"Martin, thank goodness. This passenger became confrontational when I asked her to relocate. She refused to cooperate, and when I attempted to guide her away from the seat, she made it look like I attacked her."
Martin glanced at Eleanor.
"Is that accurate?"
"No."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Of course she would say that."
Martin raised one hand.
"Let her finish."
Eleanor placed her boarding pass on the table.
"Before we discuss the incident, I want you to tell me who authorized the passenger manifest."
Martin looked at the document.
"Operations approved it yesterday."
"Who approved my seat?"
"You did, through your office."
"And who changed the passenger classification?"
Martin's face became still.
"I don't know what you're referring to."
Eleanor slid another sheet of paper across the table.
It was a copy of the original manifest.
Her name appeared beside seat 1A.
Below it was a second entry, timestamped at 6:42 that morning. Her passenger category had been changed from OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE to PERSONAL GUEST.
The change had been made using a premium services administrator's credentials.
Martin stared at the screen.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the system."
"Who gave you access?"
Eleanor looked at him.
"I did not need anyone to give me access to a system that belongs to my company."
Vanessa's face drained of color.
Martin read the entry again.
"That's not possible."
"Apparently it is."
He looked toward Vanessa.
"Did you change this?"
"No."
"Your department's credentials were used."
"That doesn't mean I did it."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
Eleanor closed the portfolio.
"That's the first question I want answered."
Martin looked increasingly uncomfortable.
"Ms. Whitmore, perhaps we should move this discussion to the terminal. We can handle the passenger complaint privately."
"Why privately?"
"To avoid unnecessary attention."
"An employee assaulted a passenger in front of witnesses. Why would we want to hide it?"
Martin lowered his voice.
"Because this company has a major investor presentation tomorrow. We cannot afford a scandal."
Eleanor studied him.
There it was.
Not concern for the injured passenger. Not concern for the employee who had crossed a line. Not even concern for the truth.
The company's image.
"Martin," she said, "how long have you worked for Aurelian?"
"Seventeen years."
"And how long have you been chief operating officer?"
"Four."
"Then you should know that a company does not protect its reputation by protecting the people who damage it."
Martin looked away.
Vanessa seized the opportunity.
"Thank you. That's exactly what I've been trying to say. We need to handle this properly, not turn it into a public spectacle."
Eleanor turned toward her.
"You seem very concerned about public attention."
"I'm concerned about my career."
"Then you should have been concerned about your conduct."
A brief silence followed.
Eleanor picked up the portfolio and removed a second document. This one was thicker, filled with printed emails and internal reports.
She handed it to Martin.
"Do you recognize these?"
He scanned the first page.
His face changed.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the independent audit."
Martin looked at the next page, then the next.
"These are confidential employee reports."
"Yes."
"Who authorized this audit?"
"I did."
"When?"
"Three months ago."
Martin's eyes lifted.
"Three months?"
Eleanor nodded.
"Three months ago, I received a letter from an employee who had been dismissed after reporting discriminatory treatment in the premium cabin. She claimed that passengers were being classified according to their appearance, that employees were encouraged to discourage certain guests from using premium facilities, and that complaints were being altered before reaching senior management."
Vanessa shook her head.
"That's ridiculous."
Eleanor continued.
"The letter included the names of employees, dates, and examples. I asked the compliance department to investigate quietly. The preliminary report found a pattern of complaints that had been closed without proper review."
Martin's voice was barely audible.
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"You were."
His eyes widened.
Eleanor tapped a page.
"Your office received the first report on September twelfth."
Martin stared at it.
"I don't remember seeing this."
"Your electronic signature appears at the bottom of the acknowledgment."
He turned another page.
A second signature appeared.
Then a third.
Martin slowly lowered the papers.
"I'll need to verify this."
"Of course."
Vanessa looked from one to the other.
"You're both talking as if this has already been decided."
Eleanor faced her.
"No decision has been made about you. But the investigation will continue."
"An investigation based on what? A few complaints from people who didn't get what they wanted?"