Jo returned before dawn with her own instrument, two reference markers and a thermos of coffee. Her employer had told her not to associate the firm with the investigation. She wore a plain jacket and had covered the old company label on one case with tape.
“I checked my contract,” she told Sera. “I can take independent work outside my scheduled hours. My employer may still be unhappy. The report will carry my name and license, not the firm’s.”
Kellan had arranged access to the raised walkway. A utility worker opened the gate and checked the drain below. Runoff remained within the safe range for measurements from the rim. No one would descend.
Sera placed her notebook on a dry ledge. Jo set the first reference marker at a measured distance and checked the instrument’s calibration. This time the profile matched the reference sheet. She recorded the result before moving to the junction.
The first reading showed a separate source beneath the drainage route. The second narrowed it toward Bell Street Plaza. At the inconsistent junction, the signal strengthened and appeared to split. Jo moved the instrument to the opposite side and took another reading.
“Reflection here,” she said. “The source is real, but your earlier estimate put it closer to the junction than the measurements support.”
