I agreed
We met outside the building at nine in the morning
Colin carried the folder in a canvas shopping bag
He looked as nervous as a student waiting outside the principals office
Nadine greeted us and asked him to describe the documents in his own words
He showed her minutes from a committee meeting held months before the Mustang incident
The minutes recorded a proposed contract for routine removal of abandoned vehicles
Colin had objected because the fee schedule rewarded the contractor for each vehicle removed
He had suggested a flat inspection fee instead
The minutes recorded his objection
The final contract did not include the safeguard he requested
Nadine asked whether Colin had signed the contract
He said he had not
She asked whether he had received any payment from the contractor
He said no
Then he handed her an email in which Meredith told him to stop questioning a board decision
Nadine read it twice
She thanked Colin for coming forward
Outside he stood in the parking lot with his shoulders lowered
He said he had carried the folder around for months
I told him that speaking now still mattered
He looked toward the courthouse across the street
He said he wished he had spoken sooner
I understood that feeling better than he knew
A few days later Alicia called to tell me her fathers station wagon had been located
It was not in the warehouse we had visited
Investigators had traced it to a storage lot in another county
The car had not been sold but it had suffered damage while stored outside
Alicia said the news had made her father cry
She had shown him a photograph of the wagon and he had recognized the dent above the left headlight
He had asked when they could take a drive
Alicia could not promise him a date
She said she had told him they were working on it
I offered to connect her with Peter when the vehicle was released
She thanked me and said she had started writing down her fathers stories about the car
I thought of Lauras notebook and told her that was a good idea
The following Friday Peter called to say the Mustang was ready for a final inspection drive
I drove to the shop with a knot in my stomach
Celia met me beside the red car with a clipboard and a small smile
