Lydia read it.
For a moment, she felt a sharp pulse of fear.
Then she called Graham.
He answered immediately.
“Lydia.”
“Have you spoken with the investigators?”
“Only about the reservation.”
She exhaled.
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth.”
For a moment, she went completely still.
Then asked.
“What truth?”
Graham became irritated.
“The room was allocated through Mariner.”
Lydia closed her eyes.
“And the payment?”
“The accounting team is reviewing it.”
She felt her pulse quicken.
“Graham, you were supposed to maintain the documentation.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You mean the documentation your office never provided?”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Lydia lowered her voice.
“We need to be careful.”
Graham sounded angry.
“I've been careful for nine months.”
She stared.
He continued.
“Your office kept approving allocations and telling me the program was legitimate. Now the new owner is looking at everything.”
Lydia tightened her grip on the phone.
“Then let the lawyers handle it.”
Graham hesitated.
For a moment, he seemed uncertain.
Then said.
“Vanessa has the Ward email.”
Lydia became still.
“What email?”
“The one telling her not to release the suite.”
For several seconds, Lydia didn't speak.
Then asked.
“Did she give it to the investigators?”
“I don't know.”
Lydia closed her eyes.
The email itself might not establish every part of the scheme.
But it could connect the reception confrontation to the inventory manipulation.
It could also contradict claims that the manager simply acted independently.
She took a breath.
“Don't contact her about it.”
Graham seemed surprised.
“Why?”
“Because the preservation notice is already in effect. Any attempt to coordinate accounts now will make everything worse.”
For a moment, the general manager remained silent.
Then answered.
“Fine.”
The call ended.
Lydia sat at her desk.
For the first time in years, she felt a genuine fear of losing control.
Not because a wealthy guest had complained.
Not because a video embarrassed the company.
But because independent professionals were examining records that didn't depend upon her ability to explain them.
Vanessa's formal interview took place the following afternoon.
She arrived wearing a plain navy suit rather than her hotel uniform.
Her blonde hair was neatly arranged.
But the confidence she'd displayed in the lobby was gone.
She sat across from an employment investigator and a compliance attorney.
Neither Elias nor Graham attended.
The investigator explained the purpose of the meeting, the evidence to be reviewed, and Vanessa's opportunity to provide her account.