AllFreeNovel
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I tell him I do. I’m a believer that you can’t have enough security. In addition to a Ring, a doorbell camera that stores all activity in a cloud for perpetuity, I have surveillance cameras installed all over my house and property as well as at the gate. The problem with the latter is that they only hold footage for up to a month, when it erases and is replaced by new footage. So, I spend the rest of the day on my laptop, reviewing the footage captured by the Ring, eating lunch at my desk, and looking for anything incriminating.
I find nothing, and by dusk, I have a headache the size of Texas. I’m too worn out to call my insurance agent, and besides, he’s likely gone for the day. Pinching my temples, I look up when a familiar voice enters my office.
Gabe.
After the meeting with the Japanese, he told me I seemed on edge. I told him about the theft. Like the police, he thought it sounded fishy. Still rubbing my temples, I tell him how I’ve spent the rest of the day reviewing surveillance footage from the last few weeks.
“Man, you look beat. Did you find anything?”
I shake my head. “Zippo. Just the usual crew of people entering and leaving our house. Our mail person, the Amazon delivery guys, the gardeners, the pool dudes, the garbage collectors, the electrician, our housekeeper, and recently Nurse Marley and Ava’s mother.”
“Do you think it could be any of them?”
“I don’t know. Ava’s been cooped up in our bedroom more or less for the past three months, so she would know if one of our workers entered the room to steal something. Then again, she could have been sound asleep and not heard a thing. The only one I thought it could be is Ava’s mother.” I don’t mention the grifter extorted me. “But what doesn’t make sense and throws me off is that she’s the one who told Ava to put her rings back on. Why would she do that if she stole them?”
As much as I despise the witch, she’s not a suspect.
“Well, the pieces of jewelry just didn’t walk out of the house.” Gabe rubs his stubbled chin with his thumb. “Are the police going to investigate?”
I let out a sigh, half fatigue, half frustration. “They’re short-staffed, under-budgeted, and have bigger fish to fry in this crime-ridden city.” Over the past three years, crime in LA has risen almost 25%. Following Detroit and Chicago, it’s perceived as the third most dangerous city in the US, according to a recent Gallup poll.
“Did you try your ‘Do you know who I am?’ line?”
“Yeah, I did. They didn’t care. Maybe if my wife or baby were kidnapped, I’d get some respect.”
Gabe looks at me harshly. “C’mon, Ned. You don’t really mean that.” He tries to console me. “The rings, the watch…they’re just things. My mom always said not to love things that can’t love you back.”
But truth is, I do love my things. They give me power. Happiness. Security. Instead of arguing, I let out a yawn. Gabe gives me a sympathetic look.
“Bro, you should call it a day. Let it go. It’s late. Tomorrow’s another day. Go home to that beautiful wife and baby of yours.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
We walk out of my office together, the robbery still weighing on my chest.
I’m going to find whoever did this, and when I do, they better watch out.
THIRTY
NED
When I get home at a quarter to eight, the house is quiet. I make myself a drink and head to the kitchen. To my surprise, Nurse Marley is sitting alone at the island, eating dinner. The baby monitor is next to her on the counter.
At the sound of my footsteps, she looks up. “Hey, you’re home late. A hard day at the office?”
“You could call it that,” I say, making my way to the island with my drink.
“Can I get you some dinner? I made a delicious tofu stir fry with fresh vegetables.” A beat. “Oh, and the baby is sound asleep and Ava’s gone to bed early.” Using chopsticks, she latches on to a snow pea and asks, “Well…can I make you a plate?”
“Nah.” I take a glug of my drink. The amber liquor burns my throat before smoothly entering my system. “I’m not really hungry.”
She studies my face, my hunched shoulders. “You look beat. What’s going on?”
Loosened up by the bourbon, I tell her about the events of the day, not leaving out a detail. She listens intently, with very few interruptions. An occasional question or comment.
“That’s great about your meeting with the Japanese investors, but horrible about the missing jewelry. I’m sorry for your loss,” she adds, as if I lost a child or parent.
“The pieces were worth close to a million dollars.”
