The younger woman remained seated for several minutes.
Then she contacted the state investigator.
She explained the conversation.
The records index.
The retired clerk.
And the possibility that the original inspection volumes had been moved to an annex that still contained archived engineering documents.
The investigator listened carefully.
Then said, "Don't go looking for those records yourself."
The engineer frowned.
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
The investigator continued.
"We'll approach the records through the appropriate legal process."
The younger woman nodded.
"Understood."
Then she looked toward the brown leather document case resting beside her handbag.
Inside were copies of her father's notes and several independently obtained records.
Not every original.
Not the missing volumes.
But enough to support serious questions.
She looked toward the investigator's number on her phone.
"I think somebody at the luncheon may have noticed me speaking with the nurse."
The investigator became quiet.
"Why?"
"The construction company president was watching."
"Did he approach you afterward?"
"No."
"Any messages?"
"Not yet."
The investigator considered.
Then asked, "How are you traveling back?"
The engineer looked toward the window.
"My car."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
A pause followed.
Then the investigator said, "Given the threats you've already received, I'd prefer we coordinate your departure."
The engineer frowned.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Discreet support along your route. We don't need to create a public scene, but I don't want you isolated if somebody decides to interfere."
The woman looked toward the black Rolls-Royce visible near the entrance.
For a moment, she thought of her father's old truck.
The one he'd driven to work after losing his county job.
He had traveled these roads alone for years.
Nobody had followed him home to make sure he was safe.
Now she had resources he never possessed.
Professional colleagues.
Experienced attorneys.
And state investigators who were willing to take credible threats seriously.
She took a breath.
"All right."
The investigator explained the general arrangements.
The engineer agreed to keep her phone available and follow the confirmed route.
She would notify the team if anything unusual occurred.
The agents would not interfere with ordinary travel.
But state personnel would be positioned to respond if a credible threat emerged.
It was a reasonable precaution.
Neither woman expected it to become necessary within the hour.
And neither imagined that a senior sheriff's deputy would try to destroy the passenger window of a Rolls-Royce in broad daylight.
The deputy received the final instruction at 3:17 that afternoon.
He was parked beside a closed feed store, finishing a bottle of water, when his phone vibrated.