Chapter 3

The officer returned after reviewing Ethan' s dashcam footage.

"Chief, the footage confirms Mr. Cole's statement. Multiple aggressive lane changes, brake-checks by the Mustang driver."

Kyle spluttered. "That footage is fake! He edited it!"

Chief Miller just gave him a tired look. "Mr. Jensen, it seems you were at fault for reckless driving."

Just then, a sleek tow truck from a high-end classic car restoration shop pulled up, followed by a man in a crisp polo shirt.

"Ethan, you called?" the man said, extending a hand. It was Tony, the appraiser Ethan had phoned.

"Tony, thanks for coming so quick," Ethan said. "Take a look, will you?"

Tony examined the Shelby's rear bumper. "Hmm, a scratch, maybe a slight ding in the plastic. Two thousand, tops, to make it perfect."

Kyle puffed up. "See? Two grand! You better have it!"

Tony then moved to the Chevelle. He ran his hand over the fender Kyle had kicked, then looked at the slight dent on the chrome bumper.

His expression turned serious.

"Ethan, this fender... it's a numbers-matching original panel. And that paint is concours-level. The kick dented it badly. And this bumper, it's custom-made, triple-chromed."

He pursed his lips. "To repair this fender properly, strip it, metal finish, repaint to match... you're looking at fifteen thousand. The bumper, another ten. The kick also scuffed the custom pinstriping, that' s another five. So, thirty thousand, easy. Maybe more for the pinstriping."

Kyle' s jaw dropped. "Thirty... thousand? For that old piece of junk? You're crazy! He's trying to scam me!"

The crowd gasped. Thirty grand for a dent on an old car.

"It's a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6," Tony said calmly. "Fully restored to original, with a few high-performance modifications that are period-correct. Very rare, very valuable. This car is probably worth more than your Shelby, son."

Kyle looked like he'd been punched. "My girl will cover it! She's got money!"

An insurance adjuster, a woman Ethan' s company used, arrived. She' d been alerted by Ethan' s call to his own insurance.

She listened to the police report, looked at both cars, and then addressed Kyle.

"Mr. Jensen, since the Shelby GT500 is registered to AeroCorp Dynamics, and the accident was caused by your reckless driving, and furthermore, this appears to be an unauthorized use of a company vehicle by a non-employee for non-business purposes..."

She paused, letting it sink in.

"...it's highly probable that the company's insurance policy will not cover your liability for the damages to Mr. Cole's vehicle. You may be personally responsible for the full amount."

Kyle' s face went from white to purple.

"Personally responsible? No way!"

He suddenly lunged for his trunk, wrenching it open. He pulled out a crowbar.

Before anyone could react, he swung it wildly, smashing one of the Chevelle' s taillights.

CRASH!

"There!" he screamed, spittle flying. "Now it's really damaged! Here's a grand, now get lost!"

He threw a wad of cash at Ethan's feet.

Ethan didn't even flinch. He looked at the shattered taillight.

"That taillight lens alone is five thousand dollars, genius. It' s a rare NOS part. And what you just did is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony vandalism."