Chapter 14 - A Threat in the Dark
Daniel didn't answer the message. He took a screenshot, recorded the time, and sent it to Detective Grant. The detective told him not to contact the sender or try to identify the number himself. The threat might be a lie, a diversion, or a real lead; it needed to be checked.
The old accident file was reopened for review. Investigators requested the vehicle's maintenance records, insurance documents, and any surviving evidence. The car had been scrapped years earlier, so physical testing was impossible. The review would have to rely on records and witness statements.
Rachel remembered that Laura had complained about a grinding sound from the brakes a few days before the crash. Daniel had taken the car to a shop, where the mechanic said the problem was minor. The invoice listed a replacement part, but the payment had been made through a supplier account later connected to Eric.
It was a lead, not proof. The detective tracked down the mechanic, now retired, who remembered the car but could not recall the exact repair. He agreed to review his old records. The shop had changed ownership twice, and several files were missing.
Jake overheard part of the conversation. “Do you think Vanessa hurt Mom?”
“Vanessa wasn't in our lives when your mother died,” Daniel said. “We don't know what happened, and we won't accuse someone without evidence.”
“Yes.” Daniel took a breath. “That means we ask questions. It doesn't mean we already know the answers.”
The next day, the mechanic found a carbon copy of the repair order. The part number didn't match the one listed on the invoice, and a handwritten note said the car had been returned for a second inspection the day before the crash.
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The mechanic couldn't explain why the note had never made it into the official file.
Detective Grant read it and looked up. “This changes the questions we need to ask.”
