Peter provided copies of the promotional approvals he had brought. Some were legitimate. Others lacked supporting documentation. A few had been signed using electronic credentials that the audit firm had not yet traced to a specific person.
The investigation could not establish that Peter had personally stolen money or deliberately falsified records.
But it did establish that the controls he had overseen were inadequate.
The company had allowed one administrative account to approve transactions beyond its intended purpose. It had failed to verify several refunds. It had permitted customer complaints to be closed without adequate documentation.
Those failures had occurred under Peter's leadership.
He could not dismiss them as isolated mistakes.
When the meeting ended, Arthur asked Peter to remain.
Martin and Eleanor left the room. Rebecca disconnected from the call.
Peter looked exhausted.
"Arthur, I want you to know that I have always tried to do what was best for Lumina."
Arthur regarded him quietly.
"I believe you."
Peter looked relieved.
"Thank you."
"But I think you may have confused what was best for the company with what was easiest to measure."
The relief disappeared.
Arthur continued.
"You measured revenue because revenue was easy to count. You measured retail sales because the numbers appeared on a report. You measured appointment efficiency because it could be compared across locations."
He paused.
"But you did not measure how many people felt humiliated when they walked through our doors. You did not measure how many employees were afraid to disagree with their managers. You did not measure how often a customer left believing that their money determined their worth."
Peter stared at the table.
"Those things are difficult to quantify."
"Yes."
Arthur's voice softened.
"That does not make them less important."
Peter looked up.
"What do you want me to do?"
"For now, cooperate fully with the investigation. Provide every relevant record. Do not contact employees about their testimony. Do not attempt to influence the review."
Peter nodded.
"And after that?"
"After that, we will determine what responsibility belongs to you."
Peter closed his briefcase.
"I understand."
He stood, then hesitated.
"May I ask you something?"
"Certainly."
"Why did you come to the salon yourself?"
Arthur looked toward the window.
"Because I stopped trusting the reports."
Peter frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the reports said everything was improving while people were telling me the opposite."
Arthur paused.
"I wanted to know what happened when I wasn't there."
Peter looked down.
"And you found out."
"Yes."
Peter walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned back.
"Arthur, I know I made mistakes. But I didn't build Lumina to hurt people."
Arthur held his gaze.
"Neither did I."
Peter left.
Arthur remained seated.
He thought about the meeting for several minutes before calling Martin back into the room.
"Where are we with Vanessa?"
"Her interview is scheduled for this afternoon."
"Good."
"And we have another issue."
Arthur looked up.
"What is it?"
Martin placed a printed email on the table.
"It appears that Vanessa contacted several employees over the weekend."
Arthur read the message.
The email had been sent to Chloe, Marcus, and two other stylists.
It did not explicitly tell them what to say during the investigation. But it reminded them that Lumina had "high standards," warned that "misinterpretations can damage careers," and suggested that employees should "avoid exaggerating ordinary management decisions."
Arthur's expression hardened.
"Did she send this after being instructed not to contact employees about the review?"
"Yes."
"Then add it to the investigation."
Martin nodded.
Arthur looked at the date.
Saturday afternoon.
Vanessa had sent the message less than two days after being told that employees must be able to speak without fear of retaliation.
He felt the last of his uncertainty begin to fade.
At three o'clock, Vanessa entered the conference room.
She looked different from the woman who had laughed at Arthur's five dollars.
Her hair was pulled back tightly. Her makeup was minimal. She wore a plain black blouse and dark trousers.
She sat opposite Arthur.
Eleanor placed a copy of the email on the table.
"Do you recognize this message?"
Vanessa glanced at it.
"Yes."
"Did you send it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Vanessa looked at Arthur.
"I was trying to prevent misunderstandings."
Eleanor asked, "What misunderstandings?"
"Employees talking about the company in ways that could damage its reputation."
Arthur leaned forward.
"Did you believe employees were lying?"
"No."
"Then why did you send the message?"
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
"Because I was afraid."
The admission surprised everyone.
Arthur regarded her carefully.
"Afraid of what?"
"Of losing my job. Of being blamed for everything. Of having my reputation destroyed."
"Did you consider how your message might affect employees who were already afraid to speak?"
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
"No."
"Did you consider that they might interpret it as a warning?"
"Yes."
"Then why send it?"
She was silent.
Arthur waited.
Finally, Vanessa said, "Because I wanted to protect myself."
The honesty was painful.
Arthur looked at Eleanor.
"Please record that."
Eleanor made a note.
Vanessa began crying.
"I know I handled things badly. I know I shouldn't have sent that email. But I wasn't trying to hurt anyone."
Arthur waited until she had composed herself.