On Friday a message circulated among managers that the risk committee expected recommendations concerning the conference room incident. Owen saw a copy only because it had been forwarded to Teresa and she had called him in to say he was not personally under investigation. The message did not accuse him of wrongdoing, but its language made him feel that the more useful he had been, the less safe his position had become. He thanked Teresa for her honesty and asked for the weekend to think.
At home that Saturday, he unfolded a copy of the job offer he had signed six weeks earlier. The wage and benefits were printed plainly, and beneath them appeared the statement that employment could be ended by either party according to the company's policies. It was an ordinary document, but looking at it reminded him why he had taken the job: predictable work, an understandable responsibility, and the ability to live without defending his place in every room he entered. The conditions had changed, even though the work had not.
He had enough savings for several weeks, not enough for another prolonged search, and he knew that resigning was financially risky. He considered asking for a transfer, but there was no promise Dalton's influence would stop at the fourth floor. He considered remaining and documenting everything, yet he had already spent too many years building his life around battles other people could start at will. On Sunday afternoon he decided that, for now, he would leave.
He wrote a brief resignation letter thanking the company for the opportunity. He did not mention Claire, because he did not want the letter turned into a personal challenge to her leadership. He also did not mention Dalton, because a dispute framed around one unpleasant manager would distract from what the experience had taught him about the wider organization. He sent the letter to human resources and copied Teresa, offering to complete a short handover if needed.
By Monday evening Owen's cart was cleaned, his remaining work orders completed, and his locker empty. He placed his thermos, a pair of work gloves, and the dark blue notebook in a small plastic bag while he finished the last checklist. Then he set the bag beside the cart, stepped outside to make a telephone call, and returned to find Teresa waiting with the resignation form. They talked briefly, she signed the final documents, and he prepared to leave.
In the rush of ending his employment, the plastic bag remained beside the supply closet. Owen did not notice until he reached the bus stop, when the bus was already arriving and he had no practical way to return before the building closed its service entrance. He told himself he would telephone facilities in the morning. The notebook was personal, but he trusted the people who worked there to keep it safe.