That's like saying I stole my own refrigerator. Brenda materialized beside the officers like a suburban poltergeist, still clutching her phone with white knuckles. "That's him. That's the car thief.
I just bought that exact Camaro yesterday for $45,000. " I took a deep breath, tasting the lingering exhaust fumes from my perfectly legal muscle car and trying not to laugh at the cosmic joke my life had become. "Stay calm," I reminded myself. My old man always said, "Documentation beats desperation every time. "Officers, I can prove ownership right now. " I pulled out my phone, scrolling to the photo album I'd obsessively maintained. "This car has been mine for 18 months. I rebuilt every bolt from scratch. " Rodriguez studied the progression photos with genuine interest. Rust bucket to rolling chassis to painted perfection. His eyebrows climbed as he swiped through images of me installing the engine block, priming body panels, stitching the interior. That's some serious craftsmanship, he murmured, zooming in on a shot of the engine bay.
You do this professionally. Family business. My grandfather would have beaten me with a wrench if I'd done sloppy work. Meanwhile, Brenda was having what appeared to be a full psychological break. "He's lying. Look at these. " She thrust printed photos at the officers, clearly downloaded from some dealer website 5 minutes before calling 911. "I wired the money yesterday.
They were shipping it this week. " Chen examined her evidence with the enthusiasm of someone reviewing tax documents. Generic dealer stock photos, no VIN numbers, no actual paperwork, just glossy images that could have been any orange Camaro built between 1967 and yesterday. "Ma'am, do you have purchase documentation, bill of sale, wire transfer receipts, dealer contact information? " Brenda's face turned the approximate color of a fire engine. "It's... it's all being processed. " The dealer said paperwork takes time for classic cars. While she improvised her explanation, I was digging through my garage workbench like an automotive archaeologist.