The Glass Room

The glass-walled conference room sat close enough to the lobby that the remaining candidates in their gray chairs could see straight through it, though none of them yet understood what they were watching.

Lillian set her portfolio on the oval table without opening it yet. "This is Grace's signed engagement letter from the board, dated last week, authorizing a forensic review of this department. She has had full access since Monday."

Denise's hand landed flat on the table, mid-sentence, whatever she had been about to say already collapsing before it reached her mouth.

I drew the letter from under my arm and set it down beside Denise's hand, then turned my tablet to face the room instead of arguing.

"Read the timestamp again, Denise," I said.

A red-highlighted line glowed above the requisition file. Lillian leaned in and read it aloud, evenly, the way a person reads something they intend to be quoted later. "Interview for Tyler Colton, marketing coordinator role, logged complete at nine-oh-five a.m." She looked up. "You submitted this requisition as open and competitive four weeks ago."

"There was a scheduling issue," Denise said. "I can explain the timestamp."

"He walked past the lobby at nine-eleven," I said. "Six minutes after this file says his interview already happened. I checked in at nine o'clock. My badge was printed before I arrived. Someone had already decided how this morning was going to go before a single real candidate sat down."

Owen stood just outside the glass, close enough to see everything through it, one hand pressed flat against the frame like he needed it to stay upright.

"This is a mistake," Denise said, her voice climbing. "A clerical mistake, that's all this is."

Lillian did not raise her voice at all. "Then you won't mind if I pull the vendor payment records next."

Denise's hand moved, fast, toward the phone on the table in front of her. Lillian's closed over it first, calm and absolute, before Denise's fingers reached it.

The room went silent around the oval table. Outside the glass, the last candidate in the gray chairs slowly lowered her phone, as if she had only just realized she should have been filming.