"I was doing my job."
"Your job seemed to involve staring at her like a lovesick puppy."
Declan definitely laughs this time, turning it into an unconvincing sneeze.
"If you'd like to file a formal complaint about my conduct, Captain Ramirez is in his office," I say, keeping my voice professionally flat.
"Maybe I will." She spins on her heel and marches toward the captain's office.
Ten minutes later, she storms back out, looking even angrier than before. She says nothing to me, just clicks her way to the exit. But as she passes the front desk, I hear her on her phone.
"Brad? Yes, it's time for Plan B. Make it messy."
The door swings shut behind her.
"That sounded ominous," Declan observes.
"Yeah, it did." I pull up Brad Hutchins' record on the computer. Multiple complaints filed against various property managers over the years. Lawsuits that always get settled out of court. The guy's basically a professional problem tenant.
"You think they're working together?"
"I think Valerie wants Kendall gone, and Brad has a history of making property managers' lives hell."
My phone buzzes. It's a text from Hudson.
Hudson: I can see Kendall's car from the fire station. Somebody threw red paint all over it.
I'm out of my chair and heading for the door before I finish reading.
"Where are you going?" Declan calls after me.
"Kendall's here somewhere. Her car just got vandalized."
The parking lot is a mess. Kendall's silver Honda looks like it lost a fight with a paint store. Red paint covers the windshield, the hood, and someone's written "QUIT OR ELSE" across the driver's side door.
Kendall stands beside it, still in her clothes from this morning, though she's found shoes somewhere. She's on the phone, her free hand pressed to her forehead.
"...yes, I understand. No, I'll handle it. The building three situation is already... yes, I'm on my way." She ends the call and turns to find me watching. "Let me guess. More violations?"
"This is vandalism," I say, pulling out my phone to photograph the damage. "You need to file a report."
"I don't have time for a report. I have three properties in crisis, a community room to repair, and a board meeting in three hours where I'm going to lose my job, anyway."
"Kendall—"
"It's fine. It's just paint."
"It's not fine. This is targeted harassment."
She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You just sent Valerie away, didn't you? She probably did this herself."
"Do you have any proof?"
"Do I ever?" She pulls out her keys, then looks at her paint-covered car. "Great. Now I need an Uber too."
"I'll drive you."
"No."
