Juno removed the eastern storehouse while its owner was still arguing that the equipment had worked for years.
The pin came out with a soft scrape. Eli had expected an explosion of temper, but the owner only stared at the small hole left in the paper. That location had been one of the few with enough clear ground, a sheltered approach, and machinery already mounted on a foundation. Losing it meant another search through buildings whose ordinary occupants had reasons to need them.
“The housing isn’t cracked,” the owner said.
“The stop returned late on three of four checks,” the independent operator answered.
“It returned.”
“After the specified interval.”
The owner turned toward Eli. “You said there wasn’t time to build everything new.”
“There isn’t,” Eli said. “That doesn’t make this part pass.”
