Chapter 3 - The Missing Title
The heavy wooden doors of the barn creaked open wider, letting in a flood of cold afternoon air. Jack stood frozen beside the vintage Triumph, his chest heaving as he stared down at Maeve. The girl tilted her head, her freckled face tightening with sudden suspicion at the sudden shift in the veteran biker's demeanor.
"My dad bought it legally at an estate sale twelve years ago," Maeve said defensively, her hands balling into fists inside her beige jacket pockets. "He had all the paperwork in his home office. Why? Is something wrong with the bike?"
Jack exchanged a grim, unspoken glance with Bo and Vance. The three seasoned bikers communicated through decades of shared history and unspoken secrets.
"Kid, that VIN plate isn't just rare," Vance muttered, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his vest pocket without lighting one. "That bike belonged to the Iron Heads. The whole club vanished off the highway back in ninety-eight. Nobody was ever supposed to see that frame again, let alone touch it."
Maeve took a step back, her green eyes flashing with sudden anger. "My father was an honest mechanic, not a thief! He spent his last breath talking about finishing this restoration so it could finally ride again."
"We aren't calling him a thief," Jack said placatingly, holding up his calloused hands. "Arthur was a quiet man. But bikes like this carry heavy ghosts. If the wrong people find out this machine is sitting in your barn, you won't just lose the motorcycle."
"What are you talking about?" Maeve demanded, her voice cracking under the mounting pressure. "Who could possibly care about an old bike from the nineties?"
Jack reached out, grabbing a heavy wooden stool and pulling it close to the Triumph. He sat down heavily, the old wood groaning beneath his weight. He looked up at Maeve with a look of deep, sorrowful regret.
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"The man who originally owned that bike didn't sell it, Maeve," Jack said heavily. "He was murdered thirty miles down Route 9, and the killer was never caught."
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