Gu placed the unsigned dose amendment beside three archived logistics forms. He had requested comparison samples from the same records office, and clerk Zhen had brought them in a sealed folder. The paper edges were uneven, and each form carried the same cramped signature strokes.
“The final mark turns inward,” Gu said. “The brush begins heavy and lifts late.”
Zhen compared the documents. “These were filed by deputy Luo. He approved the original vendor transfer.”
“Can you arrange a meeting?” Gu asked.
“I can send him a request. He retired last year.”
“Ask whether he will review the amendment. We are not making an accusation.”
Zhen drafted a note and sent it through the Registry’s public courier. Luo replied that he would meet them at a tea stall by the river. He asked that they bring a copy of the amendment and no reporters.
He ordered plain tea and asked the server to leave the pot. He preferred to pour for himself. When Gu placed the amendment between them, Luo turned it so the light fell across the ink.
