I reread the text twice, my brain working frantically to understand what it meant.

The steering linkage had failed before the truck left the road.

Brandon had been driving with extreme care on that slick road.

If the vehicle had suffered a sudden mechanical failure before it reached the bend, then the accident hadn’t been caused by reckless driving or speed at all.

I quickly typed back: “Who changed the inspection report?”

There was a long, agonizing pause before his reply appeared.

“I don’t know for certain, but I know who had administrative access to the file that night.