CHAPTER EIGHT B — THE CONTRACTOR’S QUESTION

After Leonard Baines visited my porch, I received a message from a former Northbridge employee named Julia.
She said she had seen my name in a public court notice and wanted to warn me that the company was preparing a statement about neighborhood volunteers.
I replied that I could not discuss the Northbridge review because of my disclosed conflict.
Julia answered that she understood and would contact Dana’s office instead.
The next morning, she called Simone Reyes and asked how to submit information without exposing current residents.
Simone explained the process and arranged for legal advice before Julia shared anything confidential.
A week later, Julia attended a public session and spoke only about her own experience as a former program coordinator.
She described a meeting where managers discussed reducing transportation costs by relying on volunteer rides and neighborhood favors.


“We were told the community would make up the difference,” she said.
“Nobody explained what the residents would have to do in exchange.”
Leonard, who was sitting near the front, asked whether she had approved the arrangement herself.
“I raised concerns,” Julia replied.
“Then I left the company.”
“That doesn’t mean the arrangement was improper,” Leonard said.
Simone asked the chair to remind everyone that the session was for gathering information rather than cross-examining speakers.
The chair agreed.
Julia finished by describing the complaints she had received from residents who could not reach training sites without asking Patricia for help.
She had recommended a scheduled transport service, but the proposal had not been funded.
The audience remained quiet after she sat down.
At the end of the session, Leonard approached Julia near the exit.


“You could have called me,” he said.
“I did,” she replied.
“Three times.”
She walked away before he could answer.
Mina told me about the exchange afterward, but I reminded her that I could not use the story in my own professional work.
“I know,” she said.
“I just wanted you to understand why people are finally talking.”
“I do understand.”
“Then why do you look sad?”
I considered the question.
“Because they had to become desperate before anybody made room for them.”

CHAPTER NINE — A HOUSE FULL OF PEOPLE

Uncertainty did not make Patricia stop.
It made her desperate.
That night, a dozen residents gathered at Mina’s kitchen table.
Graham brought the workshop’s volunteer schedule, Kira brought her test registration, and Theo brought a notebook filled with dates when residents had been ordered to perform unpaid neighborhood chores.
I made coffee and refused to collect the papers.
“Dana needs these,” I told them.
“Not me.”
Mina crossed her arms.
“You’re the reason we’re finally talking.”
“Talking is different from handing me evidence for a case I can’t oversee.”
Graham nodded.
“She’s right.”
He looked older than he had at the workshop.
“I’ve let Patricia make decisions because I didn’t want to fight.”
“What changed?” Kira asked.
“You paid for a test and nearly missed it because I stayed quiet.”
Theo opened his notebook.
“There’s more.”
He explained that some residents had been assigned to move furniture, wash cars, and clear garages for neighbors who donated to the Stewardship Circle.
The work was described as community service, but nobody could explain how it related to their housing or training plans.
A young woman named Celeste said she had been told that refusing an assignment would be reported as poor cooperation.
“Did Northbridge staff know?” Mina asked.
“They drove us there,” Celeste replied.
The room became silent.
I looked at the clock.
“The independent advocate’s office is still taking calls,” I said.
“You can contact them tonight.”
Kira lifted her phone.
“I’ll call.”
She looked at Theo.
“Will you sit with me?”
He moved his chair beside hers.
The conversation that followed did not need me.
That was the most important thing I could have done for them.
I went into the hallway and gave them privacy.