"Fag fucker?" Darnell asked, turning the phone so the guys could see. "I'm gonna make a wild guess that these inbred fuck-nuts don't have a damned clue what an oxymoron is, right?"
"Pretty sure they don't care," Luke said. "How bad's the damage, Vi?"
"No idea, and we won't know until I can call Mike in the morning and have him look at it. Two tires are flat and the front windshield is useless, so it can't be driven."
Luke just nodded. "I'll call him."
Then Cessily came back out of the guest room wearing a few more pieces of clothing. "My concern is filing a police report," she said. "We've already seen that going through the department doesn't do anything."
So I snagged my phone back from Darnell's hand and then scrolled down my list of contacts. There, tucked nicely in the middle, was a listing for Officer Dan. I honestly had no idea what shift he was working, but I decided to press the button anyway.
"This is Dan," the man answered on the second ring.
"Dan, this is Violet," I said. "I hope I didn't wake you, but -"
"No, you're fine," he broke in. "I'm currently on shift until ten in the morning. What can I help you with?"
"We just had three guys jump the fence and come onto the property. They trashed my car pretty good. I've got two slashed tires, spray paint on three sides, and the front windshield is toast. The problem is that we're at Southwind, so I know that if I try to call it in and make an official report, it's going to vanish. Any advice?"
The man chuckled, but it was a dry and ironic sound. "Believe it or not, I'm still a police officer. I am also currently at work. You know what that means?"
"I'm assuming you're going to tell me?" I asked.
"It means that I'll be over at your place in fifteen minutes to take an official report," he said. "I'll also make sure that you have a copy before I'm off work today. The guys I work with might be fucking around and playing games, but I promise that I'm not a part of that crowd."
"Think you might be willing to talk to a friend of mine while you're here?" I asked. "Before you answer, just know that he also happens to be the local representative for this district in the state of Texas."
"That Caruzo guy?" Dan asked. "Yeah, I can talk to him, but I don't know what good it will do."
"I just need you to talk to him, Dan," I promised. "And I also need the reports for my insurance to cover the repairs on this. I make no promises for what anyone is wearing, but I'll buzz you in as soon as you get to the gate."
"Then I'll see you in a bit," he assured me. "I would love to say that we'll catch the assholes who did it, but I think we both know that would be a lie."
"Which is the exact reason why I trust you," I assured him and then ended the call. "Evidently Officer Dan is working tonight," I told the rest. "So at least we still have one police officer in town who isn't corrupt."
Darnell just pushed to his feet. "I'll go tell Blaze so he doesn't shoot the man."
Chapter Fifty-Two
At exactly eight o'clock, I called Mike. That was when the garage opened, so even if he was running late, he should be up by now. Sure enough, the man answered on the first ring.
"Why the fuck are you calling me before I've got the door unlocked, Luke?" Mike asked.
"Because Violet needs a mechanic," I told him.
"Why? What happened?"
"All of Southwind got woken up around four this morning when her car alarm went off," I explained. "Three guys jumped the fence and came onto the property to trash her car. They spray-painted shit all over that Audi, slashed the tires on the driver side, and busted out the front window. Mike, she can't drive it."
"You all got coffee up there?" He asked.
"Yup."
"Well, then let me pull a couple of spares out, and I'll come get it drivable," he said. "I'll need you to follow me back in my truck, but we'll make it work. Won't be able to tell you how long I have to keep it in to fix it, though."
"Pretty sure she doesn't care how long it takes," I assured him. "I have a feeling that they're gonna be pressing charges for this shit, so make sure you keep damned good records, okay?"
Mike assured me that wasn't a problem, then got off the phone. I was starting to regret not going back to sleep now, but it was too late for that. Things had already started happening. Berto and Billy were camped inside his office, looking through all of the videos recorded this morning. I'd heard them talking on the phone to Teal at least once.
