The soup bowls sat empty. Carol collected them without being asked, stacked them beside the sink, and came back to the table with a bottle of whiskey and enough glasses for anyone who wanted one.
Colton took one. Walsh shook his head. Reyes accepted.
Francis turned his glass in his hands without drinking.
"Walk me through it," Carol said. She poured two fingers for herself and sat. "Not the operational details. The logic. Why forty-eight hours and why public."
"Because private hasn't worked," Sarah said.
Carol looked at her.
"We've been running for weeks. Every channel we've tried, Mitchell has closed or compromised. Legal exposure. Political pressure. The people who should want to know about this program have either been bought or scared." Sarah put her hands flat on the table. "Goi
