The seam revealed itself in the most mundane way possible.
A coffee shop receipt.
Marcus found it wedged between pages of vendor documentation, dated three weeks prior—innocuous except for one detail: it was from a café two blocks from their home, timestamped at 6:47 AM on a Tuesday.
The same Tuesday Samantha had taken all eight children to their first dental appointment.
The same morning Marcus had documented their departure time as 6:43 AM.
Someone had been watching them leave. Close enough to see. Close enough to order coffee while they did.
"Well," Kai said, reading over Marcus's shoulder, "that's creepy."
Samantha set down her mug with deliberate care. "That's actionable."
Callum's expression didn't change, but something dangerous flickered behind his eyes. "The café keeps security footage for thirty days."
"Not anymore they don't," Marcus murmured, already typing. "Standard policy is two weeks for small businesses. We're past that window."
