Chapter 15 - The Man at the Repair Shop
The repair shop owner, Frank Dwyer, met Detective Grant with a box of old invoices and a wary expression. He remembered Eric because Eric had paid cash for work on a dark sedan shortly after Laura's crash. The vehicle wasn't registered to Eric, and Frank hadn't asked questions at the time.
“Not from memory. I remember the payment because it was a lot of cash for a small job.”
The records showed work on a brake assembly, but the vehicle identification number was incomplete. The detective sent the documents for review and compared them with the old repair order. The dates were close enough to warrant further investigation, but not enough to establish that the work was related to Laura's crash.
Daniel read the summary and felt a surge of anger. He wanted to call Eric and demand an answer. Mark stopped him.
“If he is involved, a warning gives him time to destroy records. If he isn't, you could ruin an innocent person's life. Let the investigators do their job.”
Vanessa's criminal case moved toward a preliminary hearing. The prosecutor asked Daniel to testify about the barbecue and his relationship with Vanessa. Jake would not be required to testify unless the court determined it was necessary and appropriate; the prosecutor hoped the video and adult witnesses would be enough.
The night before the hearing, Jake asked whether his father would still love him if he had been wrong.
Daniel put down his phone. “You don't have to be right about every detail to deserve to be heard. You saw something that scared you. You told me. We checked it. That's what matters.”
May you like
A former shop employee also told investigators she remembered a man in a company jacket canceling Laura's second brake inspection, though she could not identify him. Her account supported the need for more questions but did not prove who had made the call.
The following morning, Eric failed to appear for a scheduled interview. His lawyer said he was out of state. Detective Grant looked at Daniel and said, “We may have to move faster than we planned.”
