Noel established his cover with meticulous care. He couldn't simply linger around The Driftwood Café; his expensive car and tailored bearing already screamed "outsider." Using the untraceable network of Mr. Finch, he quickly finalized the purchase of a dilapidated commercial storage unit three blocks from the café—a small, utterly forgettable piece of property. His official reason for being in the area, backed by official-looking construction permits Finch had secured, was to transform the unit into a private archive for rare books. This gave him a legitimate, long-term reason to need local services, including coffee and advice.
His first visit to the café under this new guise was deliberate and measured. He shed the final vestiges of his corporate uniform, opting for a dark, quality wo
