The man by the sedan hands Dallas the envelope exactly where the earlier setup promised it would matter. Beach light flashes off the Harbor Unit logo as Dallas opens it.

Inside the meeting card sits a scuffed Harbor Unit badge, tucked in like a secret trying not to be found. Dallas turns it over, and the serial number comes into view.

The man stiffens at Dallas's silence, his hopeful look thinning into nerves. The badge is no stray, no loss in a hallway, it proves the mole was physically inside the restricted area.

Dallas holds the badge between two fingers while the waves hiss behind him. The old rescue of Professor Dayton comes back into focus, not as rumor, but as a trail that finally has a footprint.