Chapter 5 - Unearthing the Past
Ten minutes later, my laptop chimed. An email had arrived from an encrypted file-sharing link. Maddie had done it.
Mark and I leaned over the screen as the files downloaded. What we found was far worse than a simple cover-up. It was a comprehensive blueprint of institutional protection.
The folder contained a 2021 Internal Affairs investigation from the Cleveland Police Department. It detailed allegations brought against Officer Ryan Vance by a woman named Elena Rodriguez, his former fiancé. The photos included in the file were horrifying—black eyes, broken fingers, and a medical report detailing a ruptured spleen. Elena had tried to press charges, but the investigation was abruptly terminated when Ryan resigned "for personal reasons."
The very next week, he was hired by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in Columbus. A letter attached to the file, signed by Sheriff Thomas Vance—Ryan’s uncle—stated that the allegations were found to be "malicious and unsubstantiated by a disgruntled ex," and that Ryan’s record was completely clean.
"His own uncle wiped his slate clean and gave him a new badge," Mark said, his voice trembling with disgust. "They transferred a predator from one city to another, knowing exactly what he was capable of."
"Look at this file," I said, scrolling down to a document titled 'Non-Disclosure Agreement and Settlement.' "They paid Elena Rodriguez fifty thousand dollars from a private union fund to drop the lawsuit and sign a confidentiality agreement. That's why it never went to court. That’s why there’s no public record."
"If she signed an NDA, she won't talk to us," Mark said grimly. "She could lose everything if she breaks it."
"An NDA doesn't apply to a criminal investigation by a federal agency," I countered, my resolve hardening. "And it certainly doesn't apply if she’s subpoenaed by a grand jury. We need to find Elena. If she sees that another woman—and a tiny baby—are going through the exact same nightmare, she might be willing to help us bust this wide open."
I spent the next three hours searching public databases until I located an address for Elena Rodriguez. She was living in a small suburb just outside of Akron, three hours north of us.
"I'm going," I told Mark, packing a bag. "You need to stay here with Ava and keep an eye on the hospital. If Ryan tries to remove Mia, you call the state highway patrol. Don't call the local deputies. Understood?"
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"Be careful, Clara," Mark said, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Ryan is a cornered animal right now. If he realizes his past is catching up to him, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it buried."
As I drove north on Interstate 71 through the pouring rain, the dark Ohio landscape blurred past my windows. I kept thinking about Mia's tiny face, so quiet in my arms, and the bruises hidden beneath that innocent yellow onesie. I wasn't just fighting for my sister anymore; I was fighting to break a chain of violence that had been protected by the very people sworn to protect the public.
