He had reproduced the geometry of the fuel rail from Earl's sketches, but he had never noted the mounting-angle specification because Earl had written it in the margin. In pencil. With an annotation that read, "Critical. Do not deviate."
Grant had missed it. Every engineer who used Grant's blueprint had missed it. For 15 years.
Avery turned to the second problem.
She moved to the starboard side of the engine and opened the ignition wiring harness access panel. Inside, a bundle of heavy-gauge wires connected the electronic ignition module to each of the 16 cylinders.
The wiring was color-coded. Red for bank one. Blue for bank two. Each wire terminated at a numbered connector.
Avery pulled out the connector block for cylinders nine through 12. She held up the notebook open to a page tabbed with red tape.
"The firing order for the Titan V16 is not standard," Avery said. "My father designed a custom sequence to balance harmonic vibrations at high rpm. Cylinders nine through 12 fire in the order 9, 11, 10, 12. Not 9, 10, 11, 12."
She traced the wiring with her finger. "But look at how they're connected right now. 9, 10, 11, 12. Sequential. Somebody rewired this harness using a standard marine diesel firing pattern instead of the custom sequence."
She looked directly at Grant. "This wiring doesn't match the original blueprints. It matches a textbook. Someone who didn't understand the original design replaced the harness and wired it the way they learned in school."
Grant's mouth opened, then closed. His hands hung at his sides.
Every engineer in the bay understood what Avery was saying. Whoever rewired the harness did not understand Earl Jackson's design well enough to replicate it.
And the only person who had ever claimed to be the designer was standing five feet from Avery with sweat running down his temples.
Hayes stood up from his chair. He walked closer. He did not say anything. He did not need to.
Derek checked the wiring against the notebook diagram. He traced each connection with his finger, moving his lips as he counted.
"She's right," Derek said quietly. "The sequence doesn't match. Nine through 12 are in the wrong order."
A murmur moved through the crowd. Two engineers at the back pulled out their phones, not to film, but to take notes.
Avery moved to the third discovery. This one was different. This one required taking something apart.
"I need a socket set and a torque wrench," she said.
Nobody moved for a moment.
Then a young technician at the edge of the group grabbed a rolling tool cart and pushed it toward her.
Avery selected a socket. She positioned herself at the top of the engine block directly above the valve cover for cylinder bank one. She loosened eight bolts in a pattern, not the standard removal sequence, but the sequence her father had drilled into her memory since she was 12 years old.
She lifted the valve cover and set it on the floor. Then she bent over the exposed camshaft housing and pointed.
"There," she said.
Everyone leaned in. Hayes stepped closer. Even Grant took two steps forward despite himself.