Maya followed a moving dot across the screen until the system confirmed that it could read her gaze accurately. A sentence appeared one letter at a time. Who moved the camera? Jasmine looked toward special agent Dana Brooks who stood near the door reviewing a security report. Hospital maintenance says the camera was being tested.
Dana said Maya selected another word. Lee. Before Dana could respond, nurse Eleanor Price entered with a sealed medication bag. She checked Maya's wristband, examined the printed order, and stopped before attaching the line. "What is it? " Jasmine asked.
Eleanor compared the medication bag with the paper chart. "This order was entered after midnight. " "Is that unusual? " The physician did not prescribe it. Eleanor placed the bag on the counter instead of using it. The drug was not immediately dangerous, but it was strong enough to make Maya drowsy, slow her eye movements, and interfere with the communication device. Dana stepped closer.
Who authorized it? The electronic record lists Dr. Sanders, Eleanor said. But this is not how he signs medication changes, Jasmine studied the label. Could it be a system error?
Errors do happen, Eleanor replied. They usually do not select a medication that makes a witness appear confused. Maya watched Eleanor carefully. The nurse had entered without waiting for Dana's approval and had brought the medication directly to the room. Maya could not tell whether Eleanor had stopped the drug because she was protecting her or because she had realized someone else was watching.
Dana asked Eleanor to leave the bag untouched until an FBI medical specialist examined it. A few minutes later, Noah Reed arrived from the hospital's information technology department. He was carrying a tablet and a set of printed maintenance logs. There was no scheduled camera test last night, he said. Someone used a security override to turn the hallway camera manually.
Whose override? Dana asked. The log was erased. Todd Keen, the hospital security supervisor, entered behind him. That is not accurate.
The system cleared the log during the power interruption. Noah turned toward him. The access record was deleted before the power failed. Todd's expression tightened. You are making assumptions from incomplete data.
I am reading the timestamps. Dana looked from one man to the other. Until we know more, neither of you enters this room without authorization. Todd objected. This is still a hospital.
Federal agents do not control every door. They control this one. Dana said. Todd left without answering. Noah remained long enough to inspect the communication device.
He confirmed that its battery had kept part of the system active when the room lost power. Maya's warning had been saved locally, although it had not been transmitted. The green light you saw was the backup processor, Noah explained. Someone cut power to the main screen, but they did not disable the internal battery. Maya selected a new sentence.
They knew which device to cut. Noah nodded. Whoever did it understood this equipment. That answer did not make him look less suspicious. Later that morning, Lieutenant Adrien Cole arrived with a folder from the Riverton Police Department.
He wore a dark suit and introduced himself as the local liaison assigned to Dana's task force. He placed a cup of coffee beside Jasmine and handed her a container of chicken noodle soup from the hospital cafe. "You should eat something," he said. You have been here all night. Thank you.
Jasmine replied. Cole spoke in a calm, patient manner. He told her that officer Ror had not yet been charged and was being questioned about the traffic stop. Maya stared at him. Cole opened the folder and read the incident number from Ror's report.
Mia's eyes moved immediately toward the lower corner of the screen. Cole noticed. Do you recognize that code? Maya closed her eyes. What does that mean?
Jasmine asked. She is tired, Dana said before Cole could continue. The interview is over, Cole accepted the decision without complaint. Call me if you need anything. I want to make sure the department cooperates fully.
After he left, Maya opened her eyes and selected two words: wrong code. Dana leaned closer. The same kind of mistake Ror made during the stop. Yes, Maya had recognized the code Cole read, but she was not ready to explain how. The less others knew about what she understood, the more difficult it would be to predict her next move.
Dana lowered her voice. Only a small group knew your room number. Claire Whitmore in hospital administration. Todd Keane, Noah Reed, Lieutenant Cole, Nurse Price, two members of my team, and me. Jasmine looked toward the door.
You think one of them gave Ror the room? I think someone changed the camera, cut the power, and entered a medication order designed to weaken your mother's ability to communicate. Could Agent Brooks be wrong about the room being secure? Jasmine asked Maya. Maya did not answer immediately.
Dana had protected her, but she had also kept information from her. In a case with an internal leak, secrecy could be protection or deception. Jasmine's phone vibrated. The message appeared to come from Maya's number. Bring the blue box to the east garage.
Come alone. Jasmine turned the screen toward her mother. Did you send this before the attack? Maya focused on the device. No.
Dana took out her phone. Do not reply. Maya examined the message more closely. The time was written in a format commonly used in internal police records rather than ordinary text messages. She selected another sentence.
Save technical data. Do not delete. Jasmine took screenshots and forwarded the message details to Dana. Cole called less than a minute later. I just heard Jasmine may have received a threat.