She had also seen a silver car waiting beside Patricia’s driveway later that night.
The driver was a man Helen did not recognize.
Helen had not contacted me sooner because she did not know whether either visit was unusual.
The story about the camera changed her understanding of what she had seen.
I called Helen and asked whether she would be comfortable speaking with Detective Sato.
She agreed immediately.
When we met on her porch, she showed me the tiny notebook she used to record license plate numbers after a series of vehicle break-ins in our area.
The silver car’s plate was written beside a note about its damaged rear taillight.
Helen had not photographed the driver.
She had seen him hand Patricia a padded envelope before leaving.
“I’m sorry I thought it was just neighborhood business,” she said.
“You had no reason to think otherwise,” I replied.
Helen tapped the notebook with one finger.
“I’ve been called nosy my whole life,” she told me.
“For once, I’m glad I wrote something down.”
Her account provided an independent point in the timeline.
It did not tell us what was inside the padded envelope.
It did tell us Patricia had help.
That possibility was more frightening than the first camera.
I could shut a door against one person.
I did not yet know how many people were looking through the other side.
Chapter 9: Daniel Has a Question
My brother Daniel arrived with takeout and a stubborn refusal to let me eat alone.
He placed three cardboard containers on the table and waited while I picked at my dinner.
Daniel was two years younger than I was, but he had always been the practical one.
Our father taught him to repair engines before he was old enough to drive.
I had preferred invoices, spreadsheets, and the predictable weight of a finished plan.
That difference was why we argued about the machine shop.
Daniel wanted to keep operating it even after we lost our largest client.
I feared the business would consume both our savings before it recovered.
Now he asked whether Patricia had known the exact offer amount.
I searched my memory.
She had mentioned keeping jobs, but not the price.
Daniel looked relieved for half a second.
Then he admitted that a competing buyer had contacted him with details from our private conversation.
The buyer offered to raise its bid if we removed an employee-retention requirement.
Only Daniel and I had discussed that condition.
