He accepted a chair and another cup of coffee.
They moved into the kitchen, where Rebecca told him stories about Tommy's later years.
She described his stubborn refusal to retire from repairing motorcycles.
His habit of giving discounts to customers who could not afford proper maintenance.
The neighborhood children who called him Grandpa Tom even when they weren't related.
The young mechanics he had trained without charging them a penny.
Walter listened to every story.
He learned that Tommy had spent his weekends restoring old machines for veterans.
He learned that he had helped a widow sell her late husband's motorcycle and refused to accept a commission.
He learned that he had once driven two hundred miles in a snowstorm to help a stranger whose motorcycle had broken down.
Every story made Walter smile.
And every story reminded him how much he had missed.
At ten fifteen, Emily went to the garage to retrieve the last folder.
She returned almost immediately.
Her face was pale.
"Mom?"
Rebecca looked up.
"What is it?"
"There's a car outside."
Walter turned toward the window.
A dark SUV was parked across the street.
Its engine was running.
"Do you recognize it?" Rebecca asked.
Emily shook her head.
"It was there earlier."
Walter stood.
He approached the window, careful to remain out of sight.
The SUV's headlights were off.
Two figures sat inside.
One appeared to be looking toward the house.
Walter felt a familiar coldness settle in his chest.
He took out his phone and called Eleanor.
"There's a vehicle watching the Carter house."
Her response was immediate.
"Don't approach it."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Can you identify the occupants?"
"No."
"Call the police if you feel threatened. I'll arrange for the local investigator to come sooner."
Walter looked toward Rebecca and Emily.
The two women were standing together near the kitchen table.
He suddenly understood the cost of bringing the investigation into their home.
They had done nothing wrong.
They had simply preserved their father's and grandfather's belongings.
Now, because of him, they might be in danger.
Walter ended the call.
"Rebecca," he said, "I think we should lock the doors."
She nodded.
Emily walked toward the back entrance.
Before she reached it, headlights swept across the kitchen window.
A car door slammed.
Then someone knocked on the front door.
Three sharp knocks.
Rebecca froze.
Walter raised a hand.
"Stay here."
He moved toward the entrance.
The knocking came again.
"Mr. Sterling?"
A man's voice.
"Walter Sterling?"
Walter stopped.
"Who's asking?"
"Daniel Ruiz."
Walter stared at the door.
The suspended technician.
The man he had spent the afternoon trying to find.
Daniel spoke again.
"Sir, I know you don't know me. But I think I can help you."
Walter looked through the peephole.
A man in his early forties stood on the porch.
He wore a dark jacket and work boots.
His face was tired.
One cheek was bruised.
He held a small backpack against his chest.
Walter did not unlock the door.
"How did you find me?"
Daniel glanced toward the street.
"Your attorney contacted me."
Walter's eyes narrowed.
"What's her name?"
"Eleanor Price."
"What did she say?"
"She told me you were investigating the defective suspension brackets and asked whether I would speak with you."
Walter considered him.
"Why come here?"
Daniel looked over his shoulder.
"Because someone followed me from my apartment."
Walter glanced toward the dark SUV.
"Are they still following you?"
"I think so."
Walter stepped back.
"Come inside."
He unlocked the door.
Daniel entered quickly.
Rebecca closed and locked it behind him.
For several seconds, the room was silent.
Then Daniel looked at Walter.
"Mr. Sterling, I need to tell you something."
Walter gestured toward a chair.
"Sit down."
Daniel remained standing.
"I worked for your company for eleven years. I trained technicians, investigated mechanical failures, and believed in what Sterling Crown stood for."
His voice trembled.
"Six months ago, I found out someone was deliberately concealing a serious safety problem."
Walter nodded.
"I've seen the brackets."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"Then you know."
"I know something is wrong. I don't know everything."
Daniel reached into his backpack.
He removed a thick envelope.
Inside were photographs, laboratory reports, and printed communications.
"I sent samples to an independent materials laboratory," he said.
Walter leaned forward.
"What did they find?"
Daniel spread the reports across the table.
"Lower-grade alloy. Inconsistent heat treatment. Welds that failed to meet the specified requirements."
Emily stepped closer.
"Was the alloy composition significantly different?"
Daniel looked surprised.
"Yes."
"Enough to reduce fatigue resistance?"
"Substantially."
Walter watched the exchange.
Emily continued.
"Did the fractures originate around the mounting geometry?"
Daniel stared at her.
"How did you know?"
She pointed toward Tommy's drawing.
"Because something very similar happened twenty years ago."
Daniel looked at the drawing.
Then at Walter.
His expression changed.
"Oh, my God."
Walter nodded.
"That's roughly how I felt."
Daniel pulled out another document.
"Sir, when I discovered the material discrepancies, I reported them to corporate engineering."
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I received a message telling me the replacement brackets had been approved under a special procurement exemption."
"Signed by whom?"
"Arthur Bell."
Walter closed his eyes briefly.
Daniel continued.
"I escalated the matter. I requested a stop-sale and inspection of affected motorcycles."
"And?"
"Conrad Voss called me into a meeting."
Walter opened his eyes.
"What did he say?"
Daniel swallowed.
"He told me that if I continued questioning the supplier, I'd be accused of stealing proprietary engineering information."
Walter looked at the bruises on Daniel's face.
"And your injury?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Three nights ago, someone broke into my apartment."
Rebecca gasped.
Daniel nodded.
"They took my laptop. Destroyed my filing cabinet. When I tried to stop one of them, he hit me."
"Did you report it?" Walter asked.
"Yes. The police have a report. But I couldn't identify them."
Walter glanced toward the window.
"The SUV?"
Daniel nodded slowly.
"I saw a similar one outside my building."
Walter felt anger rise.
He pushed it aside.
"Did they get everything?"