Arthur explained that he had requested the recording from the security supervisor. A human resources representative was joining remotely, and he had asked that no recording be released publicly while the review was underway. Michael agreed. "This doesn't need to become entertainment," he said. "My parents have already spent enough time being watched."
When the footage appeared, Eleanor felt her stomach tighten. She had thought she was prepared to see herself on the screen. She was not. There she stood in the cream dress she was wearing again, one hand resting on Walter's arm, looking around a beautiful room with the cautious interest of someone entering unfamiliar territory. Watching her past self, she wanted to reach through the screen and tell that woman to turn around before the salesman arrived.
The gallery's recording system captured the central display area in detail. For product demonstrations and customer service reviews, microphones also covered the consultation spaces, and the interaction had taken place near one of them. The audio was not perfect, but it was sufficient to establish the tenor of the conversation and several of John's exact statements. The video showed his eyes moving over the couple's clothes, the dismissive fold of his arms, and the way nearby employees turned to watch. It showed Eleanor's shoulders tighten when laughter broke out.
Arthur watched without speaking. The human resources representative asked to replay part of the exchange. When John's voice said that people like them did not belong in the showroom, the representative marked the time. A second segment showed the couple leaving, followed by Emily hurrying after them. Then it showed her returning with them and opening the black touring car as John approached to interrupt. The sequence was simpler and more damning than any summary Arthur had heard.
"Stop it there," Walter said quietly.
The screen froze on a frame in which Eleanor was stepping back from John. Walter stared at it. His wife had told him afterward that she had felt as though everyone was looking through her rather than at her, but the image made him see something else. She was gripping his hand and trying to protect him from saying something that might worsen the situation. Even while she was hurt, she had been thinking of his safety.
"Can you see why we left?" he asked Arthur. "It wasn't that somebody mentioned a price. It was that your employee told us, in front of an audience, that our presence was an offense."
Arthur nodded. "Yes. I can. And I owe you an apology for not understanding that when Ms. Torres first tried to tell me."
Eleanor looked at him. "You owe her something, too. She told you the truth."
The human resources representative asked Emily whether she wanted to add an account of John's conversation with her near the car. Emily glanced toward Arthur, then gave her statement. She repeated John's warning about her evaluation and his suggestion that the Bennetts' questions were a waste of time. She did not exaggerate the threat. She said exactly what he had said, then described how she continued the demonstration because the couple had asked for it.