35. August 2024
35
August 2024
T he board members sat processing everything that had just been shared. Willow hadn’t been prepared for some of their questions, especially when it came to intimate details about her relationship with Vaughn. She had felt the mafioso’s eyes upon her every time she spoke, and she’d done everything in her power not to meet them. There were many sides to the story told in that room, and no one present would ever really know Vaughn’s version. Even Willow was only privy to parts of it.
Nigel had listened with interest to everything said, while Harrison had sat in a state of agitation for the most of it.
‘I worry that Miss Hayes’s reimagining of events paints me in a rather bad light,’ Harrison said when the questions finally stopped coming at Willow.
Caroline, who was clearly invested in Willow and Vaughn’s romantic relationship by that point, frowned in his direction. ‘You will have an opportunity to speak next, Mr Walsh.’ Her gaze returned to Vaughn. ‘Is there anything else you would like to add before we take a break, Mr Gallo?’
Unfortunately, no amount of support for their relationship could alter the reality of that night.
The other board members, who’d been scrutinising the mafioso all morning, appeared more relaxed as they waited for his reply. Vaughn’s silence was amplified by the stillness of the room. Willow’s fingers tightened around the edges of her chair as she snuck a glance at him, trying to predict what he would do or say next.
‘Actually,’ Vaughn said, his foot sliding off his knee and returning to the floor, ‘there was something else I wanted to bring to your attention.’
Harrison looked up at the ceiling, visibly out of patience, while Nigel leaned forwards with interest.
‘And what is that?’ David asked.
Willow held her breath as she waited for him to speak.
Vaughn opened his Cartier briefcase and pulled out a manila folder. He drew some documents from it. ‘May I?’ he asked, looking between the board members.
Mary scowled at the documents he was holding but was curious enough to say, ‘If they’re relevant to our discussion, then go ahead.’
Vaughn rose from his chair and handed each board member a copy. ‘I think you’ll find this information is quite relevant.’ He returned to his seat and gave them a moment to flick through the pages.
The falling feeling in Willow’s stomach got worse because she had no idea what was on those pages.
‘What exactly are we looking at here?’ Patrick asked, glancing up at Vaughn with a confused expression.
‘Evidence,’ Vaughn said, his voice smooth and composed. ‘While the police have been somewhat useful in their efforts, I decided to do some investigating of my own.’ He paused. ‘I’ve spent the past few weeks gathering and verifying information, making sure everything is in order before sharing it with you. It’s all there.’
Harrison leaned all the way forwards in an attempt to see the papers. ‘Do we get a copy of this so-called evidence?’
Vaughn looked briefly in his direction but didn’t answer him.
An unnerving silence settled over the room as the board members turned pages. Then wide-eyed glances were exchanged. Willow felt like the air was thickening with every breath she drew. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she feared her newly healed rib might break again.
‘I’m concerned that I’m misinterpreting what I’m reading,’ David said, flicking back to the first page. ‘Perhaps you could talk us through it, Mr Gallo.’
Vaughn nodded. ‘Of course. The first page you’ve likely already seen. It’s the quality inspection report carried out before the new stage was used.’
‘A lot of good that inspection was,’ Harrison said. ‘It seems anyone can be bought nowadays.’
Caroline’s eyebrows came together in a disapproving line. ‘Mr Walsh, if you could hold your comments until after Mr Gallo has finished speaking, that would be greatly appreciated.’
Colour filled Harrison’s cheeks.
‘The second page is the police report,’ Vaughn continued. ‘It includes evidence of problems like dead knots, twisted timber, shakes, and other upsets in the structure.’
‘Conveniently missed,’ Harrison muttered under his breath, unable to help himself.
Vaughn didn’t even look at him this time. ‘The third page you’ll find interesting. It’s an independent report showing the defects were manufactured after the first inspection was carried out.’
It took Willow a moment to absorb what had just been said. She blinked, not sure she understood correctly.
‘What?’ That was Nigel, unable to hold the question in.
Mary brought the papers closer to her face. ‘Is this suggesting that the stage was tampered with after it was deemed safe?’
‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Patrick said, sitting back in his chair. ‘Who would go to such extraordinary effort? With no way of knowing when the collapse would happen? According to this, it could have gone down at any time. Even before the dancers stepped foot on it. So what was the point?’
Vaughn laced his fingers together. ‘Everything you just said is valid. But what if it wasn’t about the dancers? What if this person simply wanted the stage to fail in some way?’
Four confused people stared back at him.
‘All right,’ Mary said, leaning back. ‘Then the next logical question is why .’
Vaughn looked straight at Harrison. ‘To make it look like DeLuca Construction had failed to do the job they were paid for. To make me the guilty party. To sever my working relationship with Nigel and Victoria Ballet. And to destroy—forever—my relationship with Miss Hayes.’
Colour rose up Harrison’s neck like flames. ‘Have you lost your mind? We understand that your little group is good at evading blame, but this is one of the wildest stories I’ve ever heard. No one is going to believe you or your bogus report.’
Willow sat frozen in her chair, the tips of her fingers digging into her thighs. It was the wildest story she had ever heard—and yet she so wanted it to be true.
Vaughn turned his attention back to the board members. ‘The next page is a copy of Mr Walsh’s phone records.’
All colour drained from Harrison’s face. ‘How dare you?—’
‘They include a number of phone calls between Mr Walsh and Michael Davidson,’ Vaughn continued, cutting him off. ‘Mr Davidson’s a builder formerly employed by Hammerstone Construction. He was let go a few months back due to repeatedly fronting up at work intoxicated.’
Willow’s gaze snapped to Harrison, whose panic-stricken face seemed to confirm his guilt. ‘You?’ Her mouth was so dry. ‘You had someone destabilise the stage?’
‘Of course not!’ Harrison shouted, shooting up from his chair. He jabbed a finger in Vaughn’s direction. ‘This is what thugs like him do. This is how they get away with unthinkable crimes. Phone calls to builders organising quotes for renovations at my home isn’t proof of anything.’
Vaughn blinked. ‘It is when that same builder is seen on security footage entering the theatre after hours—wearing a DeLuca shirt. No one would have questioned that.’ He raised his chin slightly. ‘You really did think of everything—except the possibility of Willow getting injured. I’m certain that has gnawed at your perverted mind since it happened.’
Mary turned the page to look at an attached photograph, then removed her glasses. Her face was ashen when she looked up. ‘Is this true, Mr Walsh? Did you do this?’
All the air seemed to disappear from the room.
‘You cannot be seriously asking that,’ Harrison snapped.
Caroline flinched at his aggressive tone.
Realising his mistake, he raised his hands in a calming gesture. ‘Apologies. You can see how much these ridiculous allegations are impacting me.’
Willow pressed a hand to her stomach when she recognised guilt on his face. ‘Piper’s career is over because of what you’ve done. There are two others doing intensive rehabilitation, desperate to reverse the damage done to their bodies.’ Her eyes sank shut as the facts settled. ‘How could you?’
‘Oh, of course you would believe him ,’ Harrison hissed. ‘You couldn’t climb into bed with him quick enough.’ His professional mask had well and truly fallen off at this point.
‘That’s enough,’ Vaughn said in a tone that had the room falling silent. He would never sit quietly while Harrison spoke to her that way. He had done well to remain in his chair.
The shock was too much for Willow. She was drowning in this new betrayal.
‘You need to take this information to the police,’ Nigel said to Vaughn. ‘They can review it and decide the best course of action.’
Harrison looked like a puppy who’d been kicked.
‘The police already have it,’ Vaughn said coolly. ‘I delivered everything to the station before I came here this morning.’
Harrison’s face contorted. ‘You slimy bastard.’
‘Mr Walsh,’ David said, a warning in his tone.
Vaughn rose slowly from his seat so that they were eye level with each other. ‘You’ve been caught, Harry. You tried to set me up, destroy my reputation, my family’s business, and my relationship. You sent your own dancers to the hospital, betrayed your employer, brought profits to a grinding halt, and destroyed the company’s reputation perhaps forever. All in an attempt to keep something that never belonged to you.’
Angry tears filled Harrison’s eyes. Losing tears.
The door opened, and two police officers stepped into the boardroom, surveying the scene before them. Harrison paled even more, if that was possible. Beads of sweat were visible on his brow and upper lip.
‘Which one of you is Harrison Walsh?’ one officer asked.
Willow sat frozen in her chair, unable to move or speak. She couldn’t believe what was unfolding.
Everyone looked at Harrison, who eventually took a step forwards. ‘That would be me.’ His voice faltered despite his confident stance.
The officers headed for him. The one who’d asked the question took hold of his arm and turned him around. ‘You’re under arrest for suspicion of wilful damage and causing grievous bodily harm.’ He cuffed Harrison. ‘You’re not obliged to say anything unless you want to, but anything you do say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.’
‘Wait.’ Harrison’s eyes darted around the room as though he was expecting someone to intervene. ‘You’ve got it all wrong! You’re not seriously going to take the word of a mafia member over a respected member of the dance community?’
‘I would save your commentary for when your lawyer’s present,’ the second officer said, taking hold of Harrison’s other arm and giving him a gentle tug in the direction of the door. ‘Let’s go.’
Harrison looked at Willow. ‘This is just a big misunderstanding.’
She dropped her gaze to her lap and reminded herself to breathe.
The board members were all on their feet now, looking far less composed than at the beginning of the meeting. Nigel’s hands hung limp at his sides, his mouth slack as he, too, processed what was happening.
‘Can we have a word downstairs, Mr Gallo?’ one of the officers asked from the doorway.
Willow felt Vaughn’s eyes upon her before he followed them. A deathly silence engulfed the room. Then, one by one, the board members returned to their seats, shuffling papers and adjusting items in front of them.
‘Normally, we would take a break now,’ Mary said, a slight shake in her voice. ‘However, I’m sure my colleagues will agree that we probably have all the information we need at this point.’ She looked to the other board members for confirmation.
David cleared his throat. ‘Safe to say we all agree. I think we’ll call it a day and reach out to you individually if we have any further questions.’
Patrick and Caroline nodded in agreement, Caroline casting a sympathetic glance in Willow’s direction as she did so.
Nigel walked over to Willow and crouched down, waiting for her to look up. ‘Why don’t you come to my office. Let’s give everyone downstairs a chance to clear out. I think we’ve all witnessed enough for one day.’
Willow’s eyes moved between his, noting the genuine concern in them. ‘Okay.’
He helped her to her feet, and she was grateful that her legs held up despite the numbness in them.
‘We’ll be in touch if we need anything,’ Patrick told them.
‘You take care, Miss Hayes,’ Caroline said, catching Willow’s gaze.
Willow managed a nod, then focused on the door ahead, her feet dragging slightly on the carpet as she made her way towards it. She was so rocked by this betrayal that she could barely form a coherent thought. Harrison was a lot of things, but never did she think him capable of something like that. The news would send a shock wave through the company. Everything was about to change.
They exited the room, and Willow stopped outside and braced a hand on the wall for balance.
‘Are you okay?’ Nigel asked her.
She shook her head. ‘Are you?’
Swallowing, he shook his head as well.
Dropping their gazes to the floor, they went to his office.