Chapter 3

Two police officers arrived, one in his forties and a younger one.

I showed them the contract, payment records, and SnapChat messages.

I also explained the situation in the house.

The older officer, Officer Miller, listened, then looked at Maggie.

"Are you the domestic services worker?"

Maggie wiped her tears. "Yes, I'm here to work. Before she left, she told me to leave the house to me, so I thought I'd let my son come stay for a couple of days. I really didn't mean anything else."

Officer Miller asked, "How many days has your family been staying?"

Maggie didn't speak.

Carter said, "Not many days."

I interjected, "The smart lock records show they arrived the evening of the second day. Today is the sixteenth day."

Carter glared at me. "You even check that?"

I said, "It's my own home's lock record, why wouldn't I check?"

Officer Miller looked at Carter. "The owner doesn't agree, so you need to leave."

Carter said, "It's too late now."

Officer Miller checked his watch. "It's 9:40 PM, that's not late."

Mia, holding her child, began to cry. "The child has kindergarten tomorrow; where are you going to make us go?"

I bit my tongue, but couldn't help saying, "Is the kindergarten operating *from* my master bedroom?"

Mia's face flushed red. "How can you be so mean-spirited?"

Maggie suddenly clutched her chest. "I'm dizzy."

Mr. Anderson quickly supported her. "Ma'am, ma'am, are you okay?"

Maggie slumped onto the sofa, her voice weak. "I have high blood pressure; I can't handle stress."

Watching her act, I felt a chill in my heart.

This wasn't her first performance.

She was too practiced.

Officer Miller frowned. "If you're not feeling well, call 911."

Maggie immediately waved her hand. "No, no, I'll be fine after resting a bit."

Mr. Anderson said to me, "Ms. Vance, given the lady's condition, moving out tonight is definitely unrealistic. Tomorrow morning, by 10 AM, I'll personally come supervise their departure."

I asked Officer Miller, "Can that be written down?"

Officer Miller nodded. "We can write up an incident report. The family must vacate by 10 AM tomorrow, the housekeeping service will be terminated, and any outstanding fees or damages can be handled through your contract or through legal action."

Carter muttered under his breath, "Such a hassle."

Officer Miller looked at him. "Care to repeat that?"

Carter fell silent.

After the incident report was written, Maggie reluctantly gave me a new password.

I stood at the door and typed it in.

The door opened.

I asked, "Why did you change the password?"

Maggie's eyes darted away. "The kid was messing with it and locked us out, so my daughter-in-law helped set a new one."

I looked at Mia.

She was looking down at her phone, pretending not to hear.

I went inside and put the cat into its carrier first.

Maggie grew anxious. "If you take the cat, how am I supposed to provide service?"

I turned back to her. "You still remember 'service'?"

Her face went pale.

I then went to the study to get my documents and laptop.

There were new scratches on the study door handle.

I pulled open the drawer; my passport was still there, and so was my property deed.

The lock on the black storage cabinet hadn't been touched.

Inside were several lenses from the studio, two wristwatches, and a handbag.

These were equipment and samples from photography projects Jason and I worked on. They had invoices and serial numbers, and I usually kept them insured in my study.

I had specifically locked the cabinet before leaving the country.

I touched the lock, feeling a little relieved.

But the two SnapChat cameras in the living room were both unplugged.

I asked Maggie, "Who unplugged the cameras?"

She said, "The red light kept flashing; it was creepy."

"The contract states there's surveillance in the living room and study, which are common areas."

She retorted, righteous, "An old woman like me, being watched by you here, who could stand it?"

I didn't bother to argue further.

But I knew there was another camera, disguised as a smoke detector, on top of the study cabinet.

It had been installed after a pipe leak the year before, connected to an independent power source, and its angle only covered the study doorway and the storage cabinet.

It was also mentioned in the contract appendix.

They probably hadn't noticed.

I carried the cat carrier and dragged my suitcases out.

Maggie called out from behind me, "Ms. Vance, we'll definitely be gone by ten tomorrow. Don't worry."

I didn't look back.

I checked into a hotel near the apartment complex entrance.

At the vet clinic, the doctor took one look at my cat and said it was dehydrated and had mild gastroenteritis.

"Its drinking and bathroom habits haven't been normal lately, have they?"

I nodded.

The doctor asked, "Who was taking care of it?"

I said, "Someone I paid."

The doctor sighed. "We need to start an IV."

I sat in the hospital corridor, watching my cat curled up in its cage.

I paid $2,500 for peace of mind.

What I got instead was a house full of strangers.