The first evidence concerned Monday morning. The board watched the lobby video without sound while an employee witness read the incident notes. They saw Ellen moving a bucket beside the wall, Shenine stepping toward it, and water spilling as Shenine's heel contacted the bucket's rim. They saw Maya approach and bend to help the elderly cleaner. They saw Jamal come down the stairs and speak to Maya while Shenine stood beside him.
"It was an accident," Shenine insisted. "She left the bucket where somebody could trip over it."
"That is what our safety review considered," Margaret said. "The bucket was in a designated temporary work zone marked with a caution sign. The cleaner moved it farther from foot traffic before the contact. The video shows the contact that overturned it."
Otis presented the facilities report. A specialist found no structural damage and no stain requiring carpet replacement. The proposed wage deduction had no legitimate basis and had been stopped before it reached payroll. Two janitorial employees had provided statements confirming Derek's announcement that the team would lose a week's pay after Shenine demanded it.
Derek shifted in his chair. "She told me to do it."
"You were the manager with access to the payroll instruction," Margaret replied. "Did you verify whether you had authority to make the deduction?"
He looked away. "No."
"Did you know the deduction would affect workers who had no responsibility for the spill?"
"I understood the team would bear the cost."
"So you understood who would pay. You simply didn't check whether the cost existed."
Derek's cheeks reddened. He reached for a glass of water but did not drink. Ellen sat quietly at the head of the table. She could remember how many times she had told managers that responsibility meant examining the real consequence of an instruction. Derek had made the instruction into a bureaucratic phrase and expected that to make the injured people disappear.
The next file concerned the HearthLink prototype. On the screen, the service corridor appeared in pale security footage. Kiana walked toward Ellen's cart carrying the silver case. Shenine came behind her. The image had no audio, but it showed Shenine lifting the compartment lid and directing Kiana toward it. The camera's angle was wide enough to show the case enter the cart and the latch close.
Shenine leaned forward. "She did it herself. Kiana took the case. You can see that."
"Yes," Margaret said. "We can see Kiana physically carrying it. Kiana, please explain what happened."
Kiana stood. She held a page of notes, but her hands trembled so badly she set it down and spoke without reading. "Ms. Moore ordered me to move the prototype. I asked where to log the transfer, but she told me I was being difficult."
Kiana took another breath. "When we reached the service corridor, she told me to put it in the cleaning cart. I did it even though I knew I shouldn't move company property without a record. I was afraid of losing my job."
Shenine crossed her arms. "That is a lie."