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He pulls into my driveway a couple of minutes later while I’m bringing out my shop vac. My truck is a mess. Everything is soaking wet inside and covered in crumbling fragments of glass.
“What the hell did you do?” Lee asks.
“I found it this way. From the storm last night, maybe, I don’t know.”
He does the same thing I did, scanning around for an obvious tree limb or something that could’ve bounced off it. “Was it hailing?”
“No.” By the time I walked Calli home, the storms had passed leaving only rain. It’s possible the window was already broken, and we didn’t notice it in the dark. We were both drunk. “I can fix it, but can you run me to the auto parts store?” It’s not my first time replacing a window. Handleman saw to that before.
“No problem. I’ll help you get the new one in.” Lee rubs his chin, studying the truck. “You don’t think this was intentional?”
“I don’t want to,” I sigh.
“It’s been a long time. Surely not.”
“He got out of prison recently, but this could be a coincidence. The storm or some random asshole.” I’d be a little more confident of that if something was stolen. “The ladder is behind the shed if you want to go ahead and grab it while I vacuum up the glass and water.”
The shop vac works well for the glass, but it’ll still need some time to dry out. Hopefully the auto parts store or junkyard will have the correct replacement window.
“You have company coming,” Lee says as I’m wrangling in the extension cord.
Calli crosses the driveway, grabbing her hair in one hand when the wind whips it around her face. “Oh no, you too?”
“Was your car broken into?” Lee asks before I get the chance.
She nods and presses her lips together. “They busted out my window too. I had to call the police to get a report for myinsurance company. That’s what I was coming up to tell you so you wouldn’t be alarmed to see a squad car at my house. They’re supposed to be on their way.”
“Did they take anything?” I ask.
“The knife out of my glovebox, the two twenty dollar bills I keep in the console for emergencies, and like five bucks in change, probably. Nothing worth breaking the damn window for. I should’ve just left the car unlocked.” Frowning, she slides a hair tie off her wrist and pulls back her hair. “I’m too hungover for this shit.”
I hate that she has to deal with it too, but it is a little bit of a relief. This was likely some assholes out robbing cars. “I’m sorry. We’re going to go see if the auto parts store has a replacement. Come with us and I’ll fix yours if you want.”
“Thanks, but it’s a new car with full coverage insurance. I pay them too much so they can deal with it. The cops might want to talk to you since it was both of us though.” As if her words summoned him, a squad car pulls into the driveway, and she starts back down to her place.
A few minutes later, she returns with the officer, who gives my truck a cursory look. “We’ve had a rash of vehicle break-ins lately in town. She tells me you aren’t missing anything?”
“No, there wasn’t anything of value to take.”
Nodding, he jots something down in his little notebook. “Give it forty-eight hours and you can pick up a report for your insurance company.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Suit yourself.”
He nods at Calli, then walks back down the driveway to his car. As soon as he’s gone, Calli looks at Lee. “I’m sorry to ask under the circumstances but could you please do me a favor? I need a ride to the county jail.”
“You can’t get the report for two days,” Lee points out.
“Ah, yeah, not for that. I need to bail out my friend.” She glances at me. “Silver got arrested last night. I’m not sure what exactly is going on, but she asked me to get her.”
Lee looks over at me, biting back a smile. “Let’s go. We’ll swing by there first.”
The county jail is right downtown. Lee and I wait in his truck while she goes inside. A few minutes later, she emerges with Silver right behind her.
Silver stops in her tracks when I climb out of the truck and hold the door open. “Did you have to bring your entourage to witness this?”
Calli chuckles and shrugs. “Someone vandalized our vehicles overnight. Luckily, Lee said he’d bring me to get you.” Lee dips his head to look at her. “Lee, this is Silver, Silver, this is Lee, Arlow’s bestie.”
