Page 185 of Finding Us

I inspect the badge. It seems legit. “So what do you need?”

“Can I come inside?”

“We’ll come out there.” I step outside with Jade right behind me.

I don’t want this guy in our home. I don’t trust cops. I never have. I’ve seen them abuse their power on more than one occasion and I know how easily they can be bought off. My dad pays them off all the time. I’ve even witnessed it.

The guy does the typical wide-legged cop stance with his arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t know if you heard, but there was an incident at your neighbor’s house last night. They were robbed.”

“What neighbor?”

“The people who live in that yellow one.” He points to the house that’s three down from ours. “Do you know them?”

“No, we’ve never met them.”

“They weren’t home at the time. They were away for the Labor Day weekend. The incident happened around 7. The guy broke in and cleared out the electronics and took some watches and jewelry along with some cash.”

“Did you catch him?”

“Yes, we apprehended the suspect at a gas station not far from here.”

I almost laugh. Whenever cops say things like ‘apprehended the suspect’ I always think they sound like some bad actor on a cop show.

“How did you know it was him?” Jade asks the cop.

“A couple kids saw the guy carrying some items out of the house and they knew he didn’t live there so they had their parents call us. The kids gave us a description of the guy’s car and one of our officers found it at a gas station just outside of town.”

“What did the car look like?” I ask him.

“White Toyota Camry. About 10 years old. Has a dent on the driver’s side. That’s why I’m here. I wondered if you’d seen it driving around. We think this guy might’ve been planning several burglaries in the area.”

“I think I—”

I interrupt Jade. “No. We didn’t see anything.”

The cop nods, his eyes darting from Jade back to me. “So I hear you’re Pearce Kensington’s son.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“It’s a small town. Word spreads fast.” He points to the roof. “Plus, with a security system like that, it’s clear you have money. You’re almost making yourself more of a target with all these cameras.”

“And why is that?”

“When criminals see this, they’ll assume you have valuables you’re trying to protect.” He glances at Jade. “Or people you need to protect.”

I don’t like the way he said that. Or the way he looked at Jade just now.

“Are we done here?” I step in front of Jade.

“Yes. But keep in mind that the guy who robbed your neighbors could have friends. I suggest you keep your place locked up, even when you’re home.” He turns to leave. “Have a good evening.”

“Wait. Do you have a card?”

He hesitates, then takes one from his wallet and hands it to me. “Goodnight.”

As he leaves I follow Jade back in the house, locking the door behind us.

“That’s really scary,” Jade says. “That could’ve been us, Garret. I bet that guy would’ve robbed us if we didn’t have all the cameras outside.”

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