That was the point.
He looked like a businessman.
Clean.
Polite.
Expensive.
He stepped into the garage without asking permission.
Cole stood up.
“You're Kane.”
Kane smiled.
“Cole Harrison.”
They shook hands.
Kane's grip was firm.
“Beautiful place.”
“It's a garage.”
“I like old machines.”
His eyes moved toward the Shovelhead.
Then stopped on Haley.
The smile disappeared.
Only for a fraction of a second.
But Cole saw it.
So did Haley.
Kane looked back at Cole.
“I understand you've hired Miss Morgan.”
“She helped with a motorcycle.”
Kane nodded.
“Thomas Morgan's daughter.”
Haley went still.
“You knew my father.”
“I knew of him.”
“Where is he?”
Kane's smile returned.
“I wish I knew.”
“You're lying.”
One of Kane's men stepped forward.
Cole moved between them.
“No.”
The man stopped.
Cole's voice was calm.
“This is my garage.”
Kane raised a hand.
His man backed away.
Kane looked at Haley.
“You should go home.”
Haley didn't move.
“Why?”
“Because people who ask too many questions sometimes discover answers they don't like.”
Cole's expression hardened.
“Threatening people in my garage isn't smart.”
Kane smiled.
“I didn't threaten anyone.”
“You didn't have to.”
Kane turned toward the motorcycle.
“Your father was a talented mechanic.”
Haley's eyes narrowed.
“What happened to him?”
Kane sighed.
“People disappear for many reasons.”
“You know what happened.”
“I know that he made enemies.”
“Who?”
Kane looked at Cole.
“Some enemies are more dangerous than others.”
Then he walked away.
At the door, he stopped.
“You should consider selling that motorcycle.”
Cole said nothing.
Kane smiled.
“You'd be surprised what people are willing to pay for old things.”
Then he left.
Danny waited until the SUV disappeared.
“That's definitely a threat.”
Cole nodded.
Haley looked at the Shovelhead.
“What did my father find?”
Cole answered honestly.
“I don't know.”
Then he added:
“But we're going to find out.”
What Was Inside the Tank
That night, they took the motorcycle apart.
Cole didn't like it.
It felt wrong.
The Shovelhead belonged to his father.
Every scratch had a memory.
Every repair carried a story.
But now it was evidence.
Haley removed the fuel tank.
She ran her fingers underneath it.
Then stopped.
“Here.”
Cole leaned closer.
There was a small seam.
Almost invisible.
Haley pulled out a thin blade.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a tiny metal cylinder.
Danny stared.
“What the hell?”
Haley removed it carefully.
Inside the cylinder was a memory card.
Cole's stomach tightened.
They connected it to an old laptop.
There was one video file.
Thomas Morgan appeared on screen.
Older.
Tired.
Sitting inside his workshop.
“If you're watching this,” he said, “I'm probably gone.”
Haley covered her mouth.
Her father continued.
“I found out Kane isn't buying motorcycles.”
The video flickered.
“He's using stolen identification numbers to move parts across state lines.”
Cole frowned.
Thomas continued.
“Some of those parts came from military surplus. Some didn't.”
Cole looked at Haley.
Her father had discovered a smuggling operation.
But the next sentence changed everything.
“Kane isn't the top.”
Thomas looked directly into the camera.
“He works for someone with access to official records.”
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Danny finally said:
“Who?”
Haley shook her head.
“There was another file.”
She clicked.
A list appeared.
Names.
Dates.
Payments.
Then one name.
Sheriff Alan Mercer.
Cole stared.
Mercer had been sheriff of Mil Haven for eleven years.
People trusted him.
Cole had known him personally.
“That's impossible.”
Haley looked at him.
“Is it?”
Cole didn't answer.
Because now he remembered.
Every time someone complained about Kane.
Every time a business owner suddenly sold property.
Every time a motorcycle disappeared.
Mercer had always been nearby.
Always first to explain.
Always first to close the case.
Cole sat down.
“This is bigger than I thought.”
Haley nodded.
“My father knew.”
“And now Kane knows you know.”
“Yes.”
Cole looked at her bruised cheek.
“Who hit you?”
Haley hesitated.
Then answered.
“One of Kane's men.”
Cole stood.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't come here for protection.”
“What did you come here for?”
Haley looked at him.
“Help.”
Cole nodded.
“That I can give you.”
The Garage Burns
At 2:13 in the morning, Cole's phone rang.