“Austin, were you personally involved in investigating Brandon’s crash five years ago?” I asked directly.

The sudden question clearly caught him off guard.

“Of course I was involved,” he replied, blinking in surprise.

“I was one of the very first officers on the scene that night.”

“Were you the officer who wrote the final official report?” I pressed.

“No, I gave my statement to the lead investigator, but Detective Miller handled the actual case file,” he explained.

“Did you know anything about a serious drainage problem near the north bend of the road?” I asked.