The records clerk took one look at my folder and asked whether I wanted to read something or remove it.
"Read."
"Good. Removal needs another desk."
She said it with the satisfaction of a person who had avoided sending me across the building. I took the small victory and put the old receipt on the counter. The introductory access I had obtained weeks earlier still covered the public inventory references. It did not cover walking through every place mentioned in them.
I knew that. I had written it at the top of my request so I wouldn't spend the appointment explaining that I knew it. The clerk read the line, then continued to the second page.
"You want to compare the old holding route with the current physical survey."
"Yes. This mark appears on the branch reference used in the safety drawings. The inventory describes a holding section, but the recent access history doesn't confirm what's inside."
