get home to release my loyal dog."

After returning home, I set up the computer and went through the floppy discs in my room. Most had farm financials, children's school records, immunizations, and other information. 

I was exhausted and bored when I found the disc that changed everything. What I read was in the first-person account, and after reading it a few times, I knew it was Ray speaking.

The account of how my grandfather and Celia wrapped Dale's body in a tightly wound blanket and carried it outside onto a wagon is intriguing. From then on, they travelled far. At Manwell's Well, they tossed Dale in, including the carpet. Martha and I watched the whole time.

My dad warned us that staying in the house with our mom would make us guilty of Dale's death and send us to jail. In addition, he and Celia vowed to give the sheriff the evidence to convict us all. He said we had to leave with him and Celia, which was terrifying. He would permanently house Martha with our mom’s sister. Along with him, Celia, and I, we would travel far and start over.  

Martha deceived our father by saying, "I'll return soon. I only need my last bag." I need one minute. She repeated what transpired between Pappa, Celia, and us that night.

I politely asked permission to return to the house and meticulously recorded the information on a rare floppy disc. I purposefully placed it where her mother would find it so she would know what had happened before morning. 

In contrast to Martha, I woke my mother up, told her I loved her and promised to write her letters whenever I could. I asked her to stay in bed and present the floppy disc to the police in the morning, saying, "I left the disc in the machine and left the machine powered on but turned off the display so Dad wouldn't notice the screen's intermittent illumination." 

Marth arrived with a massive bag like mine, and our father was happy we followed his instructions. 

While driving, Martha told Ray about waking up their sister Ellie—my loving mother—to hug and tell her what happened. They discussed how she told her about Ray's computer use. However, she essentially woke her up to say goodbye and inform her where she was going. 

Martha desperately wanted to wake up her mother, but she knew it would make matters worse: Martha feared for her mother's life when they killed one. 

Ellie stood up and walked to the computer to review what had transpired as the four drove away. Her mother read the note and called the police around daybreak. Dale was revived safely. The sheriff promised revenge on the kidnappers and returned the youngsters to their families. 

A tragic incident killed the sheriff before he could deliver the information to his deputy via an all-points bulletin. The new cop was unaware of the investigation. The children's locations remained unchanged. 

Celia and Dick killed Dale Brown without consequence. Of course. 

I was ecstatic to find the information in the family computer's old files and felt compelled to share it. I went to the police station with the transcribed data and the floppy disc, duplicated onto a jump drive, without telling anyone in the family. I had to announce Dale Brown's death.

Dale Brown disappeared without explanation when the police chief was a young officer. He claimed, "People talked about him for years after he left Celia Swanson at the altar." He realized the baby she was carrying was not his, which ended their relationship. The only way."

"I sincerely hope that this information comforts a member of his family," I added. 

His words were: "Wait a minute, young woman." "You have been named as the sole recipient of Dale Brown's estate and a large sum of money." His lawyer is my lawyer, and I know that whoever successfully negotiated his death in court would get all of his belongings. "That is you." 

"That is not why I completed the task in the first place. All I wanted to do was make up for an injustice," I explained. 

"You did it. Please refer me to your esteemed uncle and aunt.

"ERM Farms is where my grandmother lives. She is talented and hardworking. You'll discover them handling her business. They should connect you with Celia and Dick. Good luck, and don't mention my name.” I winked at him before visiting the lawyer with a jump drive of information in my purse. 

Suddenly, a 25-year-old murder case was solved. 

The End