Kiana continued. "Her nail broke when she shut the latch. A little pink piece stayed in the metal. I saw it. Then she told me to go back upstairs and say nothing."
A specialist from corporate investigations displayed photographs taken before the cart had been moved. A fragment of artificial nail had been recovered from the latch and preserved with the case. Its color and shape were consistent with the broken manicure visible in Shenine's own office photographs that day. The finding alone did not establish who placed the case in the cart, but it supported the sequence shown in the corridor recording and the account Kiana had given.
Jamal looked at Shenine. "You told me Ellen had stolen it."
"I said the case was in her cart. That was true."
"You told me the cleaner was dishonest."
"I was trying to protect the launch."
"By putting the prototype where somebody would find it and blame her?"
Shenine looked toward Margaret. "I am not answering questions from somebody who has already decided to believe an employee over me."
"Then you may answer the committee instead," Margaret said. "Do you dispute that you were present when the case was placed in the cart?"
She hesitated. "The footage is incomplete."
"You can identify any gap you believe matters. We will preserve that objection. But we cannot ignore what the footage does show."
The board moved to the next exhibit. Two marketing assistants had independently described the confrontation with Maya over the campaign boards. One had witnessed the first blow directly. The second had seen Shenine strike Maya again as Maya turned away. The room's exterior camera captured the movement, though a partition partly obstructed the angle. An office medical record and Maya's photographs documented the injury, and a request for immediate assistance had been logged by the receptionist.
Jamal put his hands flat on the table. "You told me Maya attacked you."
Shenine's eyes flashed. "She was aggressive. She embarrassed me."
"You struck her twice."
"Because she provoked me."
Maya stood, despite Celeste's suggestion that she remain seated. Her voice shook, but she did not hide it. "I asked you for documentation. I didn't touch you, strike you, or damage your boards. You hit me because you wanted everyone to see what happened when someone told you no."
Shenine laughed harshly. "Poor Maya. Always the victim."
"You made me apologize for defending Ellen," Maya said, looking at Jamal. "Then you made me explain why somebody else hit me. Then you fired me over an email I never sent. I don't need you to like me. I needed you to check the facts before using your authority against me."
Jamal tried to speak. Nothing came. He looked at the two assistants, whose written statements were now part of the record. He realized that the information had been available before he made each decision. He had not lacked evidence. He had lacked the willingness to ask for it when the answer threatened his preferred story.