"Don't touch it."
Russell withdrew his hand.
"No need to be unfriendly."
At that moment, Noah emerged from the office.
Russell noticed him.
His gaze dropped to the notebook in the teenager's hands.
Something flickered across the developer's face.
"What have you got there?"
Noah instinctively held the notebook closer.
"Nothing."
Russell smiled.
"Old motorcycle diagrams?"
Walter stepped forward.
"Russell, your visit's over."
The developer looked irritated.
Then he recovered.
"All right."
He reached into his coat and removed a business card.
"My offer still stands. Think about it."
Walter didn't take the card.
Russell placed it on the counter.
Before leaving, he turned toward the green Harley once more.
"Some old things are more trouble than they're worth."
Then he walked outside.
Walter watched the pickup disappear.
Hank approached.
"What did he want?"
"The usual."
"Buying the building?"
Walter nodded.
Hank looked at the business card.
"He's not going away."
"No."
Noah stood quietly beside the office.
"Who was that?"
"Somebody who thinks everything has a price."
Noah glanced toward the motorcycle.
"Why did he ask about this bike?"
Walter frowned.
"Good question."
That afternoon, a package arrived containing the replacement ignition components.
Victor checked them against the specifications.
Everything matched.
They began the careful process of installing and verifying the corrected system.
Noah watched closely.
When Victor explained the relationship between the ignition timing and the engine's mechanical position, the boy followed without difficulty.
He asked thoughtful questions.
He also noticed something strange.
One of the original mounting bolts carried fresh tool marks.
The scratches were bright, unlike the surrounding aged metal.
Noah showed Walter.
"Somebody removed this recently."
Walter inspected it.
"Could've happened during our repairs."
"Maybe."
Noah looked at the service records.
"But it's not on the list."
Victor checked his notes.
Neither he nor Hank remembered removing that particular mounting point.
Walter frowned.
"Could've been before the motorcycle came here."
Gabriel arrived an hour later.
When Walter mentioned the marks, the club president looked troubled.
"Nobody's touched it except your mechanics."
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
Walter explained Russell's visit.
Gabriel's face darkened.
"Kane came here?"
"Yes."
"Did he say anything about the charity run?"
"He knew the bike wasn't running."
Gabriel stared at the motorcycle.
Then he looked at Noah.
"Where's your father's notebook?"
"In my bag."
"Keep it somewhere safe."
Noah felt uneasy.
"Why?"
Gabriel hesitated.
"Because I think someone may be interested in more than the engine."
That night, Noah went to his arranged temporary placement, carrying the notebook with him.
Walter locked the garage as usual.
At 11:46 p.m., a security camera recorded a figure approaching the rear entrance.
The person wore a hooded jacket and gloves.
He tried the handle.
It was locked.
He circled the building, stopped beneath the office window, and waited.
Then he reached into his pocket.
Seconds later, the garage's exterior security light went dark.
The recording ended.
Walter arrived Friday morning expecting a difficult day.
Instead, he found a disaster.
The rear office window had been broken.
A filing cabinet stood open.
Paperwork covered the floor.
Someone had searched his desk and removed an old metal document box that he kept beneath it.
Walter stood in the doorway for several seconds, struggling to understand what he was seeing.
Then he called the police.
By eight o'clock, two officers were examining the building.
Hank checked the tools.
Nothing appeared missing.
Victor inspected the motorcycle.
It was untouched.
The expensive equipment remained on the benches.
The cash register hadn't been forced open.
Whoever entered the garage had ignored everything that an ordinary thief might steal.
The officers asked Walter what was inside the missing box.
"Old property records," he answered. "Contracts, insurance papers, business documents. Mostly things I haven't looked at in years."
"Anything valuable?"
"Not unless somebody collects thirty-year-old receipts."
One officer examined the broken window.
"Was anybody threatening you?"
Walter hesitated.
Then he mentioned Russell Kane.
He explained the attempted property purchase, the repeated offers, and Russell's unexpected visit the previous day.
The officer took notes.
"Do you have evidence connecting him to this?"
"No."
"Then we'll treat that as background information."
Walter nodded.
He understood.
Suspecting someone was not the same as proving anything.
The police documented the scene, collected available evidence, and requested footage from nearby cameras.
Gabriel arrived before they finished.
He took one look at the broken window and swore.
"Anything taken from the bike?"
"No," Walter replied.
"Then what were they after?"
"Documents."
Gabriel looked confused.
Walter explained the missing box.
The club president's expression changed when he heard about the old property records.
"Your original lease?"
"Could've been in there."
Gabriel stepped closer.
"The one Thomas helped arrange?"
Walter nodded.
"Probably."
Gabriel stared at him.
"Did you ever make copies?"
"Somewhere."
"Find them."
Walter studied his face.
"What's going on?"
Gabriel glanced toward the officers.
"Let's talk privately."
They entered the office and closed the door.
Gabriel sat down slowly.
"Thomas owned part of this property."
Walter frowned.
"No. My father purchased the workshop."
"Your father purchased the building. Thomas helped acquire the adjacent land when you expanded the garage."
Walter remembered the transaction.
It had happened decades earlier, shortly after the Black River Riders began using the workshop as their unofficial meeting place.
Thomas had contributed money, but Walter believed they had settled everything with a private repayment agreement.
"That was paid off."
Gabriel shook his head.
"Thomas told me he never accepted the final payment."
Walter stared.
"What?"
"He wanted the land protected for the club's community projects. He said you could keep using it as long as the garage remained a working shop."
Walter struggled to recall the details.
The agreement had been signed in an attorney's office.
His father had been ill at the time.
Thomas had handled much of the paperwork.
"Why didn't you say something before?"
"Because I thought you knew."
Walter leaned back.
The room suddenly seemed smaller.
Gabriel continued.
"Thomas kept talking about putting a community workshop here someday. Somewhere young people could learn a trade."
Walter looked through the window at the green Harley.
"That sounds like him."
"He never got around to it."
The club president hesitated.
"And I never followed through."
Walter rubbed his face.
"Those records could matter if Kane wants to buy the whole block."
"Exactly."
Outside, Noah arrived with Olivia Reyes.
She had agreed to bring him to the garage for a scheduled visit, provided it didn't interfere with his appointments and education arrangements.
He stopped when he saw the broken window.
"What happened?"
Walter came outside.
"Somebody broke in."
Noah glanced toward the Harley.
"Is the bike okay?"
"Yes."
"The notebook?"
"You took it with you, remember?"
Noah checked his backpack anyway.
Then he looked at the damaged office door.