I returned to my staffing report and tried to concentrate on overtime costs.
Twenty minutes later, my phone began vibrating with messages from people who assumed I had ordered the searches myself.
One message congratulated me for finally getting revenge.
Another accused me of using the government to settle a neighborhood argument.
Both missed the point.
I had filed a complaint about an attempted tow, preserved the evidence I possessed, and allowed independent authorities to investigate what emerged.
That was all I was entitled to do.
By noon, photographs of investigators carrying boxes out of Victor’s dealership were circulating online.
The images showed ordinary cardboard boxes, not their contents.
Commenters nevertheless claimed to know exactly what investigators had found.
I refused to participate in the guessing.
Nora called that afternoon and advised me to preserve the messages I had received.
She said public speculation could become relevant if someone tried to portray the investigation as a personal campaign.
I forwarded the messages without responding to their senders.
At home, I found an unfamiliar car parked across from my driveway.
A man inside held a phone toward the garage.
I walked over and asked whether he needed help finding an address.
He said he was a freelance reporter hoping to photograph the Mustang.
I told him the car was on private property and I would not be giving interviews.
He asked whether the vehicle had been used to hide evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
I said the matter belonged to the investigators.
He asked whether my father had been involved.
I felt the familiar tightening in my chest.
I repeated that I would not speculate about evidence.
The reporter eventually drove away.
I closed the garage door and stood inside listening to the motor settle.
The Mustang had been a quiet place for me since childhood.
Now even its closed door seemed to attract people who believed they were entitled to look inside.
Chapter 42: Karen’s Explanation
Karen requested an interview with county investigators through her attorney.
I learned about the interview only after a summary became available in the civil proceedings.
She admitted that she had approved payments to her brother’s business without making the relationship clear to the entire board.
She said Victor had assured her that the services were necessary and fairly priced.
She also acknowledged that she had instructed the towing company to remove my Mustang after Victor complained about the vehicle.
