He directed referrals toward it.
Approved exceptions.
Helped explain disputed charges.
And occasionally discouraged other officials from examining inconsistencies in its paperwork.
The towing company benefited.
So did the supervisor.
Investigators eventually identified financial arrangements involving businesses connected to both men that required closer examination.
The money hadn't arrived in envelopes marked as bribes.
It moved through consulting invoices, small service contracts, and payments described in ways that appeared ordinary until the underlying work was examined.
Some invoices referred to equipment consulting.
Others described administrative services.
In several cases, supporting records were missing or inconsistent.
The investigator's original towing inquiry had begun exposing those arrangements.
That was why the document review mattered.
The county records technician had identified original forms that appeared to contradict copies previously supplied by the sheriff's administrative office.
The originals could demonstrate that certain vehicle impounds had been approved retroactively.
They could also reveal whether fees had been calculated from dates that didn't match the vehicles' actual arrival at the storage facility.
Such findings wouldn't automatically establish criminal intent.
But combined with other records, they could provide important evidence.
The administrative supervisor had learned of the appointment through a scheduling notice.
He also learned that a state investigator would arrive personally.
He feared that the review would lead to requests for additional records.
And that those requests would expose the financial arrangements he'd worked so hard to conceal.
At first, he considered delaying the appointment.
He instructed an employee to telephone the records custodian and report a cancellation.
But he couldn't ensure that the message would reach everyone involved.
Then he learned the state investigator would be driving an expensive midnight-blue Rolls-Royce.
The information came from someone who had seen her arrive at a preliminary meeting earlier in the week.
The administrative supervisor made another decision.
He contacted the older deputy.
The deputy had handled several towing referrals for the company.
He was familiar with its owner.
And he had repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to use aggressive tactics when residents questioned his decisions.
The supervisor asked him to locate the vehicle and secure any case containing documents related to the investigation.