Federal facial recognition software processed the security footage within days, cross-referencing the unfamiliar woman's image against every available database, and the result, when it finally arrived, struck the compound's assembled crisis team with an entirely unexpected recognition.
"Renata," Wren said, staring at the two photographs Vasquez had placed side by side — the grainy security footage from the market, and an older, clearer image from Renata Cole's own federal case file. "That's not possible. Renata's been in protective custody for years, cooperating fully—"
"It's not Renata," Vasquez clarified quickly. "But the facial recognition software flagged a familial match. Seventy-three percent probability of a first-degree blood relation." Her expression carried genuine, startled fo
