Nothing happened overnight.

No police arrived at a gala.

There was no scene in which Malcolm handed over a suitcase of cash.

Instead, the people who had ignored questions for years had to answer them on the record, with supporting documents and independent review.

To me, that was far more meaningful than a public humiliation that lasted a few minutes.

PART 13: The Portrait Comes Down

News of the Whitcomb dispute reached the local business press after a public filing.