Security said logs showed otherwise.
He was terminated.
David listened without interruption.
Serafina asked:
“Do you still have the screenshots?”
“Some.”
“How?”
“I emailed them to myself before I understood that was probably violating policy too.”
David said:
“Do not apologize yet.”
Kellen nodded.
“I printed a few.”
“Where?”
“Storage.”
“Anything else?”
Kellen hesitated.
Then removed an old flash drive from his pocket.
Serafina stared.
“You brought it?”
“No.”
“I carry random corporate evidence for emotional security.”
She almost laughed.
Kellen placed it on the table.
“I found it last night.”
David took an evidence bag.
Did not insert it.
Good.
Kellen respected that.
Serafina asked:
“Why didn’t you sue?”
Kellen laughed.
“With what money?”
“You had wrongful termination possibilities.”
“I had a five-year-old.”
“No income.”
“Mortgage.”
“Lawyer wanted twenty thousand retainer.”
“Then Vale offered severance.”
Her face changed.
“You took it.”
“Six months salary.”
“Health insurance.”
“I signed nondisparagement.”
“Not silence about safety.”
“Lawyer at the time said maybe.”
“I needed groceries more than maybe.”
Serafina looked down.
Kellen saw guilt moving across her face.
“Don’t.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“You weren’t CEO then.”
“I was on the board.”
“Were you running engineering?”
“No.”
“Then don’t make my story about your guilt.”
She held his gaze.
That was the first moment something passed between them that had nothing to do with Vale.
Recognition.
He saw a woman accustomed to taking responsibility for entire rooms.
She saw a man refusing to use pain as leverage.
David cleared his throat.
Both looked toward him.
“I am still here.”
Kellen smiled.
“Unfortunately.”
David continued:
“We reviewed vehicle telemetry from yesterday.”
Serafina leaned forward.
Kellen’s attention sharpened.
“The sensor line was cut between 6:10 and 7:40 a.m.”
“How do you know?”
“Vehicle diagnostic handshake.”
“At 6:08, system normal.”
“At 7:42, intermittent fault first logged.”
“Who had access?”
Serafina answered:
“Vale executive garage.”
“Seven employees.”
“Owen?”
She hesitated.
“His credential entered at 6:31.”
Kellen stared.
“Why?”
“He says security inspection.”
“Normal?”
“No.”
“Is he here?”
“Administrative leave.”
Kellen looked toward Serafina.
“You moved fast.”
“He lied on the road.”
“That was enough?”
“No.”
“The access log was.”
David said:
“There’s more.”
He turned the laptop.
Security footage.
Garage.
6:28 a.m.
Owen Mercer entered.