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The garage.
As soon as she answered, the guy on the other end gave her the bad news. “Sorry to tell you this, but the two flats aren’t salvageable. You’ve got punctures in the shoulder of one tire and multiple punctures in both that are too close together to repair.”
She squinted at the cursor on her laptop screen. “Multiple as in how many?”
“Three or four in each, and a third tire went flat after wetowed the car in. Same story. The fourth tire seems to be holding air. Roofing nails were the culprit, by the way. Is someone putting on a new roof in your area?”
“No. There hasn’t been any activity like that, or construction of any kind, in my neighborhood.”
“Huh. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s pretty weird.”
“So I need three new tires?”
“I’d suggest four. The tread is worn on all of them.”
Sad but true. Replacing them was on her to-do list for down the road, after she beefed up her savings.
So much for that plan.
“Okay. Go ahead and put on four new ones. How much will that set me back?”
She cringed as he gave her the amount.
“That’s assuming you want comparable tires. We could go with a cheaper model, but I’d recommend a higher quality tire if you’re planning to keep your car for a while.”
Yes, she was. A long while.
“The ones you suggested are fine. Can I pick up the car after work?”
“Sure. We’re here till seven.”
Seconds after she pressed end, her cell began to vibrate again.
This call she was happy to take.
“Morning again, Marc.” She flicked a glance at her watch. Two-thirty already? Where had this Tuesday gone? “Or I should say afternoon.”
“Your morning must have been as busy as mine.”
“Nonstop. But I did manage to go through our database, and I’ve got matches for three of the four notations on Les’s list.”
“So your theory was correct. Have you had a chance to read the reports yet? Look for commonalities?”
“No. I was called out to a fire not long after you droppedme off at work and only got back to the office an hour ago. Barring any other interruptions, I’m going to focus on culling through these this afternoon.”
“If you want to send me copies, I can do the same. We could get together tomorrow or the next day to compare notes.”
Another meeting with Marc?
That would definitely be the highlight of her week.
“I’m on board with that.”
“What’s the story on your car?”
A few beats of silence ticked by after she relayed the message from the service guy at the garage, and it wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking. Nor could she brush off his concerns as easily now.
“I have to admit I’m a bit spooked by the news, especially since I haven’t been anywhere near an in-progress roofing job or construction zone.” She doodled a bullseye on the pad on her desk. Scowled. Scratched over the scribble.
