Several removals appeared supported by ordinary safety concerns.
In those cases, the available records showed legitimate reasons for towing.
But other incidents raised questions.
One car was reportedly removed while its owner waited for a replacement tire.
Another was towed from a parking space despite a property manager's statement that the vehicle was authorized to be there.
And three owners said they had asked for other available towing arrangements but were told they had no choice.
The repeated involvement of County Line Recovery was not automatically improper. Municipalities often relied on approved towing providers, and legitimate rotation or contracted systems could result in one company handling many calls.
But the frequency of Sergeant Hale's referrals stood out.
So did the disputed administrative charges.
Danielle began requesting the relevant public records.
Tow authorizations.
Department policies.
Contract terms.
And records showing how the towing rotation was supposed to operate.
The responses arrived slowly.
Some documents were incomplete.
Others referred to records held by another office.
A few requests received explanations that didn't match information supplied elsewhere.
Danielle didn't assume the inconsistencies proved corruption.
But she documented them carefully.
Marcus helped organize the material.
He used the same approach he'd learned in Army logistics.
A single incident might be confusing.
A series of records arranged by date, location, vehicle, officer, and towing company could reveal relationships nobody noticed when examining each event separately.
He created a timeline.
Then a spreadsheet.
Then a large map showing where the disputed tows occurred.
One evening, Renee found him sitting at the dining table surrounded by paperwork.
She placed a cup of tea beside him.
"How long have you been working on this?"
Marcus glanced at the clock.
"Couple hours."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Marcus."
He smiled.
"Maybe four."
Renee sat opposite him.
She examined the map.
Then looked toward her husband.
"You're worried."
He nodded.
"Some of these people can't afford the bills. They're being told to pay charges nobody will explain."
Renee considered that.
Then asked, "Do you think the police department knows?"
Marcus looked toward the records.
"I don't know."
She reached across the table.
"Then promise me you'll be careful."
He squeezed her hand.
"I will."
She studied him.
"You said that before your last deployment."