The witnesses stayed for nearly three hours. Celeste obtained written statements, recorded clear descriptions of firsthand events, and arranged to request independent verification of the records they brought. She also asked them to avoid discussing details publicly until investigators could preserve the evidence, especially after hearing about the attack at the storage unit. Before leaving, each person was given a contact number for the legal team and instructions to report any threats immediately.
Outside the church, the late afternoon sky had turned the color of faded copper. Altha hugged Ruth Anne again and promised that they would speak after the weekend, regardless of what happened with the hotel. Samuel insisted on carrying Lionel's bag to his car, smiling at the older man's complaints that he had been carrying his own belongings for seventy-six years. Elias watched them with an ache in his chest, understanding how many relationships had been broken by the lie that his grandmother simply walked away.
He noticed the black SUV as he helped Altha into his truck. It stood across the street, its windows dark, with an engine that remained running while nearby cars came and went. When Elias pulled away, the SUV followed at a distance that could have been coincidence for the first several turns. By the time it remained behind them through a series of ordinary city streets, he no longer believed it was accidental.
"Someone's following us," he told Altha. She glanced at the passenger-side mirror without turning her head. "Same vehicle?" she asked. "Looks like the one that watched the church. I'm going toward the federal building where Celeste said we could meet investigators."
The evidence case sat on the back seat, containing witness statements and the historical copies Lionel had provided. Elias did not want to endanger the people whose names were now attached to those papers. He called the police through his hands-free system, described his location, and reported that a suspicious vehicle was following him after a documented assault at a storage facility. The dispatcher instructed him to continue toward a populated area while units attempted to locate the vehicle.
At a traffic light near Peachtree and Auburn, the SUV closed the gap. Elias saw its headlights fill his mirror, then felt a violent jolt as it struck the truck from behind. Altha gasped and caught the armrest, but her seat belt held her in place. The impact sent an archival envelope sliding off the back seat, and Elias fought to keep the truck from moving into the intersection.
The SUV struck them again. Horns sounded, pedestrians turned, and another driver stopped on the opposite side of the road to stare. Elias heard Altha ask whether he was hurt, her voice startlingly steady beneath the noise. "I'm all right," he said, though his shoulder was already beginning to ache. "Keep your seat belt fastened."
The driver of the SUV pulled alongside them and made a threatening gesture through the open passenger window. Elias did not wait to find out whether the object in the passenger's hand was a weapon. He focused on getting away from the immediate danger, keeping control of the damaged truck, and maintaining contact with the dispatcher. Traffic opened briefly ahead of them, and he drove toward a busier street where witnesses and cameras were more likely to be present.