Later that afternoon, Henry called personally and apologized for leaving her waiting.
He explained his medical condition without asking Nora to treat it as an excuse.
Nora said she hoped he recovered, but she also wanted to know whether the company could proceed with document access if his health worsened.
Henry admitted that too many decisions still depended on his personal approval.
He promised to ask the board to establish a formal records committee with independent members.
Nora told him promises made from a sickbed could be forgotten just as easily as promises made from an executive office.
She asked him to put the commitment in writing.
He laughed softly and said Elise had once told him almost exactly the same thing.
For the first time, the memory made Nora smile without feeling that Henry was trying to purchase her forgiveness.
She ended the call and went home to keep her dinner promise to Owen.
Chapter 9I: The Worker Who Refused the Camera
A local television producer contacted Jasmine after hearing that Henry Whitmore had acknowledged problems with historical reports.
The producer wanted to film Nora outside the diner holding a photograph of Elise.
Jasmine forwarded the request and advised Nora to consider whether the appearance would help the residents.
Nora agreed to an interview only if the program included an independent technical explanation and interviewed someone who had lived in the buildings.
The producer said he preferred a simpler story with a struggling waitress and a wealthy stranger.
Nora understood why that story appealed to viewers, but she refused to turn it into the whole truth.
The producer then approached a former maintenance worker named Harold Finch and offered to film him anonymously.
Harold called Nora because he feared his adult daughter might recognize his voice and worry that he had broken an old confidentiality agreement.
Nora told him she could not guarantee what the station would edit or how his former employer might respond.
She suggested speaking with Jasmine before agreeing to any interview.
Harold eventually chose to provide a written account to the independent records committee instead of appearing on television.
His account described a meeting where supervisors discussed replacing a costly filtration component before approving a cheaper interim repair.
He did not claim the decision had caused any particular illness.
He did remember being told that the revised report should mention only repairs that had already been completed.
The distinction mattered because Elise’s original findings had addressed unresolved concerns.
Nora read Harold’s account twice and noticed a date that conflicted with another employee’s recollection.
