Claire returned with the director of human resources, a woman named Helen Morris, who carried a tablet and an expression of deep concern. The current employee profile listed Daniel as a senior facilities technician with twenty-two years of continuous service, satisfactory performance reviews, and only two extended leaves, both connected to family medical matters. His access log showed a temporary authorization for the executive corridor, issued that morning and acknowledged by the security desk. Helen looked up from the record and met Martin's eyes. He looked away first.
"There was no unauthorized access," Helen said cautiously. "At least none reflected in the approved work order." Claire opened the message she had sent to facilities and read the timestamp aloud. Martin checked his own device, where the alert had already been marked as a likely hardware fault after another technician reviewed the maintenance ticket. The discrepancy that had prompted Victoria's anger was dissolving under a few minutes of ordinary verification. Daniel had been telling the truth from the beginning.
Victoria felt the heat of embarrassment rise into her face. The evidence alone should have been enough to make her apologize, but the number on the badge had led her to a different kind of discovery. She asked Helen for the archived employment file, the one stored before the company's first major restructuring.
Helen called an older payroll administrator who still knew how to access the legacy system. Several minutes passed while the lobby returned to a tense, uncertain murmur. Victoria could have moved the conversation into a private office. Instead, she remained where she had accused Daniel, unable to escape the fact that everyone had heard her.