Jasmine asked. Maya selected several words. Session number. Last page. Jasmine moved to the final page.
A code appeared beneath the document history. It was not part of the hospital's legal filing system. Maya recognized the structure immediately. The first characters identified a local police network, while the final group marked the workstation that created the form. Maya typed police dispatch format.
Dana moved closer. You are certain? Maya looked at the code again. Yes. Jasmine pointed toward the agreement.
Why would a hospital cooperation form contain a police dispatch code? Because someone created it from a law enforcement system, Dana said. Maya selected another sentence. Task force computer. Cole had presented the agreement as a solution negotiated with the hospital, but the document appeared to have been prepared through a machine connected to the investigation.
Jasmine looked at the pen still clipped inside the folder. What happens if I sign? Dana answered. You give them a statement they can use to challenge your mother's credibility. You may also be admitting that you handled records illegally, even if they promise not to charge you.
Jasmine closed the folder. My mother taught me not to sign anything I do not understand. She said, "I am not starting now. " That afternoon, Riverside College confirmed her suspension in writing. The hospital also referred the alleged data theft to local authorities. Jasmine read the notice without crying.
She folded it once and placed it in her bag. Maya typed, "I am sorry. " "No," Jasmine said. "They did this, not you. " Before Maya could respond, Dana received a call from the federal detention office. Noah Reed had been found at a roadside motel outside Riverton. Police recovered a laptop containing copies of patient records, security footage, and internal hospital access logs.
Cole entered the room several minutes later with a printed report. Noah accessed the hallway camera before Ror entered Maya's room. He said he also copied files from the hospital server and left without authorization. Dana read the report. Where did local police get the motel address?
An anonymous tip. Who executed the search? Riverton officers working through the cybercrime unit. Maya studied the maintenance record on Dana's tablet. Noah's account had indeed accessed the camera, but the movement was recorded as a standard calibration adjustment.
The lens had been turned to the exact position used during routine servicing. Maya typed too obvious. Dana looked at her. Explain. If Noah helped Ror, he would hide access.
Someone made it look technical. Cole shook his head. Or Noah assumed no one would examine the maintenance log. Maya kept her eyes on the report. The record contained clean timestamps, a clear username, and no attempt to erase the account identity.
It looked less like a concealed intrusion than evidence arranged to point at a technician. Dana called the detention office and asked that Noah remain under federal supervision until she could question him directly. Cole stepped into the hallway to take a phone call. Jasmine watched him leave. He was ready with that agreement before the school even finished its meeting.
Dana closed the folder Cole had given her, and whoever created it knew exactly what language would damage both of you. That evening, a federal judge approved Dana's request for a sealed warrant to search Dominion Recovery's offices and financial servers. Only a small group knew the warrant existed. Dana scheduled the operation for the following morning. Less than an hour later, an analyst monitoring Dominion's network called with an urgent update.
Large amounts of data were being deleted, financial accounts were being emptied, and electronic records were moving to an outside server. Dana looked through the glass wall toward the temporary task force room. The warrant had not yet reached the courthouse filing system. Someone inside the investigation had warned Shaw it was coming. Before dawn, Dana's team entered Dominion Recovery with the sealed warrant, but the main office had already been cleared.
Computer towers remained beneath the desks, yet their drives had been wiped. Filing cabinets stood open, and several shelves that should have held vehicle transfer records were empty. A security video from a nearby gas station showed a box truck leaving the property less than 40 minutes after Dana requested the warrant. They knew exactly what to remove. Dana said when she returned to St.
Catherine, "Financial records, ownership agreements, auction files, and the server backups. " Jasmine stood beside Maya's bed. "Does that mean the warrant was useless? Not entirely. We froze two secondary accounts before the transfers were completed and we recovered enough information to connect Dominion Recovery to one of Deputy Chief Shaw's charitable organizations. Maya used her eyes to select a question.
Ror, he remains in federal custody. Dana said the hospital live stream is intact. The federal technical team had recovered all 47 seconds. The video clearly showed Ror entering room 314 with false medication. unauthorized access credentials and a drive designed to delete Maya's communication records. By late morning, prosecutors had filed charges for obstruction of justice, unauthorized entry into a protected medical area, destruction of evidence, and witness intimidation.
Claire Whitmore had been suspended from St. Catherine after investigators confirmed that her administrative account had accessed the records of Arthur Bell, Evelyn Carter, Frank Delaney, and other patients connected to Dominion Recovery, Todd Keane remained in custody. Faced with evidence that his security card had opened Maya's room, he admitted disabling the door alarm for Ror. He says he followed instructions sent through an internal system. Donna explained.
He claims he did not know Ror intended to alter evidence. Jasmine crossed her arms. Do you believe him? I believe he is telling the part of the truth that helps him most. For the first time since the attack, the investigation appeared to be moving forward.
Ror had been arrested. Clare had lost access to hospital records. Todd was cooperating. And part of Dominion's money had been frozen. Jasmine allowed herself to believe the pressure might finally ease.
That hope lasted until noon. A television in the hospital waiting area carried a live press conference from the steps of the Riverton Police Department. Deputy Chief Everett Shaw stood behind a podium wearing his formal uniform. Several senior officers stood behind him. Dana turned up the volume.
Shaw began by praising the department's cooperation with federal authorities. He then shifted to what he called serious concerns about the integrity of the investigation. We must allow evidence to lead emotion. He said, "We cannot permit incomplete recordings, altered data, or the statements of medically impaired individuals to replace verified facts. " Jasmine looked at Maya. "He is talking about you. " Shaw did not use Mia's name at first.
He described her as a transportation worker who had obtained private documents from elderly patients and inserted herself into matters beyond her authority. Then a reporter asked whether the witness had any experience with police systems. Shaw paused before answering. Miss Williams previously worked in emergency communications. Her employment ended after disciplinary concerns involving unauthorized access to internal records.