My $50K Garage Was Stolen by My Neighbor,So I Set a Trap

I'd just left town on a business trip when Beryl Chavez from unit 701 sent me a message.

She wanted the passcode to my garage lock. Something urgent had come up, she said, and she needed to park there for a couple of days.

I figured good neighbors were worth more than distant relatives, so I gave it to her.

Three days later, the job was done and I headed home.

When I pulled into the underground garage, I stopped cold.

Someone had swapped the lock for a brand-new one.

My garage. The one I'd paid $40,000 for, then spent another $10,000 renovating.

And I couldn't park my own car in it.