He did not know the answer.

He did remember something my father had said on the night he drove Daniel away.

My father had told him that the truth sometimes needed protecting from the people who claimed to own it.

I asked whether Victor had threatened my father directly.

Daniel said he had not witnessed such a threat.

He had seen Victor’s car outside the house several times before leaving town.

That was all he could honestly say.

We sat on folding chairs in the garage while the rain continued.

Daniel asked about my father’s final years.

I told him about the restoration work, the fishing trips, and the quiet afternoons when he refused to throw away broken tools.

Daniel listened as though he were trying to recover a man he had known only briefly.

When he left, he thanked me for keeping the Mustang.

I told him it had kept more than either of us understood.

Chapter 32: The Complaint Against the Chief

Victor’s attorney filed a complaint alleging that I had used my position to influence the dispute over the Mustang.

The complaint listed my conversations with the tow driver, my attendance at the HOA meeting, and my communications with county investigators.

It suggested that I had encouraged witnesses to support my version of events.

The allegations were serious enough to require a formal response.

I gave Andrea every relevant message and voluntarily stepped away from any departmental matter involving Victor or Karen.

An outside reviewer interviewed the tow driver and several officers.

He also reviewed the initial call logs and the footage residents had recorded that morning.

The driver confirmed that Karen had supplied the towing instructions.

He said I had asked for documentation and had not threatened him.

The responding officer confirmed that I had identified myself only after Karen called the police.

The reviewer asked why I had not announced my position immediately.

I said I did not believe my job title gave me additional rights as a homeowner.

He asked whether remaining silent had been a deliberate attempt to embarrass Karen.

I told him I had wanted the dispute documented without my rank affecting anyone’s behavior.

He wrote down the answer and moved to the next question.

For three weeks, the complaint remained open.

During that time, I felt every glance in the station more sharply than I wanted to admit.

Most of my officers treated me normally.