Kane stared at him.
“You said you didn't have copies.”
Thomas coughed.
“I lied.”
Cole laughed.
For the first time that night, Kane looked afraid.
The Truth Comes Out
The investigation lasted weeks.
State investigators took the evidence.
Federal agents interviewed Thomas.
Mercer was arrested.
Kane was arrested.
Several other officials were questioned.
The evidence showed a network that had operated for years.
Stolen vehicles.
Fraudulent titles.
Illegal parts.
Property manipulation.
Insurance fraud.
And bribery.
Thomas had discovered the network accidentally while repairing a motorcycle.
When he tried to report it, Mercer warned him.
When he refused to stop, Kane's people attacked him.
His workshop was burned.
His disappearance was staged.
The Shovelhead contained the evidence because Thomas knew nobody would think to search an old motorcycle belonging to Cole Harrison's father.
But there was something else.
The original title.
Cole's father had indeed owned the motorcycle.
The false transfer had been created years later.
Cole hadn't inherited stolen property.
He had unknowingly possessed a piece of evidence.
For the first time, Cole understood why Kane had wanted it so badly.
Not because of the motorcycle.
Because of what it proved.
One afternoon, Thomas sat inside the rebuilt garage.
Cole placed two cups of coffee on the table.
“How are you?”
Thomas smiled.
“Like I've been hit by a truck.”
“You look better than you did.”
Thomas laughed.
“That's because I'm alive.”
Haley entered.
She had a small bandage on her cheek.
Cole looked at her.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
Then she looked at the motorcycle.
“You saved it.”
Cole smiled.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“You did.”
The New Garage
The old garage had been badly damaged.
The chapter could have walked away.
Instead, they rebuilt it.
Everyone helped.
Danny installed electrical wiring.
Two older members rebuilt the workbenches.
Thomas repaired engines.
Haley painted the walls.
Cole rebuilt the office.
One evening, Danny watched Haley working.
“You know,” he said, “when you first walked in, I thought you were crazy.”
Haley smiled.
“You weren't alone.”
“I also thought you couldn't fix the Shovelhead.”
“I know.”
“You could have told me.”
“You laughed.”
Danny nodded.
“Fair.”
He handed her a wrench.
She took it.
“I'm sorry about your father.”
Haley looked toward Thomas.
He was sitting outside.
He had gained weight.
His bruises were healing.
He was laughing with Cole.
“Me too.”
Danny leaned against the wall.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why didn't you run?”
Haley looked at him.
“From Kane?”
“From all of it.”
She thought for a moment.
“My mother ran.”
Danny didn't speak.
“She left when I was sixteen. She said she couldn't live with fear anymore.”
Haley looked down.
“I understood.”
“And?”
“And I decided I didn't want fear making every decision for me.”
Danny nodded.
“That makes sense.”
She smiled.
“Sometimes.”
The Ride
Three months later, the weather began warming.
The Shovelhead was fully restored.
Cole stood beside it.
Haley approached.
“You ready?”
She smiled.
“I've been ready.”
Cole handed her the keys.
She looked surprised.
“What?”
“You fixed it.”
“It belongs to you.”
“Not anymore.”
Haley stared at him.
Cole continued.
“My father gave it to me.”
He touched the tank.
“I've kept it because I thought it was the last thing he left me.”
He looked at Haley.
“Turns out he left me something better.”
“What?”
“A reason to remember that machines aren't the important part.”
Haley smiled.
Cole held out the keys.
“Take it.”
She hesitated.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She took them.
The engine started immediately.
Deep.
Strong.
Perfect.
The entire garage came outside.
Danny shouted:
“Don't scratch it!”
Haley laughed.
Then she rode down Route 9.
Cole watched her disappear.
For the first time in twenty years, the motorcycle wasn't carrying his father's memory.
It was carrying someone else's future.
What People Saw
Mil Haven changed after the arrests.
People began asking questions.
Why had nobody noticed?
Why had so many people trusted Mercer?
Why had Thomas been ignored?
Why had Kane been allowed to buy properties so cheaply?
Some blamed the police.
Some blamed the town.
Some blamed themselves.
Cole didn't blame anyone publicly.
He simply told people the same thing whenever they asked.