Maya initially assumed the shared surname was a coincidence. Cole was common, and nothing about Dennis's behavior suggested he possessed information about the old factory. But Adrian confirmed that Patricia Cole was indeed his mother.
She had worked for Richard Harlan for nearly twenty years before retiring.
Maya remembered Dennis threatening to fire her for feeding Thomas.
Had he known who the old man was?
The possibility unsettled her.
Claire advised against confronting him without evidence. Instead, Adrian contacted Patricia and requested an interview.
She refused.
Two days later, she called back.
"I'll speak with you," she said, "but not at my son's restaurant."
They met at a quiet public library outside Bellhaven.
Patricia was seventy, with neatly styled silver hair and the weary expression of someone who had spent years carrying secrets she wished would disappear.
She recognized Maya immediately.
"You look like Evelyn."
Maya sat across from her.
"You knew my mother?"
Patricia nodded.
"She came to Richard's office several times."
"Why?"
"She wanted records about workers' retirement contributions."
"Did Richard give them to her?"
"No."
Patricia looked down.
"I typed the letter telling her she was no longer welcome."
Maya felt anger rising but remained silent.
Patricia explained that she had witnessed executives discussing the company's financial difficulties and the potential sale of properties connected to the factory. At the time, she believed the decisions were legitimate attempts to preserve the business.
Later, she began suspecting that certain documents had been altered.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Because I was afraid of losing my job."
Maya thought about Dennis and the way he treated workers.
"Did your son know?"
Patricia hesitated.
"I told him Thomas Ward was causing trouble for the family years ago. Dennis heard only what Richard said happened."
"So he knew Thomas?"
"Yes."
Maya stared at her.
Dennis hadn't simply objected to a homeless man searching through garbage.
He recognized someone associated with a dispute the Cole family had discussed for years.
Patricia reached into her handbag and removed a small notebook.
"I kept a record of the files Richard asked me to move."
Claire examined it.
The entries contained dates, document descriptions, and storage locations.
Several referenced a private warehouse outside town.
Patricia pointed toward one address.
"Richard asked me to send these boxes there before the factory closed."
Maya leaned forward.
"Are they still there?"
"I don't know."
Patricia's eyes filled with tears.
"But if they are, you might finally understand what your mother was trying to expose."