Single mother gambled her final $900 on a deserted house. The discovery inside transforms her life forever…

Maya, it’s good to hear from you, Dr. Chen said when she answered. How are you doing? I’m… it’s complicated. I need your advice on something but it has to stay confidential.

Can we meet? They arranged to meet at a cafe in the next town over, where Maya wouldn’t be recognized. Maya brought copies of the most important pages from Josephine’s research, carefully locking the originals in Sam’s truck safe. Dr. Chen listened to Maya’s story with growing astonishment, examining the research pages with expert eyes.

This is remarkable, she finally said. If these results are accurate, this woman developed a complete therapeutic protocol for Carther’s syndrome decades ahead of current research and using natural compounds with minimal side effects. She looked up at Maya.

Do you understand what you’ve found? I think so, Maya said, but I need to hear it from you. You’ve found a medical breakthrough worth billions of dollars. Carther’s syndrome affects only about 50,000 people worldwide, but there’s currently no effective treatment.

Patients typically survive only three to five years after diagnosis. A cure would be monumental, but it’s not mine, Maya pointed out. It’s Josephine’s work, legally complicated, since she’s been missing for decades and presumably dead, but ethically, you’re right.

Dr. Chen studied Maya thoughtfully. What do you intend to do with this discovery? I don’t know yet, but I know I want to honor Josephine’s wishes, that it benefit people, not just profits. Dr. Chen nodded.

I have contacts in medical research ethics and patent law. Let me make some calls. In the meantime, be extremely careful.

If your theory about Richard Patton is correct, this information is dangerous. I’ve only told you and Sam Reynolds, a local contractor who’s been helping me with the house. Keep it that way for now.

And Maya? Consider making digital copies of everything and storing them securely online. Information can’t disappear if it exists in multiple places. When Maya returned to the property, she found an unfamiliar black SUV parked in the driveway.

A tall, thin man in an expensive suit was speaking with Sam near the trailer. Ethan and Lily were nowhere to be seen, which immediately made Maya uneasy. As she approached, Sam’s face was carefully neutral, but his eyes signaled caution.

Ah, Ms. Coleman, the man said smoothly. I was just introducing myself to your friend, Thomas Wright, county assessor’s office. He handed her a business card that indeed identified him as such.

What can I help you with, Mr. Wright? Maya asked, keeping her voice even. Just a routine matter. It seems there were some irregularities with your property purchase.

The county is reviewing several transactions from that auction, including yours. Irregularities? Maya repeated. What kind of irregularities? Technical details.

The property may not have been properly listed for auction. Appropriate notifications to interested parties may not have been made. Just procedural issues.

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that the county may need to temporarily suspend your ownership pending review. Maya felt her heart rate accelerate, but she maintained her composure.

That’s odd. The clerk didn’t mention any issues when I completed the paperwork. These concerns were raised subsequently.

I’m sure it will all be cleared up, but the process could take several months, during which time technically you shouldn’t be occupying the property. Sam stepped forward. You’ll need to provide written documentation of these alleged irregularities, along with the specific county codes being cited.

My cousin practices real estate law. She’ll want to review everything. Something flickered across Wright’s face.

Annoyance, perhaps, or recalculation. Of course, I’ll have those documents sent over. In the meantime, Ms. Coleman, there’s another option that might interest you.

The county has been authorized to offer you a settlement, $20,000, to relinquish your claim to the property. That’s more than 20 times what you paid. Now Maya understood.

This wasn’t about procedural irregularities. Someone knew what she had found and wanted her gone. I’m not interested in selling, she said firmly.

This is my home now, Wright’s pleasant demeanor cooled. I strongly suggest you consider the offer, Ms. Coleman. Property disputes can become complicated, especially for someone in your financial situation.

He handed her a card. Call me when you’ve reconsidered. As he drove away, Sam said quietly, That man is not from the county assessor’s office.

How do you know? Because my cousin who practices real estate law, she’s married to the actual assessor. That man is an imposter. Maya felt a chill.

Where are Ethan and Lily? Inside the house. I sent them in when he arrived. I didn’t like the way he was looking around.

Sam’s expression was grim. It’s starting already. Someone knows what we found.

But how? We’ve been so careful. Small towns. Big ears.

Or maybe, Sam glanced toward the lab they’d discovered. Maybe they’ve been watching this place all along, waiting to see if anyone ever found Josephine’s research. That evening, Maya searched online for information about Thomas Wright and the county assessor’s office.

As Sam had suspected, there was no Thomas Wright listed as an employee. The business card had looked legitimate, but it was fake. She also researched the current status of Radcliffe Pharmaceuticals…