They reached the old district at the morning bell. The vault stood behind thick doors and careful men. Shannon gave a name. The officer from the packet met them in a narrow room with a long table and a lattice frame set into the wall like a window of brass.
"It has been a long time, Alpha. What is your interest in the matter?" asked the officer.
"The elder asked for assistance. The grandson is under my protective custody," replied Shannon.
"I can show you the registry reads," he said. "But the law binds me on account numbers and amounts."
"Understood. We need only the lattice," Shannon said. "And the witness statement."
The officer set the sealed vial into a small cup that slid onto a bracket in the frame. A faint light moved through the lattice like a thin film. The officer turned a key. A panel showed three lines:
Signature: Theodore Mendez
Signet Oil: Confirmed
Scent Imprint: Elder Mendez (degraded), Secondary Trace (unregistered)
