The towing company could remove the Silverado, and Marcus would spend the afternoon dealing with an impound instead of standing before the town council.
Hale didn't think about the consequences of destroying a tire.
The money it would cost.
The danger created if someone attempted to drive the truck without realizing the damage.
Or the fact that an officer deliberately vandalizing a private vehicle would be committing precisely the kind of misconduct he'd spent years denying.
He was thinking about himself.
And he was running out of time.
So he approached the Silverado.
Crouched beside its front wheel.
And opened his knife.
Inside Miller's Hardware, Laura Sutton sat beside Evelyn's computer.
They were examining footage from a disputed tow that occurred three weeks earlier.
The recording showed a compact sedan parked legally near the curb.
A tow truck arrived.
Then Hale stepped into frame several minutes later.
Laura was comparing the video with a dispatch timeline when something moved in the corner of the live preview.
A uniformed officer was crouching beside the black Silverado.
At first, she assumed he was inspecting a tire.
Then she saw his arm move sharply.
The tire began losing air.
Laura leaned forward.
"Evelyn, who owns that truck?"
The store owner glanced at the monitor.
Her face changed.
"Marcus."
Laura stared at the screen.
The officer drew his arm back again.
Another movement toward the tire.
Then he stood and looked around.
Laura reached for the recording controls.
She confirmed that the video was being retained and marked the relevant time.
Then she asked Evelyn to remain inside.
"Don't go out there."
Evelyn looked frightened.
"He's going to hurt Marcus."
Laura took a breath.
"We're getting help."
She contacted the investigator assigned to coordinate the state inquiry and described what she was seeing.
As she spoke, Marcus appeared on the sidewalk.
He stopped.
Looked toward the damaged tire.
Then confronted Hale.
The audio from the storefront camera was limited, but Laura could hear raised voices through the office's open doorway.
Then she saw Hale shove Marcus backward.
Her expression hardened.
She asked for an urgent response from local supervision through the appropriate channels.
Then she stood.
For a moment, Evelyn reached toward her.
"What are you going to do?"
Laura looked toward the monitor.