At 2:52, Sarah received a reply from Jennifer Hayes: she was in the building and would come downstairs immediately. Sarah sent the check reference number and the words "manager burned instrument before verification." Jennifer called at once, and Sarah stepped into the side corridor to answer. Her account was concise, without adjectives or assumptions, and she included the disputed treatment of the customer. Jennifer asked whether the man had been harmed and whether anyone had contacted the fire-safety officer.
"I don't believe he's injured," Sarah answered. "But Marcus took his wallet and accused him publicly of fraud, and there are people filming." Jennifer was quiet for a second, then asked for the customer's name. Sarah read it from the initial teller record. On the other end of the call, there was a pause so pronounced that Sarah checked whether the connection had failed.
"Stay with him," Jennifer said finally. "Don't allow anyone to take his phone, and preserve every camera recording. I'm coming down." Sarah wanted to ask why Jennifer's tone had changed, but the call ended before she could. She returned to the lobby just in time to hear Marcus threatening David with being banned from every First National location. David sat with his hands resting loosely on his knees, the calm in his posture now looking to Sarah less like indifference than determination.
At 2:53, David's chief of staff called again. He declined the call and sent a short written message that he was delayed by an incident involving a customer interaction at the downtown branch. He deliberately did not mention his name as the affected customer; he wanted the initial response to focus on the reported behavior rather than on executive privilege. His chief of staff replied that she was informing the board secretary and would keep the meeting open. David placed the phone on his knee where the screen was visible to anyone who cared to look.
Marcus continued to circle the seating area. "You don't seem very worried for someone caught using fake financial documents," he observed, stopping beside David's chair. David answered that he had no reason to be worried about the authenticity of the check, although he was concerned about the bank's conduct. "That's an awfully rehearsed answer," Marcus said. "I suppose you've had practice talking your way out of trouble."
"You are mistaking composure for guilt," David said. The sentence drew a few surprised looks because he spoke without either pleading or sneering. Marcus leaned forward and asked whether David expected to intimidate the bank with some imaginary lawyer. David considered responding with his attorney's name, then decided that turning the incident into a contest over impressive contacts would make the wrong point. "I expect the same verification and respect that would be offered to any other person carrying this check," he answered.