"Who made you the supervisor?"
Solis held her ground.
For the first time, she didn't lower her eyes.
"Nobody, Sergeant. But we have the verification."
Camille watched the exchange.
She recognized the courage it took for a younger officer to challenge a senior colleague.
She also recognized the danger.
Voss's behavior was becoming less about the Bentley and more about refusing to admit that he'd been wrong.
A white tow truck appeared at the end of the lane.
Camille looked toward it.
Then toward the deputy.
"You called a tow before verifying the vehicle?"
Voss smiled.
"Maybe it'll stay at the yard until somebody proves it's theirs."
Solis turned sharply.
"Sergeant, the owner has already been confirmed."
Voss ignored her.
The tow truck stopped behind the patrol SUV.
A heavyset driver climbed out wearing a dark work shirt bearing the name Ridgeway Recovery.
He looked toward the damaged Bentley.
For a moment, his expression changed.
Then he approached Voss.
"Got a recovery?"
Voss nodded toward the car.
"Possible theft. Secure it."
The driver looked at the shattered windows.
"Looks like somebody already got into it."
Camille felt her anger rise again.
She stepped forward only far enough to be heard.
"That's my vehicle. The deputy broke the windows. Dispatch confirmed the registration."
The driver looked toward Voss.
For a moment, he seemed uncertain.
Then the deputy spoke sharply.
"She's interfering."
Camille held up her hands.
"I'm standing here explaining what happened."
Solis approached the driver.
"Do not attach the vehicle yet. We need to resolve the impound authority."
The driver hesitated.
Voss looked furious.
But the younger deputy had finally found the confidence to challenge him openly.
And the tow truck's arrival was about to expose another problem neither woman fully understood.
The tow truck driver introduced himself as Brent Harlow.
He was forty-six, with a heavy build, reddish-brown beard, and a dark Ridgeway Recovery shirt stained by years of roadside work. His company had provided towing services to Hawthorne County for nearly a decade, and he knew most of the deputies assigned to the western patrol district.
He also knew Colin Voss.
Too well.
When Harlow saw the Bentley's shattered windows, his first concern wasn't whether the car was legally eligible for towing.
It was the damage.
He understood that expensive vehicles required careful handling and that disputed impounds could generate serious liability.
He approached Solis quietly.
"What's the actual tow authorization?"
She looked toward the patrol SUV.
"We're still determining that."
Harlow frowned.
"I got a request for a stolen luxury vehicle."
Solis shook her head.
"There's no confirmed theft."
The driver glanced toward Voss.
For several seconds, he seemed uncertain.
Then he lowered his voice.
"That's not what the sergeant told dispatch."
Camille heard him.
She looked toward the two.
"What did he tell dispatch?"