“Did you check for legacy account credits?”
“No.”
“Did you verify the unit-number conversion?”
“No.”
“She told me the payment came out of her bank.”
Susan glanced at Louise.
“Did she show you statements?”
Ray hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Did you copy them?”
“No.”
“Call accounting?”
“No.”
“Pause processing?”
“No.”
Ray’s irritation became defensive anger.
“I had sixteen units today.”
“I cannot launch an internal audit every time a customer says the computer is wrong.”
Susan looked at him.
“No.”
“But when a long-term automatic payer suddenly shows delinquent, the notices are being returned, the tenant is standing in front of you with matching withdrawals, and the unit went through a number migration, you stop cutting locks long enough to check.”
Ray said:
“I followed procedure.”
Susan stared.
“No.”
“You followed the easiest screen.”
“That is not the same thing.”
Silence.
Tom looked at Louise.
She was staring at Susan.
Not smiling.
Not relieved yet.
Louise asked:
“Is the auction stopped?”
Susan answered immediately.
“Yes.”
“Completely?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing can be sold?”
“Nothing.”
Louise looked toward the boxes.
Susan continued.
“Every auction tag comes off.”
“Every item removed from this unit goes back exactly where it was.”
“No access fee.”
“No late fee.”
“No lien fee.”
“No auction fee.”
“Your account will show paid current.”
“And I’m replacing the lock today.”
Louise swallowed.
“You’re really putting it all back?”
Susan nodded.
“It never should have been disturbed.”
She looked at Mike.
“Please remove the tags carefully.”
Mike moved immediately.
Tom helped only when Louise asked.
Ray stood aside.
Susan turned toward him.
“You’re done with lien processing today.”
His face changed.
“Susan.”
“Give Megan the keys.”
“You’re sending me home over a software error?”
“No.”
Susan said.
“The software error explains the account.”
“It does not explain what you did after being shown evidence that the account might be wrong.”
Ray opened his mouth.
She continued.
“We’ll discuss your employment separately.”
“Not here.”
Ray looked at Tom.
Then Louise.
Then Megan.
For the first time all morning, he seemed uncertain.
He removed the facility keys from his belt.
Handed them to Megan.
Then walked toward the office.
No one said anything.
Louise watched.
She did not feel victorious.
Mostly tired.
Susan turned back.
“Mrs. Harrison.”
“Yes?”
“I want to show you the correction before you leave.”
They went to the office.
Louise sat beside Megan while Susan logged into the billing platform.
The account history filled the screen.
For years:
PAID.
PAID.
PAID.
PAID.
Then:
PAST DUE.
LATE.
LIEN ELIGIBLE.
The screen made Louise feel sick.
Megan opened the old billing account.
There they were.