Caleb did not attend because he had no direct knowledge of the matters Philip intended to discuss.
Arthur attended as a former trustee after receiving advice about potential conflicts.
Philip began with a prepared statement that made him sound almost blameless.
He described complicated financing, regulatory pressures, and decisions taken by committees rather than individuals.
Mara listened until he finished.
Then she placed two documents on the table.
One was a letter bearing Arthur’s disputed signature.
The other was Philip’s recommendation to classify the residence as permanently inactive.
“Did you personally examine the relocation reports?” she asked.
Philip glanced at his attorney.
“I relied on summaries.”
“Who prepared the summaries?”
“The operations team.”
“Who supervised that team?”
Philip took off his glasses.
He admitted that he had personally approved a reduced review process because the renovation timetable was slipping.
He said an outside contractor had assured him the seven residents were placed safely.
Mara asked for the contractor’s name.
Philip could not remember it.
Arthur leaned forward.
“You remembered every donor whose name belonged on a plaque,” he said.
“But you don’t remember who took responsibility for seven human beings?”
Philip looked at him for the first time.
“I made mistakes.”
“Mistakes don’t become smaller because you call them administrative,” Arthur replied.
Philip’s attorney intervened, and the meeting paused.
After a private discussion, Philip returned with a different answer.
He said Oliver Kessler had warned the directors that the original property restriction could complicate a sale.
Martin Bellamy then proposed transferring operational control to a newly formed organization while maintaining the appearance of a functioning program.
Graham Sloane’s company would purchase the building once a court accepted the trustees’ declaration that the old mission was no longer practical.
“Why did you agree?” Mara asked.
“We were in debt,” Philip said.
“The heating system needed replacement, and there was no money.”
“You could have requested help from the named successor charity,” Arthur said.
Philip looked away.
“Martin said we would lose control if we did that.”
Arthur rested his hands on the table.
“We were supposed to lose control if we failed the mission,” he said.
“That was the whole point of the restriction.”
Philip acknowledged that he had signed misleading summaries.
He denied knowing anybody had forged Arthur’s signature.
He offered to identify the office where the original electronic drafts had been stored.
Mara asked him to preserve his devices and cooperate with the appropriate investigators.
For the first time, the four businessmen were not presenting a single version of events.
