He argued for a research room with meaningful access to records.
Celeste said the foundation could not promise unlimited access to sensitive documents.
Benjamin agreed that privacy mattered.
He asked who would decide what access meant and whether the families would be represented.
The chairperson requested written proposals from both sides.
Arthur spoke last.
He admitted that he had supported the original renovation without understanding what the west room contained.
He described his changing position as a correction rather than a betrayal of donors.
A reporter asked whether he had signed an authorization involved in the disputed transfers.
Arthur answered that he had and that the signature was among the reasons he wanted an independent review.
Emily watched people in the room react to the admission.
Arthur could have hidden behind illness or ignorance.
Instead, he allowed the public to know something that made his own reputation less comfortable.
The board postponed final approval pending the historical review.
Outside, Arthur asked Emily to describe the weather.
She told him the rain had stopped and the pavement was steaming in the sun.
He smiled faintly.
“That sounds like the river giving us another chance.”
Chapter 28: Martin’s First Warning
Before Martin suspended Emily, another employee had tried to warn him that the diner’s treatment of customers could become a serious problem.
The employee was Denise, a veteran server who had worked at The Lantern for fourteen years.
Denise had witnessed Martin refuse to read menu prices for a man with limited vision the previous spring.
She had also seen customers with mobility aids struggle at the side entrance while the ramp remained blocked by delivery crates.
She brought the concerns to Martin during a staff meeting.
Martin dismissed the complaints as isolated inconveniences.
Denise began keeping written notes because she wanted a record if somebody was injured.
After Arthur’s return, Denise saw how quickly Martin’s behavior changed once he learned the customer’s wealth.
She spoke to Emily behind the bakery one afternoon.
“I should have said something when he started talking to you like that,” Denise said.
Emily replied that she did not want Denise to lose her job over a dispute already in progress.
Denise shook her head.
“The dispute has been going on for years.”
She offered copies of the staff meeting notes to Marisol.
Marisol reviewed them and explained which details could be relevant to an employment complaint.
Denise understood that being a witness could create tension at work.
