CHAPTER TEN U: THE SECOND WALKTHROUGH
Celia invited a small group to observe the second exterior assessment under controlled conditions.
She warned that the visit would not include entry into unsafe areas.
Imani, Peter, Grace, and a city representative met her beside the service entrance.
Nora attended as an observer after Imani asked her to help record questions from the committee.
The morning wind carried the smell of salt and wet concrete from the harbor.
Celia pointed toward a crack above the entrance and explained how the surrounding masonry would be examined.
Grace asked whether the nearby electrical conduit had been checked for moisture.
Celia said that a separate specialist would test it before any restoration work began.
Peter asked about the scenery equipment recovered beneath the stage.
Celia explained that the bracket’s condition was consistent with prolonged storage but did not establish exactly when it had been moved.
She had received Jonah’s statement and was comparing it with the available construction details.
Imani asked whether the investigation could determine who authorized the removal of the support.
Celia said that it might not be possible after so many years.
Peter nodded and asked a different question.
He wanted to know whether a modern production crew would be permitted to operate the same frame in its altered condition.
Celia said that the frame would require redesign and testing before any use.
Peter looked toward the sealed stage door and let out a slow breath.
The answer did not undo his injury, but it gave him a clear standard that the old production had failed to meet.
A city representative asked whether the committee intended to display the recovered bracket as part of a future exhibition.
Imani said that the object would remain under professional control until the investigation concluded.
Peter added that he did not want it displayed as a dramatic relic for visitors to admire.
He wanted an explanation of the decisions that had made the equipment dangerous.
Nora wrote down his words carefully.
At the end of the walkthrough, Celia showed the group a temporary barrier around the service entrance.
She asked them to keep volunteers away from the area until repairs were authorized.
Imani agreed and arranged for a new cleanup route through the lobby.
Grace offered to help the committee explain the restrictions to younger volunteers.
Peter said that he would attend the next safety briefing if it did not turn into a performance about his injury.
Imani promised that it would not.
As they left, Nora saw a child pressing his face against the outer fence to look at the theater.
His mother gently pulled him away from the work area.
The child asked whether the building would ever open again.
His mother said that she did not know.
Nora realized that the most truthful answer to the same question had not changed, even after weeks of meetings.
The difference was that people were finally learning what reopening would require.
