envelope contained copies of his own contemporaneous notes and correspondence addressed to him during the hold assignment. He had not taken password-protected material, downloaded customer databases, or attempted to access restricted systems after his account was suspended. His supervisor had ordered him to stop discussing the Eberhart file, and he expected to be dismissed on Monday.
"Why bring these to me instead of your employer's lawyers?" Mara asked.
Garnet stared at the gravel. "Because they know what happened, and they keep saying I acted on my own. I didn't. I applied a hold because I received a written instruction. I want that documented before somebody says I made it up."
Mara told him not to hand the materials to Hollis yet. She arranged for an independent meeting the next morning to verify the documents and discuss lawful handling, including any obligations Garnet might have to his employer. She also advised him to obtain his own legal counsel because his interests were not identical to Hollis's. Hollis listened, frustrated by the delay but grateful that somebody was resisting the urge to turn every scrap of paper into instant proof.
Garnet looked relieved when the call ended. He sank onto the barn step and pulled his sweatshirt tighter. "My wife thinks I should quit," he said. "Maybe I should have quit before I ever came out here."
Hollis stood beside the doorway. "Why didn't you?"
"Because I thought I was doing a necessary part of a job. They told me customers make modifications, break equipment, and expect the dealership to pay. I've seen that happen. I've also seen people ignore invoices for years. I didn't stop to think that your account might be different."
"You didn't look at the letter closing the repair issue."
"No."
"You didn't confirm the September charge belonged to my machine."
"No."
"And you didn't ask for a contract provision before you stopped my harvest."
Garnet swallowed. "No."
Hollis looked out at the dark field. "Then what did you know?"
"I knew they wanted it done." His voice cracked. "I treated that like it was the same as being right."