Back home, Nina cross-checked. The director had retired two years ago. The caseworker’s tip was a dead end meant to blame one face, not the policy. The real design sat in Regional Compliance and Oversight—the same office praised as “exemplary” in every audit. Someone wanted a scapegoat, not reform.
Nina’s ethics hearing loomed in two days. Her network demanded she name no individuals, cite only public records. But the training file was internal. Without it, the story would collapse into a coincidence. With it, legal would fire. Ten days until the vote. She paced, choices clawing at her.