The panel’s decision arrived in a stack of pages thick enough to make the shelter residents think the hard part was over.
It wasn’t.
Tessa spread the summary on the clinic table while Leah brought chairs. The inquiry had confirmed that several gate reports were falsified and authorized compensation for affected families. It had not identified every person who ordered or handled the alterations. The payment procedure required each household to list its losses and provide supporting records where available.
A man whose clothes had been ruined in the shelter collapse read the first page and smiled. “At least they admitted it.”
A woman beside him turned to the section on accountability. “They don’t say who changed my warning.”
“Some of the records were unavailable,” Tessa said. “The panel found alterations in the pages it could examine. It didn’t identify everyone involved.”
“So they pay us and stop looking?”
“I don’t know whether the inquiry will continue. Nora is asking.”
