Page 20 of Pocket Wife

“It proves fraud.”

“It suggests fraud.”

I push away from the table. “Do you hear yourself?”

“Yes.”

“That is somehow worse.”

His gaze lifts to mine. Calm. Steady. Infuriating. “If we present this before the claim is strong enough, Helix will challenge every piece separately. They will call the witness letters sentimental, the family ledgers unreliable, the local marks unofficial, and the thumbprint irrelevant. By the time they finish, your people may be more frightened than before.”

“They are already frightened.”

“And fear can be sharpened or shattered.”

Outside the records room, voices gather near the hall. People began arriving before dawn, carrying breakfast wrapped in cloth and questions they’re too tired to phrase politely. I’ve seen Mr. Pell beside his box of letters, Jessa copying school records, and my mother sorting burial maps with steady hands.

They need something.

Hope. Direction. Proof that yesterday was not another day lost to Helix.

I pick up the water-tax receipt with careful fingers. “This valley has spent three days being told to wait. Wait for Helix’s documents. Wait for your review. Wait for the Authority. If we have proof, they deserve to hear it.”

Rethan speaks more quietly. “And if I allow premature disclosure, I may lose authority over the inquiry.”

That word changes the shape of my anger.

“Allow?” I say.

His expression doesn’t change, but I see the mistake register.

“I meant⁠—”

“I know what you meant.” I set the receipt down before my grip damages it. “You meant you are the official. I am the local woman with the messy satchel and emotional neighbors.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You are not merely local.”

“That is not the compliment you think it is.”

Rethan stands. The room is small enough that his height alters it. Shelves, tables, hanging archive lights—all of it seems built for people who don’t have to lower their heads beneath old beams. He steps around the table and stops at a careful distance.

“I meant,” he says, “that you are central to this investigation.”

I should find satisfaction in that. Instead, the care in his restraint irritates me more. “Central until I want to speak without permission.”

“Central because people trust you. If you say fraud before we can defend the word, they will believe you. Then Helix will break the claim apart in public and make your leadership look reckless.”

My anger falters, then returns with fresh teeth. “You think I am reckless.”

“I think you are responsible for more fear than one person should have to carry.”

I have no answer ready.

Rethan’s gaze drops to the receipt between us. “That is why caution matters.”