Claire looked toward his truck.
"He's leaving."
Another pause.
Then Renee spoke quietly.
"There's something you should know."
Claire went still.
"What?"
"I can't discuss internal customer records without authorization. But I can tell you your own ticket history is available through a formal request."
Claire frowned.
"Why would I need that?"
Renee hesitated.
Then said something Claire would remember for years.
"Because the date on the rejection isn't the date your repair stopped moving."
Claire looked toward the truck.
Its brake lights glowed red.
Then Sutter drove away.
Claire stood in the rain holding the phone.
"What do you mean?"
Renee's voice became careful.
"Request the full history of your service ticket, including status changes, assignment decisions, and the written reasons given to you."
Claire swallowed.
"Will they provide it?"
"They should be able to tell you what customer records they will release. If they refuse, speak with your attorney."
Claire stared at the road.
For a moment, the entire situation felt different.
The delays.
The repeated promises.
The technician who supposedly had been assigned.
The unexplained regional hold.
The rejection.
Perhaps there was a record showing what had actually happened.
Claire took a slow breath.
"Thank you, Renee."
The dispatcher was quiet.
Then whispered, "I'm sorry."
Claire closed her eyes.
"I know."
She ended the call.
Then turned toward the fields.
Maya and Eli were approaching.
Neither asked what Renee had said.
Claire looked at them.
Then at the damaged wheat.
"First," she said, "we save whatever crop we can."
Maya nodded.
"And after that?"
Claire glanced toward the road where Sutter had disappeared.
"After that, we find out why I lost fourteen days."
The next morning began before sunrise.
Claire drove along the boundary of her fields with Wes Halden and a crop-insurance adjuster she had contacted as soon as the storm passed.
The damage was uneven.
Some northern fields had been hit hard by hail.
Other areas showed lodging where heavy rain and wind had bent the wheat.
A few sections remained remarkably sound.
The crop was not a total loss.
But it would be difficult to harvest.
The adjuster documented the visible damage and explained the need for proper inspection, sampling, and claim procedures.
Claire listened carefully.
She took photographs.
Recorded field locations.
And resisted the urge to estimate the financial consequences before the evidence was complete.
Wes drove slowly beside her.
At the edge of the western field, he stopped.
They climbed from the pickup.
The wheat moved softly beneath a gray morning sky.
Claire crouched.
Lifted a handful of bent stalks.