The auditor paused.
Then asked whether the company paused collection activity while the dispute was reviewed.
Grace looked embarrassed.
"Not consistently."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Grace began crying.
She tried to apologize.
Rebecca handed her a tissue.
The coordinator wiped her face.
"I knew it wasn't right."
The auditor waited.
Grace continued.
"But I thought if I kept asking questions, they'd fire me."
Rebecca nodded.
Then asked whether Grace had records identifying the instructions she'd received.
Grace opened her notebook.
For the next hour, she described dates, emails, supervisor conversations, and account references that could be checked through authorized records.
Some of her concerns proved accurate.
Others reflected misunderstandings about complicated fee arrangements.
But the information gave the audit team a valuable map of where to look.
And it revealed that at least one employee had been questioning the system long before Malik acquired the company.
The most troubling discovery involved Springline Property Partners.
The outside company had purchased several homes from owners experiencing financial pressure. Some transactions were entirely legitimate, negotiated at prices the owners voluntarily accepted after obtaining independent advice.
But other sales raised questions.
A small group of homeowners said they received purchase offers shortly after discussing their financial difficulties with Whitmore management employees.
One man reported that an investor knew the amount of his disputed association charges before he disclosed the information.
Another homeowner said she was told that selling quickly might be easier than continuing to fight management notices.
The audit team examined whether confidential information had been shared with Springline without proper authority.
They also reviewed the relationship between Whitmore Communities and the acquisition firm.
The corporate records showed that Springline had received consulting and referral payments through entities connected to Thomas Vale.
Rebecca's team requested the underlying contracts.
Thomas produced several agreements describing marketing assistance and distressed-property acquisition research.
The documents sounded plausible.
But the auditors wanted to know what services were actually provided.
They also wanted to determine whether Whitmore employees had improperly steered homeowners toward the investor.
The money flows were complicated.
Some payments were ordinary vendor compensation.
Others lacked clear supporting invoices.
And a few appeared to connect executive bonuses to the volume of homeowner accounts referred for outside collection or property-acquisition inquiries.
The audit team didn't immediately conclude that every transaction was improper.
But the combination of disputed charges, questionable information sharing, and undisclosed relationships raised serious compliance concerns.
Malik received the preliminary summary through the appropriate board process.
He read it carefully.
Then called Rachel.