Part 3 — Footage From June
Bill opened his laptop and turned it toward the desk. “June 14th, 9:48 p.m.,” he said. “My lot camera, back row. Austin, I would like you to watch this with your grandfather.”
The footage showed Austin pulling the Buick onto the lot with a spare key. He photographed the odometer and walked inside. Through the office window you could see him sign a trade-in sheet. On the line marked Owner he wrote an L and a long wavy line.
“Grandpa signs his full name in cursive, every time,” Bill said quietly. “Shirley taught him that.”
Josh, the young salesman, cleared his throat. “The manager flagged that sheet, sir. Austin told us Mr. Leonard was waiting in the car.”
“That is a false statement on a vehicle title document,” Bill said. “In Ohio, that is a felony. I called the county prosecutor on Monday.”
Austin finally spoke. “I was going to put it back, Grandpa. I just needed the money for the Mustang.”
A power of attorney is a duty to serve, never a key to take.
The trade-in was voided that afternoon, and the Mustang lease was cancelled. The lender took the car back. Austin entered a restitution agreement to repay the difference and the fees. He pleaded to a lesser charge and received probation and community service, driving seniors to their medical appointments three days a week.
My daughter Lisa came to see me with red eyes. She apologized for not defending me. I told her the mailbox I nearly hit in May was a bag of leaves blowing across the road.
Bill had already pulled the Buick from the back row, washed it, and filled the tank. He pressed the keys into my palm. “Shirley picked this car out,” he said. “It was never going anywhere.”
I drove it to church the next Sunday with the windows down. Bill followed in his own car all the way to the parking lot, just to make sure I got there.
A month later, Austin sat in the passenger seat for the first drive of his sentence. I took him to the grocery store, the radio on Shirleys old station. Neither of us said much, and that was a good start.