“That too.”
He took the document carefully.
“Mr. Brooks, I’m going to tell you something, but this is not legal advice.”
“Okay.”
“If the insurance claim turns out to be fraudulent, your unpaid repair bill may become a very small issue compared with what they are facing.”
I nodded.
“I understand.”
Daniel stood.
“One more thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t contact Brent about this.”
“Why?”
“Because if he’s lying about the accident, we need to know what he does without knowing exactly what evidence we have.”
I agreed.
For the next two days, I said nothing.
I worked.
I repaired cars.
I answered customers.
And I spent time with my sons.
Laura didn’t call.
That was unusual.
Then, on Thursday evening, she appeared at my house.
Alone.
I opened the door and found her standing there with tears in her eyes.
“Can I come in?”
I hesitated.
Then I stepped aside.
She sat at the kitchen table.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Finally she whispered, “I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?”
“That Brent lied.”
I remained silent.
She looked down at her hands.
“He told me the accident happened Saturday night. He said he lost control of the car because an animal ran across the road.”
