His stomach did an uneasy roll on the way back across the lot. If Stevens didn’t slash Brittany’s tires, who the hell did? The vandalism was not only personal, it was downright viciously cold.
He nodded to the sheriff and the accompanying deputy as Brittany braced her fist on her hips. “Well, what did he say?”
“That he didn’t do it.” Joel looked back to where Kelly now lounged against the side of the store. The red-tipped end of a cigarette arched from his side to his mouth, then glowed bright in the shadows as he took a drag.
“Of course he’s going to keep lying.”
Joel shook his head, his frustration with her beginning to mount. “You shouldn’t have confronted him like that.”
“I wanted to catch him off guard.”
“All you did was antagonize him further.” He was pretty sure he had Kelly contained, but didn’t want her to know that.
Brittany’s gaze bore into his. “So? Whether it came from me directly, or Aaron, he’s going to know who accused him.”
“You should’ve waited,” Joel restated, teeth clenched. “Next time I tell you to do something—”
“You are not my boss.”
Sheriff Thompson stepped forward, one hand raised for silence. “All right, let’s just all calm down. Britt, how about you work with Craig to get the report started while I take a look at your truck.”
She turned away to talk to the deputy, and Joel exchanged a look with Aaron. The guy gave him a brief smile of commiseration before dropping down to examine the first tire. He hunkered down beside him.
“You think Stevens did this?” Aaron asked.
Brittany stepped up behind them. “After his threat the other day, it’s obvious he did it.”
Forearms braced on his knees, Thompson glanced up at her. “I was asking Joel.”
Oh, she’s going to be pissed. Joel met Aaron’s gaze and gave a slight negative shake of his head. The cop’s mouth compressed into a tight, displeased line.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Brittany exclaimed.
As Aaron brushed off his hands and stood to face her, Joel rose, too.
“Did you see him over here?” the sheriff asked.
“No,” she admitted, her glare still lasered on Joel. “But he came in from the parking lot just as we exited the store.”
“Did anyone see him by your truck?”
“I don’t know, no one’s said anything. But we haven’t asked, either.”
“I told him we’d check the security tapes,” Joel told the cop.
“Perfect!” Brittany threw her arm out and up. “That’ll prove he’s lying.”
“Do their security cameras cover the lot?”
Joel lifted a shoulder as Aaron looked to him like he knew the answer. “I don’t know. I was only trying to scare him into a confession.”
“I’ll talk to the manager, see what I can get.”
The knot in Joel’s stomach wound tighter. “It’s not Kelly. He wasn’t worried about any cameras. Said they would prove he was innocent.”
“Who else would it be?” Brittany demanded in disbelief.
Aaron held his gaze for a moment, then turned to her. “We’ll haul the truck to the station to examine the tires and maybe get a print to match, but that’s an extreme long shot. Right now, unless Kelly confesses—which seems unlikely since he’s already denied it to both of you—I can’t bring him in.”