Chapter 7: The Names on the List
Marcus Webb's attorney arrived at eleven-fifteen.
By eleven-forty, Marcus had provided a written statement.
By noon, Patricia had cross-referenced the names against the company's internal access logs and found three more points of contact — two members of the executive committee and the company's former head of finance, who had retired eight months earlier with a generous severance package that now looked considerably less routine.
Daniel spent the afternoon in the conference room with Patricia and an independent auditor named Helen Marsh, who had been flown in from the firm Bellmont Hospitality used for external reviews.
Helen was methodical and unhurried.
She worked through the Foundation's transaction records with the quiet focus of someone who had done this many times before and was never surprised by what she found, only by how long it had been allowed to continue.
"Fourteen months," she said at one point, not looking up from her screen.
"And no one flagged it."
"The payments stayed below the threshold," James said.
"They were designed to." Helen turned a page.
"This isn't opportunistic.
Someone understood the system well enough to work around it deliberately." She looked at Daniel.
"This was planned before Foss was placed."
"How far back?"
"I'll need another day to be certain.
But my initial read is that the framework was in place within weeks of the Foundation's establishment." She paused.
"Which means it was planned while your wife was still alive, or very shortly after."
The room was quiet.
"While she was ill," Daniel said.
Helen didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Daniel stood and walked to the window.
James and Patricia exchanged a glance but said nothing.
After a moment, Daniel turned back.
"Finish the audit.
All of it.
I want the full picture before anything is filed."
"Understood." Helen returned to her screen.
Patricia followed Daniel into the hallway.
"How are you holding up?" she asked.
"I need to pick Sophie up from school at three."
"Daniel."
"I'm fine, Patricia." He stopped walking.
"Did Richard Calloway know his name was used on the nomination?"
"I spoke with him this morning.
He was — genuinely distressed.
He had no knowledge of it.
He and Marcus have worked together for years.
He's cooperating fully."
"And the two committee members Marcus named?"
"Both have retained separate counsel.
One of them has already indicated willingness to cooperate in exchange for consideration on the misappropriation charges." Patricia paused.
"The other one is David Hale."
Daniel turned.
David Hale had been on the executive committee for seven years.
He had delivered the eulogy at Claire's memorial service.
"David," Daniel said.
"His name appears on four internal communications related to the vendor payments.
His signature is on one of the transfer approvals — above the threshold, which means it required secondary authorization.
It was approved on a Friday afternoon in August."
"He knew exactly what he was signing."
"It appears so."
Daniel leaned against the wall.
The hallway was empty.
Somewhere below, the restaurant was preparing for the lunch service — a service that would proceed today without a general manager, staffed by people who had shown up this morning not knowing what had happened the night before.
"Rosa Gutierrez," Daniel said.
Patricia looked at him.
"The server who was written up three times.
I want her write-ups removed from her file.
I want a formal apology from the company.
And I want her to know that her nine years of service are recognized." He paused.
"Do it today, before the lunch service."
"I'll handle it."
"And the family with the reservation.
The ones Vanessa turned away on the Tuesday."
"We don't have their contact information."
"Find it.
It will be in the reservation system." He pushed off the wall.
"I want a personal call from this office.
A full refund of any prior visits and a standing reservation in whatever section they prefer, for as long as they want it."
Patricia wrote it down.
"What about Vanessa?" she asked.
Daniel considered.
"She was pressured.
She made wrong choices under that pressure.
She also kept evidence that she knew she might need and she told the truth when it mattered." He began walking toward the elevator.
"That counts for something.
Let the review process run.
I won't prejudge it."
Patricia nodded.
"Three o'clock," Daniel said.
"Sophie's school."
"Go," Patricia said.
"I'll call you if anything changes."
He pressed the elevator button.
The doors opened.
"Patricia." He looked back at her.
"The community center.
The one we opened in Claire's name.
The programs it runs — none of that stops.
Whatever happens with the Foundation's finances, those programs are protected.
Find a way."
May you like
"Already working on it," she said.
The elevator doors closed.
