"You're the CEO," Williams continued. "You're responsible for fixing it. That is different from being personally responsible for every biased decision made by four thousand employees."
Amelia exhaled slowly.
"I know."
"Do you?"
A small smile. "I'm working on it."
The board reconvened at 4:18 after HR completed the first stage of interviews.
Webb entered without his employee badge. He had been informed he was on paid administrative leave pending investigation. His face looked different now. Less defensive. More stunned.
He sat at the end of the table.
Amelia addressed him directly.
"Mr. Webb, HR will complete its process independently. I am not deciding your employment outcome. I do need to ask you one question for the institutional review."
He nodded.
"Before today, did you believe you were biased?"
He looked genuinely surprised.
"No."
"Did you believe you treated customers differently by race?"
"No."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you might?"
His eyes shifted.
"There were complaints about my tone."
Morrison looked up sharply.
"How many?" Amelia asked.
"I don't know. A few."
"Were they formal?"
"Some were customer surveys. One employee mentioned that I was quicker to call security on certain people."
The room changed again.
Amelia's voice stayed even. "Who?"
Webb rubbed his forehead. "A teller. Jasmine Price."
Morrison immediately began typing.
"What happened after she raised the concern?"
"I told her she was misreading situations."
"Did anyone else review it?"
"Not that I know of."
Amelia looked at Morrison.
He had already found the employee record.
"Jasmine Price transferred to another branch six weeks ago," he said. "Her transfer note says management fit issues."
Amelia closed her eyes briefly.
There it was.
Not proof of a broad conspiracy. Not evidence that everyone around Webb knew what he was doing. Something more ordinary and therefore more useful: a warning from a lower-level employee that had been dismissed because the manager being warned about controlled the interpretation.