Maya selected her response. Dignity is not permission. Arthur read it twice before nodding. After he left, Jasmine's phone received an audio file from an unknown address. The title read, "Maya Williams statement. " Jasmine played it aloud.
Her mother's electronic voice filled the room. Jasmine took the original files without permission. She knew the records were confidential. Jasmine stopped the recording. You never said that.
Maya immediately typed. Fake. Dana took the phone. The voice sounds like the communication system. It is her voice, Jasmine said.
Or the devices's voice. Maya asked her to replay the audio. This time, she listened to the spaces between the words. Every pause lasted exactly the same length. Natural sentences created uneven gaps as Maya selected letters, corrected errors, and waited for the machine to speak.
This recording had been assembled from separate words. Maya typed. Check pauses. Jasmine opened the waveform display. The gaps were identical down to the fraction of a second.
They built it from things you already typed," she said. Dana forwarded the file to the federal technical team. This was not created to convince a court. It was sent to make you doubt each other. Jasmine sat beside the bed.
It almost worked for a second. Maya turned her eyes toward her daughter. Jasmine placed her hand beside Ma's, careful not to disturb the monitoring line. I knew it was false. I just hated hearing your voice say it.
Lieutenant Adrienne Cole arrived soon afterward. Dana did not tell him about the audio, but Jasmine did. Cole asked to see the file and quickly showed her how to preserve the message headers and technical data. Do not forward the original again. He said each transfer changes part of the record.
Make copies and keep the first version untouched. His advice was correct and practical. Jasmine appeared relieved to have someone explain what to do. Cole also offered to speak with Riverside College if the recording reached the school. No one should treat a manufactured file as proof.
He said, "I will make sure they understand that. " Maya watched him closely. Cole seemed patient, informed, and genuinely concerned about Jasmine. That made him useful. It did not make him trustworthy. That evening, Riverside College contacted Jasmine.
A hospital administrator had reported that her student access card had been used to enter the medical records room shortly afternoon. Jasmine stared at the message. "That is impossible. I was here. Dana checked the time.
The access had occurred while Jasmine was sitting beside Maya and listening to the fake recording. The room camera and federal guard log could confirm it. Jasmine's account had also been used to open a folder containing the names of Arthur, Evelyn, Frank, and several other patients connected to Dominion Recovery. Maya read the report on Dana's tablet. The people behind the network were no longer trying only to frighten Jasmine.
They were building a case against her. The next morning, Riverside College summoned Jasmine to an emergency conduct meeting. Dana arranged for a federal agent to accompany her to the building, but the agent remained outside the conference room to avoid influencing the school's internal process. The nursing program director, Dr. Patricia Morse, sat at the head of the table with a representative from student affairs and an attorney for St.
Catherine Medical Center. Jasmine placed her phone on the table and waited for someone to explain why her clinical access had been suspended. Dr. Morse spoke carefully. Your student credentials were used to enter a restricted records room and download confidential patient files.
I was with my mother when that happened. We have received the hospital access report. Then you should also have the camera footage showing where I was. The hospital attorney opened a folder. The issue is not limited to the door entry.
Your account was used to copy records connected to an active federal investigation. An email was later sent from that account demanding payment in exchange for keeping the information private. Jasmine stared at him. You are saying I tried to blackmail the hospital? We are saying the evidence requires investigation.
Dr. Morse looked uncomfortable. But she continued, "Until the matter is resolved, you are suspended from clinical rotations. You may appeal and you have the right to submit supporting documentation. Jasmine removed her student badge and placed it on the table.
I have worked for years to earn that badge. She said, "I am not going to confess to something I did not do just because someone knows how to use my name. " When she returned to St. Catherine, Lieutenant Adrien Cole was waiting outside Maya's room. He carried a thin folder and asked to speak with Jasmine privately. I heard about the suspension.
He said there may be a way to prevent criminal charges. What kind of way? Cole handed her a cooperation agreement. You confirm that your mother collected patient information outside proper channels. You also state that her judgment may have been affected by medication and the injury to her throat.
In return, the hospital withdraws the complaint and the district attorney declines prosecution. Jasmine read the first page. You want me to say my mother is confused? I want you to protect your future before this becomes more serious. She found evidence that people were being robbed.
She found documents she may not have had the legal right to possess. She had permission from the people involved. That will be argued later. Right now, you have an opportunity to keep your name out of court. Cole placed a pen on top of the agreement.
Sometimes protecting a parent means refusing to let their mistake become your sentence. Jasmine did not pick up the pen. I need to show this to my mother. Cole's expression remained calm. Of course, just understand that the offer may not remain available.
Inside room 314, Jasmine placed the agreement on a document stand in front of Maya's communication device. She turned the pages slowly so her mother could examine each section. Maya's gaze moved from the signature line to the timestamps printed in the upper corner. She asked Jasmine to return to the previous page. What do you see?