He just said, “I’ll be here when you get home.”

For the first time, those words felt like an invitation rather than a promise to solve everything.

PART 18

The independent review eventually published a short report.

It described failures in grant oversight, suspicious payments to vendors connected to former leadership, and missing or unreliable approvals.

The trustees agreed to refer the material to authorities and implement new controls.

Certain details remained confidential because the related investigation was ongoing.

Richard resigned.