Laura contacted Danielle.
Then Evelyn.
Over the following weeks, she arranged interviews, requested records, and worked to determine whether the apparent pattern reflected ordinary operational decisions or something more serious.
She did not tell Marcus every detail of the investigation.
He was a witness, not a member of her team.
And she needed to protect the integrity of the process.
But she acknowledged receiving the information and explained how to preserve any additional records.
Marcus felt relieved.
At least someone outside Bellhaven was examining the problem.
The town council scheduled a public safety hearing for Thursday, May 14.
The hearing wasn't a criminal trial.
It couldn't determine whether Hale committed a crime.
But it allowed residents to present concerns about towing policies, fees, and the municipal contract with County Line Recovery.
Danielle helped Marcus prepare.
Walter Bennett agreed to attend.
So did Linda Harper.
Evelyn planned to provide relevant records.
Marcus would organize the timeline and explain why the available documents suggested the town needed an independent audit.
They didn't intend to accuse every police officer of wrongdoing.
They wanted officials to understand that the problem was measurable.
Specific tows.
Specific charges.
Specific records that didn't match.
Marcus spent several evenings reviewing the presentation.
Renee watched him rehearse.
At one point, he reached the section describing Walter's medical appointments and stopped.
His voice caught.
Renee looked up.
"You okay?"
He nodded slowly.
"Mr. Bennett reminded me of Dad today."
She walked closer.
Marcus continued.
"He said he didn't want anybody getting in trouble over his truck. He just wanted to understand why it happened."
Renee touched his shoulder.
"That's why you're doing this."
Marcus looked toward the pages.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
Their daughter appeared in the doorway holding her red toy pickup.
"Daddy?"
Marcus turned.
"Hey, sweetheart."
Sophie looked toward the papers.
"Are you fixing somebody's truck?"
He smiled.
"Kind of."
She frowned.
"With papers?"
Renee laughed softly.
Marcus held out one hand.
Sophie approached.
He placed the toy pickup beside the documents.
"Sometimes you have to fix a problem in the rules before you can fix what happened to the person."
Sophie thought about that.
Then asked, "What if the people who made the rules don't want you to?"
Marcus hesitated.