Now, standing beside the fountain, she realized that the most important part of the story had unfolded far beyond that single confrontation.
It had reached an elderly woman who regained reliable transportation.
A records technician who refused to alter documents.
Residents whose complaints received proper review.
A department forced to examine failures it had long ignored.
And public officials who discovered that authority could not protect them indefinitely from evidence.
The young woman squeezed the older woman's hand.
"I hope you're right."
The elderly woman smiled.
Then she returned to her little sedan and drove away.
The investigator watched until the car disappeared around the corner.
That weekend, she visited her mother's house.
The family gathered for dinner on the back patio.
Her younger cousins played in the yard.
Someone was grilling chicken.
A radio played softly near the kitchen window.
The afternoon sunlight moved through the trees.
Her mother came outside carrying a glass of lemonade.
"How was Hawthorne County?"
The investigator smiled.
"Different."
"Different how?"
She considered the question.
"I didn't feel like I needed to run away from it."
Her mother nodded.
"That's good."
The younger woman looked toward the yard.
"I met the elderly woman whose case started the investigation."
Her mother sat beside her.
"How is she?"
"She has another car."
The older woman smiled.
"Wonderful."
They watched the children playing.
After a while, her mother asked, "Are you ever going to drive your aunt's Rolls-Royce to one of these family gatherings again?"
The young woman laughed.
"Maybe."
"Your cousins keep asking about it."
"I know."
Her mother smiled.
"Your aunt would be furious if she knew that beautiful car spent so much time sitting in the garage."
The investigator looked toward the trees.
She pictured her aunt laughing behind the wheel.
The enormous sunglasses she used to wear.
The way she always insisted on opening the door herself, even when someone rushed to do it for her.
The old woman's pride hadn't come from owning an expensive vehicle.
It came from knowing how hard she'd worked to build a life she chose.
The investigator smiled.
"Then perhaps I should take it out tomorrow."