Chapter 38 - The Site Visit
Owen walked me past the TriBeCa block two days later. We stayed on public sidewalks, hard hats unnecessary because we never entered the fenced site.
A narrow old warehouse stood between newer towers. Survey flags fluttered near its foundation. Across the street a construction crew was patching a trench that had filled with water after heavy rain.
“I'm not asking you to inspect this,” Owen said. “I just thought you should see the conditions.”
He showed me a public permit filing with a revised excavation method. The original plan had called for additional groundwater monitoring. The revision listed a different sequence but did not explain why the monitoring note had disappeared from the summary.
“That could be addressed in supporting calculations,” I said. “We can't assume it was removed entirely.”
Owen nodded. “That's why I asked instead of posting a photograph.”
I took a picture of the public permit number and nothing inside the site fence. On the subway I felt the peculiar steadiness that comes from knowing where evidence ends and speculation begins.
May you like
Adrian called while I was descending into the station. I texted that I was working and would reply later. He responded: Understood.
It was such a simple word. Months earlier I might have mistaken it for a miracle.
