CHAPTER FOURTEEN F: THE CLINIC BOARD

The clinic’s governing board met after the first group of patients requested corrected attendance records.
Priya Nair attended with permission from several affected families.
She presented a summary that omitted private medical details.
The board chair asked why the clinic had accepted transport records without verifying them against appointment logs.
The operations director said the contractor had been considered reliable for years.
Priya pointed to the mismatched timestamps.
“Reliability is not something you can assume forever,” she said.
A board member suggested waiting until the criminal case concluded before making changes.
Priya disagreed.
“Patients need rides next week,” she replied.
“They cannot wait for a verdict to know whether a driver is coming.”
The board voted to establish a temporary verification process.
Patients would receive confirmation directly from the clinic, and disputed absences would be reviewed before affecting treatment plans.
The clinic also agreed to provide a single contact person for reimbursement problems.
Evelyn Brooks learned about the changes from Monique.
She asked whether they would restore her missed appointments.
Monique said the clinic had offered a revised schedule.
Evelyn smiled briefly, then asked for the schedule in writing.
She had learned that promises were easier to make than records were to correct.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN G: THE PRESSURE TO CHOOSE SIDES

The neighborhood association invited Mark to speak at a meeting about safety.
He declined because the invitation described him as the person who had exposed a federal fraud ring.
Mark replied that he had provided a damaged camera and answered investigators’ questions.
He did not want to be presented as the person who solved the case.
The association chair called and urged him to reconsider.
“People need someone to look up to,” she said.
“They need accurate information,” Mark replied.
“Those aren’t always the same thing.”
The chair suggested that his presence would reassure residents who had become nervous about mail deliveries.
Mark offered to provide the inspectors’ public contact details instead.
She accepted reluctantly.
At the meeting, several residents proposed installing more cameras and collecting copies of every suspicious envelope.
Louise Hart stood and asked how those proposals would protect people’s privacy.
A man argued that anyone with nothing to hide should welcome the extra scrutiny.
Evelyn Brooks, attending with Monique, raised her hand.
“I had nothing to hide,” she said.
“People still used my information without asking me.”
The room quieted.
The association voted to distribute official reporting instructions rather than create a neighborhood database of residents’ mail.
Mark learned about the decision from Louise the next morning.
He was glad he had not attended.
The people most affected had spoken for themselves.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN H: THE SECOND MEETING

The second community meeting was smaller than the first.
Some residents had already contacted patient advocates, while others were tired of discussing the case.
Evelyn Brooks attended because she wanted to report that her therapy appointments had resumed.
She stood with Monique beside the front table and thanked the volunteers who had helped her obtain corrected records.
Denise arrived with copies of the transport company’s public complaint instructions.
She made clear that she no longer represented the company.
A man whose father had missed dialysis appointments asked whether the instructions were trustworthy.
Denise said the process had changed and encouraged him to confirm each step directly with the clinic.
Priya Nair offered to help him identify the correct office.
Mark arranged chairs and carried water to the speakers.
He did not speak about the recovered camera or Helen’s break-in.
After the meeting, Evelyn asked him whether he had found a replacement door.
Mark said it would arrive the following week.
“Good,” she replied.
“You deserve to make breakfast without looking at plywood.”
Mark laughed and promised to send her a photograph of the pear tree when it bloomed.
Evelyn said she would rather see the tree in person once the weather improved.
They made a plan for a short visit that had nothing to do with the investigation.