Page 58 of Lemon Pound Cake Club

Lemon Grove Emergency

Camille: Please come outside.

Another message appeared.

Camille: Someone has destroyed my yard.

Then a new message showed up.

Camille: Please... I don't want to be alone.

More messages kept coming in.

Simone: I'm on my way.

Nia: Is everyone okay?

Jade: Stay inside. Don't touch anything.

Danielle: I'm coming too.

Miss Evelyn: We'll be there shortly.

I looked at the screen for a moment, then put my phone back on the desk.

Someone had destroyed Camille's yard. I slipped my phone into my back pocket and went upstairs to change.

By the time I was done, women were already crossing the street. Some still wore robes over their pajamas, while others looked like they had gotten dressed as quickly as possible.

In Lemon Grove Estates, 'Please come outside' was as urgent as a fire alarm. I locked my front door and crossed the street.

As I walked, the damage stood out even more. Every flowerbed was empty. The flowers that used to line her neat home were scattered across the grass. All the plants had been pulled out by the roots. Clumps of dirt still clung to the tangled roots, leaving long marks in the mulch where each plant had been. The decorative shrubs and lemon trees were untouched. Whoever did this had been on a mission.

Camille stood in the middle of her yard, hugging herself. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, and for the first time since I’d met her, she didn’t look perfectly put together. She looked shaken. Simone was the first to reach her.

"Oh my God." She wrapped Camille in a hug. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know."

Her voice shook.

"I woke up, opened the curtains, and..." She looked around her yard. "They're all gone."

Nia stepped carefully over the uprooted flowers.

"Did you call the police?"

"They're on their way."

"Did anyone try getting into the house?"

"I checked every door. Everything was locked."

Jade’s brow furrowed.

"What about your cameras?"

Camille took a shaky breath.