Elena Rostova held the Late Demerit Notice between two gloved fingers, holding the paper up to the yellow incandescent bulb above the dispensary sink.
Under the sharp violet beam of Julian’s 365nm UV pen, the thick document showed a faint, glowing oval watermark in the upper right corner.
“Look at the paper stock,” Julian said, his voice quiet.
“This isn’t standard school-district mimeograph pulp. That oval seal belongs to the Uptown Trust Company.”
“Twenty-four-pound rag bond. Silas didn’t get this paper from the dorm supply closet. He brought it directly from the Notary Syndicate’s central vault.”
“And the blue ink,” Elena noted, leaning over to inspect the wet signature with her 10x Hastings loupe.
“Pure Prussian blue iron-gall. It’s acidic.”
“It bites into the paper fibers like a chemical brand. Silas signed this less than ten minutes ago in a heated room.”
