Iven put seven cards on the table and refused the ribbon.
“For the inquiry packet,” the publicity clerk explained.
“There will be several folders.”
She withdrew it.
Each card carried an access reference, the approved task, the observed route, and the evidence that supported an account of what happened after the door opened.
Every delegation wanted its rival’s name somewhere near the top. Bellwater wanted a reputation no one could stain. Neither preference identified a hand at a service latch.
The first entry belonged to the leak-check attendant.
Her request, supplies, completed work mark, and return interval matched. Barnaby’s corrected comparison removed the false later time that had drawn her closer to another use.
