I moved the fallen limb carefully and checked the fence for damage

Then I sat on the garage step and listened to rain strike the roof

I remembered Laura standing in the same place with grease on her cheek

She had told me that restoring the Mustang was not about making an old car look new

She said it was about respecting what the car had survived

I had not understood how much that sentence would mean after she was gone

The next morning Peter called with the completed inspection report

He said the Mustang could be made roadworthy after several repairs and a final test

The brake system needed additional work beyond the parts I had installed

A wheel bearing required replacement and the damaged bracket needed attention

He had also found evidence that the car had been pulled against a restraint while it was being moved

He could document the marks but could not identify the person responsible

I told him to preserve the photographs and prepare an estimate

He asked whether I wanted the work done

I looked at Lauras notebook on the table

I told him to proceed

He said he would call when the car was ready

For the first time since the tow truck came to my driveway I felt excitement without immediately feeling afraid

The feeling lasted until a white envelope appeared under my front door

There was no return address

Inside was a photograph of the Mustang parked at Peters shop

Someone had circled the license plate with a black marker

On the back a message said that I should stop digging into other peoples business

I stood in the kitchen holding the photograph

The room seemed suddenly smaller

I called Marcus and told him exactly what I had found

He asked me not to handle the envelope again

He sent an officer to collect it and document where it had been discovered

I showed the officer the doorbell camera footage

The recording showed a person wearing a dark hood approaching the porch before dawn

The persons face was hidden by the angle and the hood

I refused to guess who it was

The officer thanked me for preserving the recording

After he left I called Peter

I told him someone had photographed the car at his business

He checked the shop cameras and promised to preserve any relevant footage

Then he asked whether I wanted him to move the Mustang inside the locked building