She placed Arthur's, Evelyn's, and Frank's documents across the table. The wording in all three reports was almost identical. Each driver was described as confused, unable to provide reliable information, and unwilling to cooperate with a vehicle inspection. Evelyn had managed medical billing for more than 20 years. Frank had delivered registered mail across Riverton without a single disciplinary complaint.
Arthur had repaired engines until arthritis forced him to retire. None of them had been confused. Maya wrote the names, dates, and times on a yellow legal pad. She also wrote down the names of the officers and the locations of the stops. Officer Daniel Ror appeared twice.
Dominion Recovery appeared every time. Jasmine entered the office carrying two covered plates from the church kitchen. She sat one beside Maya and looked at the documents spread across the table. You have been here all day. I am almost finished.
You said that 2 hours ago. Maya closed the top file. Three people were stopped after medical appointments. Their vehicles were sent to the same company and the tow requests were entered before the police reports say the stops occurred. Jasmine glanced at the blue box under the desk.
Are you keeping their private documents here? Only copies. And they gave permission. Mom, this is more than helping people read forms. I know.
Jasmine lowered her voice. Then give it to someone whose job is to investigate. Maya looked at the three reports. I will. Jasmine did not appear convinced, but she left the food and returned to class.
Maya waited until the office door closed, then placed the new copies inside the blue box. On the label, she wrote, "Riverton medical district. " Later that afternoon, she met special agent Dana Brooks at Millie's Diner near downtown Riverton. Dana had contacted her through Pastor Henry Ellis and asked for a private conversation. The diner was busy enough to prevent anyone from listening without being noticed. Dana chose a booth near the back and ordered coffee.
Maya kept the blue box locked in her van and brought only copies of the three cases. Dana read each page without speaking. You notice the time differences first? She asked. Yes.
Most people would not compare a towing invoice with the exact time on a police report. Most people assume the order of events is correct. Dana looked up. You do not. Maya did not answer.
Dana placed Arthur's agreement beside Frank's. Dominion recovery has been on our radar for several months. We are investigating possible fraud, coercive contracts, and the transfer of vehicles without informed consent. Then why are they still operating? We can show a pattern of complaints, but we cannot yet prove how the victims are being selected.
Maya pointed to the medical center named on the reports. They were all leaving St. Catherine. That is what concerns us. Dana explained that Dominion Recovery was connected to several property investment companies.
After some customers lost their vehicles, they received offers to sell their homes, settle medical debt, or transfer other assets at reduced prices. Someone may be using information found inside the vehicles, Dana said. But the timing suggests they know more before the stop happens. What kind of information? who lives alone, who owns property, who has major medical expenses, who may not have anyone nearby to challenge a contract. " Maya thought about Arthur's house papers and Evelyn's chemotherapy appointments," Dana continued. "We need someone who understands the transportation patterns around the medical district.
You drive many of the same residents being targeted. I am not an investigator. I am not asking you to act like one. I am asking whether you will provide records and identify more victims. Maya shook her head.
My daughter is finishing nursing school. I will not bring a federal investigation to our front door. Dana gathered the copies but did not pressure her. Keep the originals somewhere secure, she said. Do not tell anyone where they are.
You think someone inside the police department is involved? I think someone knew about a sealed search before my team arrived at Dominion Recovery last month. Their servers had been cleared that morning. Maya looked toward the diner entrance, so the leak could be inside your team. It could be inside the police department, the towing company, the hospital, or the task force.
That evening, Maya received a call from Eleanor Price, the senior nurse at St. Catherine. Eleanor asked her to meet in the employee parking lot before the next morning shift. Eleanor arrived carrying a plain folder. She had worked at St.
Catherine for more than 35 years and knew many of Maya's passengers. I checked something after Arthur called me. Eleanor said, "Then I checked Evelyn and Frank. She handed Maya three access logs with private medical details removed. Each patients discharge file had been opened shortly before the police stop.
The same administrative account appeared on all three records. Could it be normal billing activity? " Maya asked. No, that account does not belong to billing, nursing, or transportation. Who controls it? Hospital administration.
Eleanor looked toward the security office before continuing. Someone knew when these people were leaving, what condition they were in, and whether they had family with them. Maya held the access logs beside the towing records. Eleanor said they were not waiting for these patients on the road. Someone chose them while they were still wearing hospital wristbands.
Maya returned to the church office and locked the access logs inside the blue box. She then called Dana and agreed to provide limited assistance, but only through copies and scheduled meetings. Dana accepted her terms. Before ending the call, she repeated her warning. Once they know you connected the hospital to the towing company, they will not ask what you found.
They will ask where you kept it. Maya looked at the blue box beneath her desk. She had not told Dana where the original documents were stored. For the first time, she wondered whether that had been caution or instinct. Arthur Bell returned to the Grace River Transit office on Wednesday afternoon, carrying a letter from a property investment company Maya had never heard of.
The offer was less than half the assessed value of his home, and it had arrived only days after Dominion Recovery sold his Buick. Maya read the letter twice. It mentioned Arthur's outstanding medical expenses, the fact that he lived alone, and the possibility that maintaining his property might soon become difficult. None of that information should have been available to a company that claimed to be making a routine purchase offer. They know about my heart treatment, Arthur said.
They know I do not have anyone living with me. Were those details in the papers inside your car? Some of them. My insurance statements were in the glove compartment. The deed copy was in a folder behind the seat.