Chapter 7 - Forty-Four Doors
"Removal from what?" I asked.
"I don't know," Evelyn said. "It's headed SECURITY RESPONSE - BEFORE BOARD SESSION."
I met her and June in the staff office, where two housekeepers sat beside the door as witnesses. June had taken the blue folder back after Pike dropped it by the elevator, but the signed originals were missing. That mattered less than the pages he'd overlooked.
The list carried forty-four unit numbers from Oak Point. Beside twelve were checkmarks. Beside the rest, the phrase ACCESS AFTER APPROVAL. At the bottom were three employee names: June, Evelyn, and mine.
"They planned to keep us out of the meeting," Evelyn said.
"They still can," I answered. "They can't keep everybody out of public records."
June unfolded a note written in shaky block letters. "My mom made a list of the people who actually came to the tenant meeting. Eleven people. They didn't vote. They asked for repairs."
"And the paperwork claims forty-four voted yes?"
June nodded. "One woman on that sheet died in April. She signed in August."
That was the kind of detail a forged story couldn't explain with a pretty slideshow.
I called the legal-aid number printed on the back of June's note. A woman named Priya Desai answered after two rings. "Tell me you're somewhere safe," she said before hello.
"I have a witness, copies of disputed documents, and a board vote in less than half an hour."
"Then listen carefully," Priya said. "We filed a challenge yesterday. The charity board was supposed to review it. Nobody acknowledged receipt."
"Who signed for the delivery?"
I heard typing. "A security supervisor at the hotel. Brennan Pike."
The office door rattled. Someone outside tested the handle, then said, "Hotel inspection. Open up."
May you like
June looked at the list in my hands. A thick black mark had been drawn beside her name.
"That's not an inspection," she whispered.
