# Surprise Audit - Chapter 17

id: surprise_audit | owner: codex | target: `output/chapters/chapter_17.md`

- `SURPRISE-HOLDS — care object becomes evidence` — Theo's catalog help from Chapter 16 pays off as the reveal vehicle: `"The ninth catalog... with the paper slip pushed flush"` leads to `"Her son, Theo Brennan..."`.
- `SURPRISE-HOLDS — grievance is asymmetry, not generic lie` — the chapter avoids the default "you lied to me" confrontation and lands on `"you stood in it knowing she couldn't"` and `"You did my math for me and kept the answer."`
- `SURPRISE-HOLDS — repair refusal targets Theo's core tic` — Theo's offer `"I'll tell her tomorrow morning... I'll redo the labels myself"` is answered by `"You're trying to get a task."`
- `DEFAULT-RISK-CLEARED — no villain reveal or monologue` — no third party tells June; the page is small, accidental, and undeniable.

Chapter verdict: `SURPRISE-ACTIVE`.

REVISION ORDERS: none.

