“He never did.”
“He wasn’t like that.”
“No.”
Clayton looked toward the old red toolbox.
“I heard about him dying.”
“I wanted to come to funeral.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Pride.”
Maya nodded.
“Expensive habit.”
“Apparently.”
He looked at her.
“You got his shop.”
“And debt.”
“You could sell.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It’s mine.”
“That doesn’t mean you should keep it.”
“It means I get to decide.”
Clayton smiled faintly.
“Fair.”
Then:
“You really want cattle?”
“Yes.”
“You ever run a herd?”
“Not alone.”
“Hundred head is not hobby.”
“I know.”
“You need feed.”
“I know.”
“Winter ground.”
“I know.”
“Vet.”
“I know.”
“Bull strategy.”
“I know.”
He frowned.
“You going to let me finish anything?”
“No.”
Clayton laughed.
For the first time, it was not at her.
Day three started with a broken lock.
Maya noticed before she opened the side cabinet.
Tiny.
A scratch on the hasp.
She had placed a thin strip of blue paint-marker across it the night before.
Broken.
Inside were the removed sabotage components.
One bag was missing.
The connector Logan had dropped.
Gone.
She called Clayton.
No accusation.
Just:
“Come to the shop.”
He arrived in six minutes.
Luke with him.
Maya showed the broken seal.
Clayton looked toward the office.
“Logan?”
“Not proof.”
“Who else has keys?”
“Me.”
“Logan.”
“Luke.”
“Two other mechanics.”
“Night security.”
Maya looked at Luke.
He raised both hands.
“Not me.”
She nodded.
“Didn’t say it was.”
Clayton called security.
The guard had seen a ranch pickup near the shop around 3:00.
Could not identify driver.
Cameras still down.
Maya asked:
“Where’s the network recorder?”
Logan answered from behind them.
Everyone turned.
He stood in doorway.
Coffee in hand.
“The what?”
“The recorder.”
“IT cabinet.”
“Show me.”
“Why?”
“Because if cameras were offline, recorder might still log interruptions.”
Logan’s smile returned.
“You a network technician now?”
“No.”
“But I know power cables.”
Clayton said:
“Show her.”
Logan’s jaw tightened.
They opened the IT cabinet.
The recorder was there.
So was the network switch.
One Ethernet cable had been unplugged.
Not failed.
Unplugged.