"Call the police. Tell them a man is refusing to leave my property and creating a disturbance." Vanessa hesitated.
"He's sitting down now, sir." Victor looked at her as if that made the situation worse. "Then tell them we need assistance removing him before he turns this into a bigger scene."
Daniel remained where he was. He knew that private businesses could refuse service within the law, and he knew police officers could arrive and ask questions. He also knew that the people making this call were describing him as dangerous while the only raised voices in the room belonged to the staff.
"Go ahead," he said to Victor. "Let them see for themselves who's been disturbing the peace."
Brent Whitaker adjusted his phone to capture both the entrance and Daniel's chair. Comments were beginning to appear faster than he could read them, though a growing number were less amused than he expected. Some viewers questioned why the dealership had called police on a man asking to purchase a car. Others laughed at Daniel's clothes. Brent selected the remarks that made him feel clever and repeated those aloud, carefully avoiding the ones that asked uncomfortable questions.
"I'm not trying to make trouble," Daniel told Maria when she brought his coffee. She had added a lid to protect it from the movement around the desk and had slipped a napkin beneath the cup.
"You're not," she replied. "I saw every minute."
He studied her face. "Would you be willing to say that if someone asked you formally?"
Maria thought of Sophie waiting after school, of the rent notice she had received last month, and of Vanessa's threat. Then she straightened.
"Yes. I would."
While they waited, Daniel looked again at the Meridian coupe. Under the white lights its black paint resembled deep water, glossy enough to hold distorted reflections of the ceiling. He knew his mother would love its heated seats and quiet interior, though she would probably complain that it was far more car than she needed. He imagined her first reaction when he handed her the key, and the thought steadied him better than the coffee.
The dealership had not always been a place like this. Research from Brooks Holdings showed that Sterling Prestige Motors began as a small family lot selling used work trucks and modest sedans. Victor's father had built the original business by extending fair payment plans to customers whose credit histories did not satisfy larger dealers. Two used trucks, a cramped office, and a handshake had been enough to begin with. Over time the dealership grew into an affluent clientele, and as the inventory grew more expensive, the habit of seeing a customer as a person had grown less secure.
Walt stood near the window with his hands clasped behind him, keeping Daniel company without intruding. "Your father came back once," he said unexpectedly.
Daniel looked up. "What?"