“Was there a reservation?”
“Yes.”
“Did they have access to the dining room?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Mrs. Ellsworth saw them near the entrance. She asked me whether they were expected.”
“What did you say?”
“I said they had a reservation.”
“And?”
“She told me to find a more appropriate table.”
“Was there a problem with their original table?”
“No.”
Anthony paused.
“She said they would make the other members uncomfortable.”
Naomi's expression remained neutral.
“What did you do?”
“I seated them where the reservation indicated.”
“Did anything happen afterward?”
“Yes. I was told I had failed to follow a member-experience instruction.”
Anthony looked at the notebook.
“I was written up.”
James Holloway made a note.
“Do you have a copy?”
“I think so.”
“Can you provide it?”
“Yes.”
Naomi asked another question.
“Did you ever observe similar treatment toward employees?”
Anthony nodded.
“Many times.”
He told them about a young waitress named Rachel.
She had been working during a charity dinner.
A member complained that she spoke too quietly.
Marianne removed her from the main dining room.
Rachel later told Anthony that Marianne had said she did not have the right presence for the club.
“She was a good waitress,” Anthony said. “One of the best.”
“What happened to her?”
“She quit.”
Anthony looked at Naomi.
“People kept leaving. We just learned to stop asking why.”
Meanwhile, Derek Moore agreed to an interview.
He was thirty-four and had worked at Harbor Ridge for fourteen months as a temporary event supervisor.
He brought copies of receiving sheets and photographs of deliveries.
The photographs were particularly important.
One showed a truck arriving with a limited number of chairs.
Another showed the equipment being unloaded.
A third showed the storage area after delivery.
The invoices claimed nearly twice the amount of equipment.
Derek explained that he had been asked to sign a revised receiving sheet after the event.
“I refused,” he said.
“Who asked you?” Naomi asked.
“Kenneth Ellsworth's assistant.”
“Did you speak with Kenneth?”
“Briefly.”
“What did he say?”
Derek looked uncomfortable.
“He said the paperwork had already been approved.”
“Did he tell you to sign?”
“He said I should make sure the documentation was consistent.”
James asked:
“What did you understand that to mean?”
Derek looked at him.
“That I should sign for something I hadn't received.”
He continued.
“I told him I couldn't do that.”
“What happened?”
“My contract wasn't renewed.”
Derek removed a document.
“This was the explanation.”
Naomi read it.
Contract conclusion due to operational restructuring.
She placed it on the table.
“Did anyone tell you that you were being terminated because of the delivery dispute?”
“No.”
“But you believe the two events were connected?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Derek shrugged.
“Because I was doing the same job before I refused to sign. The next week, I was gone.”
The investigation also revealed that Marianne had maintained a private list of members and guests she considered undesirable.
It was not an official membership document.
It was a spreadsheet.
The title was:
Special Attention — Guest Experience
The spreadsheet contained names, dates, and short comments.
Some entries were legitimate service concerns.
Others were disturbing.
One read:
New member — unknown professional background. Monitor.
Another:
Guest appears outside expected social profile.
Another:
Family group — avoid main terrace during peak hours.
Darius read the document in silence.
Naomi watched him.
“Some entries may have innocent explanations,” she said.
“Perhaps.”
“But others are clearly inappropriate.”
Darius scrolled.
Then he stopped.
There was an entry from eight months earlier.
Darius Whitaker — Membership 47.
The comment read:
Unfamiliar individual. Appears frequently near east lounge. Verify background and suitability.
Darius stared at the screen.
He had been a member for more than a year when the note was created.
His membership had already been approved.
His references had already been checked.
He had attended several club events.
Yet Marianne had described him as an unfamiliar individual.
Naomi leaned closer.
“There's another note.”
Darius clicked it.
Possible concern regarding social fit. Avoid placing near senior members until background is confirmed.
He sat back.
For a moment, he did not speak.
Then he asked:
“Who gave her authority to maintain this list?”
Naomi answered.
“No one.”
“Who reviewed it?”
“We don't know.”
“Who else had access?”
“Peter Lyle. Possibly two administrative staff members.”
Darius looked at the screen.
“Preserve it.”
“Already done.”
He closed the file.
Then he said:
“I want every person on that list reviewed.”
Naomi nodded.
“Understood.”
On Friday afternoon, Marianne received a letter from the company.
It informed her that the investigation had identified potential violations of executive conduct standards.
She was instructed to preserve all company-related communications.
She was also informed that the company would conduct a formal disciplinary review.