Chương 6
The attorney looked down.
“That is not the issue.”
“It is the entire issue.”
Ashford’s expression hardened.
Della continued.
“If I followed the procedure you are talking about, I would have waited for authorization while a woman sat inside a vehicle surrounded by electricity.”
“You cannot know the outcome.”
Della looked at him.
“I know enough.”
The room became quiet.
Then the door opened.
Everyone turned.
Rodrick Vance stepped inside.
Ashford’s face changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
Rodrick looked at Della first.
Then at the documents.
“I believe we need to discuss what was omitted from this hearing.”
The attorney stood.
“Mr. Vance, this is a private employee matter.”
Rodrick placed a folder on the table.
“No.”
He looked at the papers.
“This is a public safety matter.”
Ashford stared at him.
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
Rodrick opened the folder.
“That this hearing was designed to punish the person who exposed the problem instead of addressing the problem itself.”
No one spoke.
Because the moment had changed.
And everyone in the room knew it.
And everyone in the room knew it.
The company attorney closed his folder slowly.
“Mr. Vance, if you have concerns, we can address them through the appropriate channels.”
Rodrick looked at him.
“This is the appropriate channel.”
Ashford’s jaw tightened.
“You are making assumptions based on incomplete information.”
Rodrick nodded.
“That is why I brought documents.”
He pushed the folder across the table.
The attorney did not touch it.
Nobody wanted to be the first person to acknowledge what was inside.
Della watched them carefully.
She had spent years working around dangerous equipment.
She knew the moment before something failed.
The warning signs were usually small.
A strange sound.
A loose connection.
A person pretending not to notice.
Ashford finally reached for the folder.
He opened the first page.
His face remained controlled.
But Della noticed his fingers stopped moving.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
“What is this?” the attorney asked.
“Maintenance records,” Rodrick said.
“These are company documents.”
“Yes.”
“Where did you obtain them?”
Rodrick looked at him.
“That question is more interesting than why they exist.”
The attorney’s expression hardened.
“You cannot imply wrongdoing because paperwork exists.”
“No.”
Rodrick leaned back.
“But you can’t dismiss concerns because paperwork is inconvenient.”
The room became uncomfortable.
Della noticed the employees watching from the glass walls outside.
The story was already spreading.
Not because anyone knew the truth.
Because people could sense conflict.
And conflict was something they understood.
The attorney turned toward Della.
“Ms. Marsh, did you provide these records?”
“No.”
“Did you request them?”
“No.”
“Did you communicate with anyone inside BrightLine about them?”
Della looked at Tom’s empty chair.
“No.”
The attorney followed her eyes.
For the first time, he looked uncertain.
“Mr. Regan was scheduled to attend this hearing.”
“He chose not to,” Ashford said quickly.
Della noticed the speed of the answer.
Too quick.
The attorney looked at him.
“You spoke with him?”
Ashford did not answer.
That silence created a new question.
Rodrick noticed it too.
“So Tom Regan is suddenly unavailable after providing information relevant to this investigation.”
Ashford looked irritated.
“You are confusing suspicion with evidence.”
Rodrick nodded.
“That is fair.”
The agreement surprised everyone.
Then he continued.
“That is why I brought evidence.”
The hearing ended forty minutes later.
Not with a decision.
Not with an apology.
Just a delay.
A corporate pause designed to make everyone believe movement was happening.
Outside the building, reporters had already gathered.
Della stopped when she saw the cameras.
She hated it.
She hated the feeling of being turned into something other people could consume.
A story.
A headline.
A person reduced to a few sentences.
Rodrick walked beside her.
“You do not have to answer questions.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t.”
She looked at him.
“You always tell people what not to do?”
“Usually.”
“That must be exhausting for everyone around you.”
A small smile appeared.
“Probably.”
The reporters called his name.
They called hers too.
Della froze.
Not because she was afraid of the cameras.
Because she remembered Caleb.
A reporter had come after his accident.
They had asked questions while she was sitting outside the hospital.
They wanted details before they wanted to know if she was okay.
She had never forgotten that.
Rodrick noticed her hesitation.
“We can leave.”
Della looked at the crowd.
Then at the building behind them.
“No.”
He looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because if I walk away, they get to tell the story without me.”
That answer changed something in his expression.
He stepped aside.
The first question came immediately.
“Ms. Marsh, do you believe BrightLine endangered employees and the public?”
Della looked at the microphones.
“I believe people made decisions without thinking about who would pay for them.”
Another reporter asked.
“Are you accusing BrightLine of negligence?”
Della hesitated.
She could have said yes.
It would have been easier.
More dramatic.
More satisfying.
Instead, she said:
“I am saying I want the facts.”
The reporters looked disappointed.
They wanted certainty.
Della understood why.
Certainty was easier to sell.
Rodrick answered questions next.
He was better at it.
Not because he was more honest.
Because he had spent years controlling rooms.
But when one reporter asked if he was using his family’s influence to pressure BrightLine, he paused.
Della noticed.
Most people would not.
“I am using my resources to make sure information is not ignored,” he said.
“That sounds like pressure.”
“It probably is.”
The reporter blinked.
Rodrick continued.
“But pressure and accountability are not always the same thing.”
Afterward, Della looked at him.
“That was almost human.”
He looked offended.
“Almost?”
“Yes.”
“That is harsh.”
“You’ll survive.”
For a moment, they stood outside the building while people moved around them.
Employees left work.
Cars entered the parking lot.
A man nearby argued with someone on the phone about a delivery.
The world kept moving.
That was something Della appreciated.
Even during the worst moments, ordinary life continued.
May you like
It was comforting.
That evening, BrightLine released a statement.
