CHAPTER FOURTEEN AV: THE REPORT THAT DID NOT END EVERYTHING
Laila delivered the review’s interim findings to Elaine and the board’s legal advisers.
The report identified unsupported vendor charges, misleading public statements, and failures in the foundation’s approval process.
It also described services that had been delivered correctly and recommended preserving those partnerships.
Yvette read the summary in a meeting where she had no authority to edit the findings.
She recognized her own signature on several approvals that should have prompted further questions.
Elaine asked whether she wanted to submit a written response.
Yvette said she would acknowledge the decisions she had made and provide any factual corrections supported by records.
She would not argue that Cedric’s conduct erased her responsibility.
The board approved a plan to publish a carefully reviewed summary once legal advisers confirmed that it would not compromise ongoing investigations or expose participants’ private information.
Simone asked whether the foundation would contact people named inaccurately in earlier reports before issuing the public summary.
Elaine agreed that those people should hear directly from the organization whenever possible.
Yvette volunteered to help prepare the notifications under the independent administrator’s supervision.
The meeting ended without applause.
Outside, Damian waited in his truck because Yvette had asked him to pick her up.
She climbed into the passenger seat and placed the report on her lap.
Damian asked whether it contained the answers she had wanted.
Yvette said it contained some answers and several questions that would take longer to resolve.
He asked whether she was all right.
She said she was tired but ready to keep working.
Damian started the engine and drove toward the diner where they had first learned to speak without pretending.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN AW: THE LAST QUESTION FROM ALMA
Alma Reyes called the foundation because the housing provider had finally agreed to correct the record describing her as uncooperative.
She had received the revised statement but wanted to understand whether the false information had been shared elsewhere.
Simone arranged a meeting with the independent administrator and invited Alma to bring her advocate.
The administrator explained which organizations had received the disputed report and which had confirmed that they would update their files.
Alma asked whether the foundation could guarantee that every copy had been corrected.
The administrator said it could not guarantee that without responses from every recipient.
Alma said she preferred the difficult answer to another promise made for her comfort.
Yvette attended only for the portion of the meeting concerning the foundation’s public statements.
She apologized again for approving a report that described a placement that had not occurred.
Alma looked at her for a long moment.
She said the apology had become more meaningful because someone had finally done the work of tracing the mistake.
Yvette thanked her for saying so.
Alma said she was not offering forgiveness on behalf of anyone else.
Yvette said she would not ask her to.
Afterward, Simone told Yvette that Alma had secured an appointment with a housing program that could actually assess her family’s needs.
The appointment was not a guarantee of placement.
It was a real appointment with a real person at a confirmed time.
Yvette asked Simone to check whether Alma needed transportation.
Simone said the advocate had already arranged it.
Yvette returned to her office and removed an old photograph of the ceremonial key from the wall.
She replaced it with the foundation’s new contact information for correcting service records.
