Curtis Vale's Lie
Chapter 06 - Curtis Vale's Lie
The personnel file arrived the following day, considerably thinner than Daniel expected given the severity of the accusation, a pattern of missing documentation that struck him immediately as unusual for a termination this serious.
The investigation had been overseen entirely by the Ashford Regency's general manager at the time, a man named Curtis Vale, who had signed off on Scott's termination within seventy-two hours of the theft being discovered, a considerably faster resolution than Daniel's own company's standard protocol for this kind of serious accusation typically allowed.
"I want to speak with Curtis Vale directly," Daniel told his head of HR, Grace Whitcombe, during a meeting to review the file together.
"He's no longer with the company," Grace said. "He resigned shortly after the acquisition completed, about eighteen months ago, citing personal reasons. I can try to track down current contact information."
Daniel reviewed the theft investigation's actual evidence, finding it considerably thinner than the swift termination decision suggested, a missing sum of twelve thousand dollars from a guest's room safe, security footage that showed Scott entering the room to deliver fresh towels but no footage clearly showing him accessing the safe itself, and a single, brief interview transcript in which Scott had denied any involvement.
"This isn't sufficient evidence for a termination this severe," Daniel said, frustration building as he read further. "There's no direct proof he actually took anything. Just proximity and opportunity."
"I agree that's concerning," Grace said. "I want to pull the guest's statement as well, and cross-reference the safe's actual access logs from that period."
The guest's statement, once located, revealed something Daniel hadn't expected, a note indicating the guest had initially reported a discrepancy in the amount, uncertain whether the full twelve thousand dollars had actually been present in the safe before the alleged theft occurred at all.
"This entire case was built on considerably shakier ground than the termination decision suggested," Daniel said. "I want to understand why Curtis Vale moved this fast, with evidence this thin."
Grace located Curtis Vale's current contact information within the hour, a considerable relocation to a different state, working now for a competing hotel chain in a position, Daniel noted grimly, of somewhat lesser authority than his previous role.
Daniel called him directly that same afternoon, identifying himself carefully, watching for whatever reaction the name Scott Bennett might provoke.
"I don't have anything to say about that situation," Curtis said, his voice immediately guarded, defensive in a way that told Daniel considerably more than his actual words did. "That investigation was handled properly, according to protocol, at the time."
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"I've reviewed the file," Daniel said. "The evidence doesn't support the speed or severity of that termination. I want to understand what actually happened, Curtis, and I want to understand it directly from you, rather than continuing to guess."
The silence on the line stretched long enough that Daniel understood, with growing certainty, that his instinct about this entire situation had been correct from the moment he'd first heard Scott's name.
