Anita described Lorraine's original appeal.
The unanswered request for clarification.
The later withdrawal document.
And Bell's instruction to stop examining the file.
She also identified several other complaints with similar problems.
Nadia asked whether Anita believed the signatures were forged.
The clerk hesitated.
"I can't prove who created them."
The investigator nodded.
"What can you establish?"
Anita took a breath.
"That the records were entered after the listed people couldn't reasonably have signed them, or after those people said they hadn't consented."
Nadia made a note.
Then asked about the system's user logs.
Anita explained that CivicTrack retained records of submissions and certain modifications.
Some administrative accounts could approve contractor entries.
Others could change case status.
The investigators would need the original audit logs to understand what happened.
Nadia thanked her.
Then asked one final question.
"Why did you decide to come forward now?"
Anita looked toward her hands.
For several seconds, she was silent.
Then she answered.
"Because Lorraine Monroe asked me a simple question, and I never got her an answer."
Her voice trembled.
"Now her daughter's been arrested over the same flowers."
She looked up.
"I don't want another family going through that."
The investigation into Greenway's billing practices revealed that several supposed violations had been generated through a standardized process rather than individual field assessments.
Employees received lists of properties meeting certain categories.
Some involved vacant houses.
Others belonged to elderly residents or estates.
Still others were identified through municipal property-transfer records.
A contractor employee could prepare a preliminary case, upload a photograph, and submit the entry for review.
That process wasn't inherently improper if used carefully.
Cities sometimes needed efficient ways to identify genuine code issues.
But the system had become vulnerable to misuse.
Investigators discovered that some photographs were reused.
Some complaint descriptions were copied between addresses.
And certain cases were marked as repeat violations without sufficient evidence of earlier enforcement.
The financial incentives were significant.
Greenway received payment for approved work.
Administrative charges increased when cases advanced to expedited correction.
And the program's grant reporting included the number of resolved visibility hazards.
The more violations recorded, the larger the apparent workload.
That could justify additional contract funding.
But if the underlying violations were exaggerated or fabricated, the system rewarded dishonesty.
Nadia's team began separating legitimate jobs from suspicious ones.
They also examined who approved the questionable entries.
Thomas Bell's administrative account appeared repeatedly.
So did Martin Kessler's contractor account.
And several high-conflict cases involved police assistance requested through Sergeant Mercer.
The pattern wasn't conclusive by itself.
But it was becoming increasingly difficult to explain as unrelated clerical mistakes.
One afternoon, investigators visited the home of Ruth Daniels.