The moment Elias walked out of the conference room, Morgan shut the door behind him and locked it manually. His jaw was tight, the tendons in his neck pulled taut with restrained frustration. He turned toward John with a dark expression.
"He is hiding something," Morgan said. "I could feel it in the room."
Rita nodded. "His answers were too perfect. Too smooth. Nobody responds to accusations like that without at least flinching."
Celine paced near the table, tapping her fingers as she thought. "He is trained for psychological resistance. That is typical for someone who has worked close to the Circle."
John leaned both hands on the conference table. The room hummed with tension.
"He is not the traitor," John repeated quietly. "But he is protecting them. Which means he will not crack."
Rita frowned. "So what now?"
John did not answer immediately. He watched Elias through the security window as the man walked down the hall with his same calm, measured steps.
Elias Brenner was unreadable. Too unreadable.
John straightened. "We watch him closely, but we do not press him again yet. Instead, we go after the person he is shielding."
Celine stopped pacing. "You think Elias is covering for someone higher."
"No," John said. "Someone deeper."
Morgan moved closer. "Who fits that description?"
Celine returned to the table screen and pulled up the list of legacy employees. Dozens of names appeared. Analysts. Former advisors. Old administrators who once worked directly under Harold before fading into background roles.
Rita scanned the list. "This is a long list."
"Not for long," Celine said.
She filtered by those who had silent access and those who had interacted with Elias within the last forty-eight hours.
Only three names remained.
Rita leaned forward. "That is a short list."
Morgan read the profiles. "One is retired. One has been inactive due to health leave."
John's eyes locked on the third.
A woman with grey-streaked hair pulled tightly into a bun. Sharp cheekbones. Narrow eyes. Clothes too formal even by The Crest's standards.
Her name: Maeve Calder
Position: Historical Records Liaison
Direct oversight: None
Department relevance: Minimal
Access clearance: Unusually high for her role
Personal note in system: Protected under Harold Raymond's authority
Celine clicked her tongue softly. "Her clearance has not been updated in twelve years."
Morgan folded his arms. "Why would someone with a low profile have this level of access?"
John stared at her picture with growing certainty.
"She does not have high access because of her position," he said. "She has it because of her past."
Rita blinked. "What past?"
Celine pulled up additional files. "She served under Harold as an archivist. She specialised in decoding old Crest documents. Legacy codes. Founding era operations."
Morgan's brow rose. "She had access to the same historic files Harold used to hide secrets from the Circle."
John nodded slowly.
"Exactly."
Rita sat forward. "So she would have every reason to protect anything Harold had hidden."
"Yes," John said. "Or destroy it."
Celine added, "And she would understand how to use legacy clearance logs without leaving digital footprints."
Morgan stepped closer to the screen. "Meaning she could have entered the archive room with perfect timing."
"And," John said, "she would have known exactly where to place the ring so I would find it."
All eyes turned to Maeve's photo.
She looked ordinary. Forgettable. Invisible.
The perfect traitor.
Celine whispered, "She is a phantom inside the building."
John's eyes sharpened. "Then we bring her out of the shadows."
Rita hesitated. "Should we confront her the same way we confronted Elias?"
"No," John said. "Maeve is not like Elias. He can handle pressure. She will crumble too easily or panic too quickly. If she feels threatened, she might vanish."
Celine nodded. "You want to observe her before acting."
"Yes," John said. "We watch her movements. Her patterns. Her alliances. And the moment she makes a mistake, we take her."
Morgan cracked his knuckles. "So how do we track her?"
Celine typed rapidly on the screen. "She is on Floor Sixteen right now. In the Records Wing. Alone."
Rita frowned. "Is that not suspicious?"
"Everything she does is suspicious," Morgan muttered.
John straightened. "Celine, prepare a shadow trace. Morgan, get security feeds for the next thirty minutes."
Rita stood. "And me."
John met her eyes. "You stay with me."
Rita blinked, surprised. "Why?"
"Because there is something I want you to see."
Morgan smirked. "John has a plan."
John began walking toward the exit. "And we are starting with Elias."
Rita hurried beside him. "But Elias is not the traitor."
"No," John said. "But he is the key to the traitor."
Morgan followed them, his long strides steady and controlled. "So what are we doing with him?"
John did not slow down.
"We are going to break his rhythm."
They reached the lift doors. John pressed the button and stepped inside.
Celine joined them last.
As the doors closed, Celine asked, "How do you plan to unsettle a man who is trained not to slip?"
John's jaw flexed slightly.
"By making him witness something he cannot control."
"And what is that?" Rita asked quietly.
John looked at all three of them.
Then spoke with calm finality.
"Me."
The lift began to rise.
Elias Brenner thought he understood how John moved.
He thought he understood the new leader's patience.
His logic.
His restraint.
His predictability.
He was about to learn he understood nothing.
John Raymond was no longer reacting to the Circle.
He was beginning to hunt them.
And Maeve Calder was about to make her first mistake.