"Appendix B."
Patrick scrolled again.
There were four names.
Two belonged to Carrington metrology staff.
One belonged to a former Blackwood quality manager named Samuel Price, who had retired to Arizona in February.
The fourth was Ethan Cole.
The room was silent.
"How long has this been in force?" Vanessa asked.
Patrick checked the signature page.
"Five months. Executed during your father's final week as CEO. Reviewed by legal. No objection from either side."
"Is it a formality?"
Patrick looked at the language again.
"No."
"Can Katherine Doyle sign instead?"
"Not under this annex."
"Can we add her?"
"Possibly, but it would require Carrington approval under the competence process in Appendix C."
"How long?"
"I don't know."
Vanessa turned to Grant.
"Did you know Ethan was on an approved client roster?"
Grant's face became carefully neutral.
"Not specifically. Technical annexes are managed by quality and engineering."
"Did you know he had spent the night on line four?"
"I knew there was a fault response."
"Did you know he was leading it?"
Grant hesitated just long enough.
Vanessa saw it.
"I was aware he was participating."
"Participating."
"Yes."
"You stood beside me and described him as someone who thought the rules didn't apply to him."
Grant straightened.
"Because that's been a pattern in his behavior. He takes personal ownership of systems beyond his role, resists standardization, and tends to position himself as essential."
"Was he essential to the Carrington calibration chain?"
"The company should never allow any individual to become essential."
"That wasn't my question."
Grant looked at Patrick as if legal counsel might object to the interrogation. Patrick looked down at the table.
"Operationally," Grant said, "there are dependencies around his knowledge."
Vanessa repeated the phrase quietly.
"Dependencies around his knowledge."
Grant nodded.
"That's exactly the kind of legacy risk Blackwood 2.0 is designed to eliminate."
Vanessa stared at him for several seconds.
"And your plan for eliminating it was what?"
"Cross-training. Documentation. Role redundancy."
"How much of that has been completed?"
Grant did not answer.