She looked relieved but did not smile.
She described the second visit again, adding details that had not seemed important when she first spoke with Sato.
Patricia had asked whether the clock was heavy.
She had offered to move it herself because Fallon should not risk damaging a family heirloom.
Patricia also carried a small roll of clear tape and a folded cloth.
Fallon assumed she was helping with dusting.
When she returned from upstairs, Patricia said she had been straightening books and checking a loose electrical outlet.
Fallon remembered no outlet repair.
Jasmine handed me a copy of the company’s written procedure for third-party visitors.
It prohibited cleaners from granting access to anyone not named by the customer.
Fallon had misunderstood Patricia’s authority because Patricia said I had approved her presence.
Jasmine acknowledged that the company needed a clearer way to confirm such claims.
I could see how quickly an ordinary workplace mistake had become an opportunity for someone determined to exploit it.
I told Fallon that the responsibility for secretly placing a camera belonged to whoever actually did it.
She thanked me, then asked whether I would be willing to put that statement in writing for her employer.
I did so the same afternoon.
She had already lost enough sleep over a device she had not known existed.
Chapter 20: A Community Meeting Without Patricia
Malik Brooks invited me to a special meeting of the neighborhood association.
He explained that the group wanted to clarify its authority and respond to the rumors without discussing private evidence.
I hesitated because the last thing I wanted was another room full of neighbors debating my life.
Elena reminded me that I could attend without answering questions about the investigation.
The meeting took place in the library’s basement room on a Tuesday evening.
Malik began by reading the association’s charter aloud.
He emphasized that no volunteer held power to enter a home, install monitoring equipment, or demand access to personal devices.
A woman near the back asked whether the association had approved Patricia as a safety coordinator.
Malik answered no.
A man in a baseball jacket said Patricia had helped his mother after a fall and should not be treated like a criminal before a court reached a decision.
Malik agreed that allegations should not be decided by neighborhood vote.
He also said the group had an obligation to correct any false impression about its authority.
I stood when he invited affected residents to speak.
