The CEO studied him.
“Tell me what happened.”
He swallowed.
“The manager has called me to remove customers before.”
The CEO became still.
“How often?”
He looked uncomfortable.
“Not every day. But enough that I noticed.”
She waited.
He continued.
“Sometimes people were loud. Sometimes there were real security concerns. But other times, people were just asking questions.”
The CEO looked toward him.
“Did you make a distinction?”
“I tried.”
He nodded slowly.
“I'd ask whether someone had threatened anybody. Whether they'd refused to leave after a lawful instruction. Whether there was a genuine safety issue.”
He paused.
“She didn't like that.”
The CEO studied his face.
“What happened when you questioned her?”
The officer looked toward his cap.
“She reported me for being uncooperative.”
The room became quiet.
He continued.
“Last quarter, my supervisor told me the branch didn't like my attitude.”
The CEO took a breath.
“Do you have records?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated.
“Some.”
She nodded.
“Then provide them to the independent review team.”
He looked surprised.
“You want my side?”
“Of course.”
His lips trembled slightly.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he said something that reminded the CEO of her mother.
“My father was a security guard.”
She waited.
“He worked at an apartment building for twenty-four years.”
The officer looked toward the window.
“He always said that being in uniform doesn't mean you're supposed to frighten people.”
The CEO nodded.
He continued.
“It means you're supposed to make the place safer.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then the officer looked toward her.
“When she told me to remove you, I hadn't seen you do anything dangerous.”
The CEO felt her throat tighten.
“You were right to ask for the reason.”
He looked down.
“I was afraid she'd complain about me again.”
She nodded.
“I understand.”