“These terms match the work of Dr. Caleb Ward,” her contact wrote. “He was working on a geothermal anomaly beneath Marlin Ridge—old mine territory. He argued it could destabilize the coastline. Disappeared before finishing the project.” Helen stared at the message, heart racing. The name from the database had just stepped closer.
She returned to the missing-persons entry. Dr. Caleb Ward, PhD. Geologist. This time, she noticed the small, grainy photograph beside the listing. The jawline, the eyes—different under years of swelling and time, but similar enough to steal her breath. The unknown patient might not be a drifter at all, but a scientist caught between eras.