I've used them before. They're discreet. " "How discreet? " "They understand that some authentication work is sensitive. " "That's not an answer. " "They've authenticated three vehicles for clients who had legal complications attached. All three situations resolved cleanly. " A pause. "I trust them. " Cole rolled out from under the car and sat up. "Book them for 3 weeks from now.
I want more documentation complete before anyone else comes in here. " "Agreed. " Another pause, shorter. Cole, this is becoming real. "It's been real," he said. "You're just catching up. " She made a sound that might have been a short involuntary laugh, not the kind she was in control of, which made it different from every other expression he'd seen from her. He noticed it and said nothing.
After he hung up, he sat on the shop floor for a while in the particular silence of 3:00 in the afternoon in a Tucson industrial unit, with the traffic noise from I-10 filtering through the walls, and Emma's music faintly audible from the office, and the burned remains of a car that wasn't supposed to exist sitting in his bay. He thought about calling his mechanics lien attorney about whether possessing a vehicle of uncertain ownership created any liability issues. He thought about the NDA he'd signed in 2017, which had a 3-year term and was therefore expired. He thought about the fact that someone had tried to destroy this car and failed, and that whoever had done that still didn't know where the car was, and that the auction registration was public record. He thought about Emma.
He got up, washed his hands, and went to check on her homework. The call came on a Tuesday. Cole was at the shop alone, Emma at school, the door rolled up to let the morning air through before the desert heat built. He was working on one of his regular paying jobs, a '91 Porsche 964 with a failed IMS bearing that needed more attention than the job was paying for, which was a familiar situation. His phone was on the bench, unknown number.
He answered. "Mr. Bennett? " A man's voice, older, with a precision to the diction that suggested it had been trained rather than natural. "My name is Douglas Farr. I'm a legal representative for a client I'm not at liberty to name.
I'm calling to discuss a vehicle currently in your possession. " Cole set down the tool he was holding and picked up the phone properly. How did you get this number? Auction registrations are public record as I'm sure you know. What client? As I said, I'm not at liberty.
Then this conversation is going to be short. Cole kept his voice level. What do you want? A brief pause. Fara adjusted.
My client has an interest in the vehicle registered as lot 47 at the Harmon Salvage and Fleet Auction. We believe the vehicle may contain certain proprietary materials that are the subject of ongoing legal consideration. My client would like to discuss acquiring the vehicle from you at a price considerably above your purchase cost. How considerably? $120,000 paid within 48 hours of signed transfer documentation. Cole's chest did something complicated that he kept completely off his face and his voice. $120,000 was more money than Bennett Restoration had cleared in its best 2 years combined.