"I've heard their name in other complaints."
Marcus sat straighter.
"How many?"
"Enough that I'd like to compare the records."
She didn't accuse the company of fraud.
She didn't assume every tow was unlawful.
But she agreed that the repeated complaints deserved examination.
Marcus ended the call feeling cautiously hopeful.
For the first time, Walter's problem seemed like something that could be understood rather than simply paid.
The second case came from a school cafeteria worker named Linda Harper.
She was fifty-eight and drove an older Honda to work every morning. Her husband had suffered a stroke the previous year, and most of the family's income went toward rent, medication, and basic expenses.
One afternoon, her car developed a flat tire outside a grocery store.
She parked in a marked space, called roadside assistance, and went inside to purchase a bottle of water while she waited.
When she returned, a police officer was standing beside the vehicle.
The officer was Sergeant Hale.
He told her the car was unsafe and had to be removed.
Linda explained that a roadside service truck was already coming.
Hale insisted that an authorized tow was necessary.
The vehicle was taken to County Line Recovery.
By the time she retrieved it, the bill included a towing charge, a storage charge, and an administrative fee she couldn't understand.
Linda paid because she needed the car for work.
Then she borrowed money from her sister to cover groceries.
When Marcus met her at the community center, she placed the receipt on the table.
"I don't know whether the tow was legal," she said. "I just know I couldn't get anyone to explain why I wasn't allowed to wait for the roadside truck."
Marcus nodded.
He examined the date.
Then the location.
Then the officer's name.
Sergeant Warren Hale.
The same officer.
The same towing company.
And another person whose financial situation made a disputed bill difficult to challenge.
Marcus looked toward Danielle.
She was taking notes.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
But both understood that the pattern was becoming harder to dismiss.
Within six weeks, Marcus and Danielle had collected accounts from eleven people.
Some involved towing after traffic collisions.
Others involved disabled vehicles or parking disputes.