Chapter 14 - The Woman Who Kept a Copy
Ruth Mercer entered the foundation office carrying a grocery-store tote and looking as if she hadn't slept in a month.
"I should have come sooner," she told Isabella.
"Yes," Isabella said. "But you're here now."
Ruth had handled incoming foundation correspondence for seven years. When Dad's envelope arrived, she scanned it into the correspondence system and forwarded the original to the foundation's outside law firm, as procedure required for safety complaints.
"Then the lawyer told me to delete the scan because it contained personnel information," Ruth said. "I refused. I kept a backup on the approved archive drive. Two weeks later, my position was eliminated."
She had an email chain showing that the law firm's partner forwarded the complaint to Victoria's executive office without telling Isabella. Victoria had responded: HANDLE THIS BEFORE THE RENEWAL.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Vincent asked.
"Because I have two kids and a mortgage," Ruth said. "I thought doing the right thing would mean losing everything. Then I watched Emma on the news. She did it anyway."
I nearly told her courage felt a lot less noble when you were lying awake calculating hospital interest. Instead I said, "I'm glad you saved it."
Ruth gave the records to the independent investigators through counsel. Isabella reached for her hand but waited until Ruth offered it.
After the meeting, Vincent stood in the hallway studying the forwarding note.
"That lawyer worked for our foundation," he said. "We helped them shut your father out."
"You didn't know," I said.
May you like
"I should have asked."
He looked toward Isabella's office. "Now I have to tell the board what my own lawyers did."
