Chapter 23 - The Engineer’s Confession
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The lead engineer for the Crownbridge project was a man named Thomas Vance. He arrived at Charlotte’s office looking nervous, his hard hat clutched tightly in his hands.
"You wanted to see me, Ms. Bennett?" Thomas asked, shifting his weight.
Charlotte gestured for him to sit. She didn't offer him coffee or pleasantries. She placed a printed copy of the nineteen-year-old geological survey on the desk between them.
"Have you ever seen this report, Mr. Vance?" she asked.
Thomas blanched. He looked at the document, then quickly looked away.
"I... I’m not familiar with that specific document, ma'am."
"Don't lie to me, Thomas," Charlotte said, her tone perfectly even but laced with absolute authority. "Adrian Bennett hired you for this project. He knew about the instability in Sector 4. I need to know if you knew."
Thomas slumped in his chair, the fight draining out of him.
"Mr. Adrian Bennett assured me the survey was outdated," Thomas confessed quietly. "He said modern reinforcement techniques would mitigate the risk. He... he offered a very substantial completion bonus."
"He bribed you to ignore a catastrophic structural risk to a historic building filled with hundreds of people."
"We’ve been monitoring the sensors," Thomas pleaded. "We haven't detected any significant shifting yet. The modern concrete—"
"Stop," Charlotte commanded. "I am shutting the project down. Immediately."
"Ms. Bennett, the costs—"
"Are irrelevant," she interrupted. "You will issue a formal stop-work order to all crews by noon today. You will secure the existing excavation sites and begin drafting a remediation plan to backfill the vulnerable areas in Sector 4."
Thomas nodded slowly, knowing his career was likely over. "Yes, ma'am."
"And Thomas?" Charlotte added as he stood to leave. "You will also prepare a full, sworn statement detailing Adrian Bennett’s instructions regarding this survey. If you cooperate, Bennett Global will not pursue criminal negligence charges against you. If you don't, I will personally hand this file to the district attorney."
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"I understand," Thomas whispered, and practically fled the room.
Charlotte sat back in her chair, rubbing her temples. She had just detonated a financial bomb within her own company. The board meeting tomorrow was going to be a bloodbath.
