His gaze dropped to the counter. There were torn pieces of paper beside a hospital payment notice, and Evelyn's business cards lay in a small pile near her handbag. He studied the arrangement for several seconds before turning toward David Kim. "Preserve every relevant recording. Now."
David nodded and reached for his phone. "Janet, have operations place an immediate hold on the footage, the transaction log, the incident records, and any internal messages regarding this customer. Nobody edits or deletes anything."
Brad stepped forward with a strained smile. "Mr. Carter, I was just explaining to your mother that we had an irregular payment instrument. We had no way to know—"
"Did you verify the issuing account?" Marcus asked.
Brad paused. "We were in the process of—"
"Did you?"
"Not before the situation escalated."
Marcus looked at the torn check. "Who tore it?"
Chelsea had retreated several steps from the counter. Her face was pale under her makeup, and she held her hands at her sides as if they were no longer entirely under her control. When nobody answered, Evelyn spoke without turning toward her.
"Ms. Morgan did. In front of the customers waiting here. She also emptied my handbag onto the counter after I asked her not to touch my belongings."
Adele Barlow drew in a sharp breath. Marsha Ellis looked directly at Marcus, then raised her hand slightly to indicate that she had witnessed the event. Zoe's phone remained held chest-high, recording the exchange without zooming in on Evelyn's face. Security guard Marcus Williams stood still near the exit, his incident notes open on the device clipped to his belt.
"We have witnesses," Evelyn added. "And apparently several recordings. Please don't make me repeat the details for the purpose of persuading someone to believe me."
Marcus nodded. "You shouldn't have to."
His answer was spoken softly enough that most of the lobby could not hear it. It was not the grand declaration that the live-stream audience seemed to be expecting, and it had no dramatic gesture attached. Evelyn appreciated it because she knew her son was fighting the urge to respond as an angry son rather than a responsible executive. She wanted him to protect the truth, not merely protect her.
Chelsea finally found her voice. "She didn't tell me who she was. She came in with a huge check and no explanation that made sense."
Evelyn turned toward her. "I told you the issuing hospital and the purpose of the payment. There was a payment notice attached. I asked you to verify it."
"But you never said you knew the CEO," Chelsea whispered.
"Why would that have mattered?" Evelyn asked.
Chelsea looked toward Marcus, then at the floor. For the first time since the encounter began, she seemed to understand that no answer she could give would make her conduct reasonable. If knowing the CEO changed whether Evelyn received basic courtesy, it would confirm the very problem Chelsea had been denying.
David Kim stepped forward. "Ms. Morgan, please remain on the premises and speak with human resources. You will be given an opportunity to provide a complete account. Do not access or alter any customer records related to this incident."