Tessa agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the bus station.
She was nineteen and arrived holding a paper envelope against her chest.
“I didn’t know anyone was claiming I was licensed,” she said before sitting down.
Daniel asked her to start at the beginning.
Tessa described answering a listing for weekend event assistance.
Brenda promised cash for checking guests in and keeping the patio tidy.
On the day Elena’s nephew was injured, Tessa had been instructed to wear a red polo shirt and remain visible near the pool.
Brenda told her that the property owner had approved the arrangement.
Tessa was supposed to leave at noon because she had another shift.
“She said an actual lifeguard would arrive before I left,” Tessa explained.
“Did anyone arrive?” Priya asked.
Tessa shook her head.
“I waited ten minutes, but Brenda told me to go.”
She opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten schedule with Brenda’s initials beside each booking.
Tessa had also saved a text message instructing her to introduce herself as the safety attendant.
“I thought that meant I should tell people where the first aid kit was,” Tessa said.
“I never said I was trained.”
Daniel believed her.
He could hear the shame in her voice.
Priya asked whether Tessa would speak with investigators if needed.
She agreed and asked whether the injured child was recovering.
Daniel told her he was.
Tessa pressed her fingers around the coffee cup.
“I wish I’d stayed,” she said.
“You weren’t told the truth either,” Daniel replied.
Priya gently interrupted.
“That doesn’t settle what happened, but it does help us understand it.”
Chapter 9: Three Different Prices
Aaron Bishop sent Daniel a second message that evening.
It contained a screenshot from the rental page showing a fee of three hundred dollars.
Elena had paid four hundred and seventy-five for a birthday party.
A third family, contacted through the platform’s dispute process, reported paying six hundred for a nighttime celebration.
The amounts changed depending on the day and the amenities promised.
Some guests believed they were renting the entire backyard.
Others believed they were renting a pool attached to a licensed event venue.
One booking included a catered dinner that never arrived.
Another included a photographer who had never heard of Brenda Collins.
Daniel realized that the fraud, if established, did not follow a single simple pattern.
Brenda tailored the story to each customer.
She promised whatever was most likely to secure payment.
What connected the bookings was Daniel’s address and the claim of permission.
