He could have arrested him immediately.
He could have called detectives.
He could have confronted Maddy.
Instead, he called his wife.
Roz watched the footage.
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.”
She stared at him.
“For now.”
“You're letting her keep digging.”
Hank nodded.
“Exactly.”
Roz understood.
If Hank acted too early, Maddy could call it a misunderstanding.
If Hank waited, the truth might become impossible to hide.
And Hank had already learned something important.
The Mustang wasn't the only car being damaged.
Five Cars
Hank called his head of investigations, Captain Yolanda Pruitt.
“Anything unusual around Stonebridge Crossing?”
Yolanda hesitated.
“Actually, Chief.”
She told him about four other vehicles.
Mustangs.
Camaros.
Restored muscle cars.
All expensive.
All scratched at night.
All with the same pattern.
One long key mark.
Hank closed his eyes.
“Five cars.”
“Five.”
“Pull everything.”
“Quietly?”
“Very.”
The investigation revealed a pattern.
And the pattern led back to Braden.