She refused the money but accepted my help moving a heavy cabinet away from an electrical outlet.
While we worked, she told me she had once stayed silent when a supervisor blamed a coworker for a mistake.
The coworker lost a promotion, and Rachel had regretted her silence for years.
She said she was not going to repeat that choice because somebody disliked being observed.
I asked whether she was afraid.
She said of course she was.
Then she handed me a screwdriver and told me to tighten the last bracket.
Her courage was not loud or effortless.
It was the decision to finish an ordinary job while fear sat at the kitchen table.
Chapter 48: The Deposition
Patricia’s deposition took place in a windowless room with a digital recorder on the table.
I attended with Simone but did not speak unless asked.
Patricia wore a dark jacket and answered the first questions with polished confidence.
She confirmed that she had complained about my business activity and had spoken with association members about neighborhood security.
She denied knowing that the camera would transmit images from inside my living room.
Simone showed her a message in which she described the view from my fireplace mantel.
Patricia said she had been repeating information supplied by a contractor.
Simone asked why she had requested a different angle toward my dining table.
Patricia looked at her lawyer.
He advised her to answer if she could.
She said she wanted to document business meetings she believed violated association rules.
Simone asked whether she had ever sought a court order or my consent.
Patricia said no.
She then admitted that she had received still images from the device.
She insisted she had not understood that accessing them might violate my privacy.
Simone asked why Patricia had described the camera as her personal property in the lawsuit.
Patricia said she had been told to use that wording.
The room went silent.
Simone asked who had told her.
Patricia named Warren Pike.
Simone produced an email from Warren stating that Clearline retained ownership of the equipment until its service contract ended.
Patricia stared at the screen and said she did not remember receiving it.
I had expected a dramatic confession.
Instead, I watched a series of small contradictions make her story harder to sustain.
That was more unsettling than a shouted admission.
Chapter 49: The Contract Review
The city completed its procurement review before the civil case reached trial.
The report found that confidential proposal information had been accessed through unauthorized surveillance connected to a contractor serving Halden Development.
It did not conclude that every employee of Halden Development knew about the operation.
