The phones made the quiet worse.
They rang from Caelin's office in uneven bursts, then cut off as his aides picked them up one by one. Ty could hear only scraps through the tablet. A greeting. A refusal. Someone on the other end talking over the refusal.
Caelin's aide read from the first script with one hand pressed against his earpiece.
"Public office cannot identify children, shelter staff, or private witnesses."
The aide listened.
His face tightened.
"Public office can receive concerns about bridge display review."
Another pause.
"Threats will be documented and routed to enforcement."
Caelin looked at him for half a breath, then back at Omina.
"That is what cost sounds like when it leaves the page."
Jade's camera stayed low.
"Keep the cost there, away from the shelter."
Waddell added from behind the tablet, "And keep your callers away from people who already survived the thing."
