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“Mom?” “Are you alright?” Isla’s voice surprised me. I closed the lid quickly and turned to her with a fake smile.
“I’m okay, dear.” Just verifying something. “Come in, I’ll join you shortly.”
As soon as Isla was no longer visible, I phoned the sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff’s Office, Leona speaking.”
“Leona, it’s Nora.” I need you to come over right away. “I found something unsettling in my garbage.”
Leona became serious when I told her what was in the can. “Don’t touch anything.” I am coming. “Stay indoors with the children until I arrive.”
After I finished the call, I couldn’t stop feeling scared. In our area, there have been several burglaries that were all very similar. The thieves used chemicals to break the locks and were very careful to clean up any evidence. I had a scary idea: my house could be the next target.
“Mom, what’s happening?” Kai inquired, seeing that I was uncomfortable.
“I told him everything was okay, even though I didn’t really feel like smiling.” “Let’s eat dinner.”
Right when we began to eat, someone knocked on the door. I got tense, but felt relieved when I saw Leona through the small hole in the door.
“I told the children to stay and eat their dinner while I went outside to talk to her,” I said. I told Leona everything about Ravi’s note, his odd actions, and what I discovered in the garbage. She listened closely, looking around the street.
“She was glad you called me,” she said. “I will examine what you discovered and have it analyzed.” For now, I suggest you improve your security measures. “We will keep watch in the area throughout the night.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I spent a lot of time looking into security systems, getting startled by every small noise. In the morning, I felt nervous because I hadn’t slept well and had consumed too much coffee. At 8 a.m. exactly, I phoned a security company.
“I want to have cameras put up all around my house.” Today.
“Sorry, the soonest available appointment we have is next week—”
