He had learned then that being vindicated did not automatically restore what a false accusation took. Every job now began with time-stamped photographs, an inventory, and a record of the customer's authorization. He did not enjoy keeping a defensive archive of his work, but the practice had become as normal to him as checking tire pressure.
"The tow truck has a dash camera," he told Wells. "It shows me seeing her and stopping. The garage cameras recorded the pickup. I'll make both available."
"That's helpful," Wells said. "Let the technician collect copies and document the originals."
A crime-scene investigator photographed the garage entrance, the gravel displacement, and the recovered taillight fragment before touching anything. He asked whether the building's cameras had captured a plate. Evan explained that rain and mud obscured the numbers, but the rear body shape and a damaged taillight might be clearer. The investigator did not promise identification. He promised to preserve what they had.
At 12:28, a detective arrived with a folder of photographs and asked to show them to Mia. Wells stepped into his path. Evan could hear the exchange because the supply room door remained open.
"She's just come through a breathing emergency," Wells said. "She has already told dispatch the basic sequence. We need a child-interview specialist before we introduce faces."
"We could be losing the suspect," the detective replied.
"Then follow the physical evidence. Don't make a frightened ten-year-old identify someone because you're in a hurry."
The detective glanced toward the office, then closed the folder. Evan watched Wells afterward with new respect. She had not needed to prove she outranked anyone. She had used her authority to stop a shortcut that might have hurt the child and made the investigation less reliable.
Mia asked whether police would arrest her for leaving the car when her mother told her to stay. The question made Evan stare at her for a moment before he found his voice. He remembered what Sophie had asked when Natalie died: whether the doctor had left because she had been too noisy. Children could take any unexplained loss and build an accusation against themselves.
"No," he told Mia. "You were alone, cold, and in danger. An adult put you in that situation. You looked for help."
"What if Mommy came back to the car?"
Wells brought out her phone and showed Mia a photograph of a written notice police had placed inside the gray sedan. It gave the official contact line and recorded that Mia was safe and in protective care. Wells explained that officers would notify Claire as soon as they found her.
Mia studied the photograph. "You really put it there?"
"Yes. You don't have to rely only on my word."