Rough Justice (Cainsville 5.5)

The problem with loving mysteries? I saw way too many possibilities.

When Heather hesitated, I said, "Can we start by taking a look at your security system?"

"Yes, of course. I have an evaluation. After the break-in, we upgraded our system, and then Alan hired an independent expert to evaluate it. I can make you a copy of the report."

"Thank you," Gabriel said. "But my investigator will still want to examine the system herself."

"If that's all right," I added.

"Certainly. I'll show you where it is, and then I'll copy that report for you."

Eleven

Olivia

Gabriel's investigator did indeed examine the system, as part of her ongoing education. Which meant that, while Heather was gone, I assessed the system...and then Gabriel assessed my assessment.

The verdict? That the system wasn't nearly as good as the Nansens seemed to think. It afforded the illusion of perfect security, but a professional thief would have little difficulty breaking in.

While the Nansens were certain that the same burglar had targeted them three times, Gabriel wasn't convinced of it. The property practically waved a neon Rob Me sign. The house was surrounded by mature evergreens that would have blocked the neighbors from view, but there was also an eight-foot fence. What kept it safe from prying eyes, though, also kept burglars safe from those eyes as they prowled.

Then there were the windows. So many windows. Being a single-story house, for proper security, they'd have needed to arm each window. Instead, the alarms covered only the doors, including the sliding one on the patio off the kitchen where the intruder had entered. That was on a separate system, which Heather explained was kept armed unless they were using the back deck.

"Alan worried that I'd forget to arm the house when I was home alone," she said. "The police said the patio door was the most likely spot for someone to try again, so we left that armed all the time. Alan... He worried."

Her voice caught when she said that, and she cleared her throat with a quiet, "Excuse me."

Gabriel opened his mouth. A look from me shut it. I knew what was coming. He'd been about to tell her to take a minute, his catch-all reaction to people experiencing any surge of emotion.

Take a minute.

It sounded thoughtful and considerate, and clients took it that way. But even from the first time he'd said it to me, I knew what it really meant.

Take a moment and get this over with so we can move on.

Heather was entitled to bursts of emotion, and he could just keep his mouth shut and deal with it. It wasn't as if she seemed in any danger of breaking down sobbing uncontrollably, unable to continue. She was already back on track, showing us how the alarm worked.

"And you had an intruder break in here," I said. "That was the first sign of anyone trying?"

She nodded. "It was strange, really. I slept right through it. Alan got home, and when he went into the kitchen for a snack, he felt a draft. It was March, so the wind blew right through. He looked over to see the door open. At first, he thought I'd left it that way, but then he saw the lock had been forced. He got me up, and we reported it."

It was strange, really.

True, but the way she said it seemed oddly flat. Detached. Though it had been a couple of months ago, and it paled compared to what happened two weeks back.

"The only thing taken was your purse?" I said.

She nodded. "I kept it over there." She pointed to a hook on the wall. "In retrospect, maybe not the best idea. Someone just needed to look in the patio door to see it. The police thought the intruder got startled and left before he could grab more, but really, I'm not sure what else he would have taken. That was an easy snatch and run."

"But then he came back."

She crossed her arms, and now she did look uneasy. "Twice. Which..."

"Seems odd?"

She nodded. "I guess since the purse was so easy, he could have decided he'd come back for more. But twice?"

"You scared him off, though."