Wendell looked around the shed.
Then he pulled out his phone, which now had one bar of service.
He called Mara.
“Get legal, medical, and engineering on separate lines,” he said.
Mrs. Tate stiffened.
Wendell raised a hand.
“Not for paperwork against them. For paperwork protecting them.”
Mara’s voice snapped through the speaker.
“Wendell, the board is furious. Lawson wants an emergency vote.”
At the name, Wendell’s eyes narrowed.
“Elliot Lawson?”
“Yes. He says your absence is endangering the federal contract.”
Wendell looked at Mrs. Tate.
“Pull every archived file on the Georgia test site. Four years ago. Employee Caleb Tate. Cooling sensor incident. I want the unedited reports.”
There was silence on the line.
Then Mara said, carefully, “Wendell, I’ve seen that name.”
His stomach tightened.
“Where?”
“In a restricted folder. Lawson’s office requested it be sealed last year.”
Mrs. Tate heard enough. Her face hardened.
