Then Mara sent the second file.
The unedited one.
There was Caleb Tate’s name.
There was his warning.
False safe readings in heat-stressed battery modules.
Recommend immediate shutdown pending sensor audit.
Wendell scrolled.
Someone had overridden the recommendation.
The signature at the bottom belonged to Elliot Lawson.
Lorna made a small sound and sat down.
Jaylen did not move.
Wendell kept reading until he reached the final attachment. It was a memo from Lawson to outside counsel.
The language was cold enough to freeze blood.
Employee Tate’s complaint creates exposure risk. Recommend limiting discoverable communications and directing all medical claims through third-party occupational review.
Wendell closed the laptop.
No one spoke for a long time.
Then Jaylen said, “He knew.”
Wendell looked at the boy.
“Yes.”
“And you made him important.”
The words cut cleanly.
“Yes.”
Wendell’s phone rang before he could say more.
Elliot Lawson’s name flashed on the screen.
