"Good night."
She ended the call.
For several seconds, she remained at the table without moving. The call had frightened her. She was retired. She lived alone. She had no interest in becoming involved in a conflict with a sheriff's department.
She looked again at the video. Maya's request at the roadside now made sense: If you're recording, please don't edit it. Ruth had thought it was an unusual thing to say while standing in handcuffs. Now she understood why the exact sequence mattered.
She opened her contacts and called Margaret Ellis, a former coworker from the hospital who had helped her with her phone several times. Margaret answered after a few rings.
"Ruth? Everything all right?"
"I need to save a video somewhere besides my phone."
"What kind of video?"
"I'll explain later. I just need to make sure I don't lose the original."
Margaret heard the concern in her voice and stopped asking questions. "All right. Don't delete anything, and don't change the file. I'll walk you through making another copy."
Ruth followed her instructions carefully. When they finished, Ruth thanked her and ended the call.
She returned to the video one more time. This time she watched the final section. Mercer had already called the motorcycle damaged and low-value. The tow truck was preparing to take it away. Maya had been calm throughout the entire confrontation.
Ruth realized there was one more detail she had not understood earlier: Maya had not asked her to call a lawyer; she had not asked her to find family; she had not even asked her to stop the police. She had asked her to preserve what happened.
Ruth searched for the official public number of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and made the call.
After being transferred, she reached someone who identified herself as Special Agent Laura Chen. Laura's voice was professional and controlled. "Mrs. Walker, tell me what happened from the beginning."
Ruth did not exaggerate. She gave the location, approximate time, names she had heard, and the sequence she had written down.
Laura interrupted only once. "You said the woman's name was Maya Williams?"
"Yes."
There was a pause. "Are you certain?"
"The officer called her Maya. I heard it more than once."
Laura's tone changed. "Do you still have the original recording?"
"Yes."
"Has anyone else asked you for it?"
Ruth looked at the number from the earlier call. "Yes. A man called a few minutes ago. He wouldn't tell me what agency he worked for."
"Did you send him anything?"
"No."
"Good. Please do not give the original to anyone unless you verify who they are."
Ruth took a breath. "Agent Chen, I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Is Maya in trouble?"
Laura did not answer immediately. "We're trying to determine where she is."
Ruth looked at the still image on her phone. "She left in handcuffs."