“Yes, that will be fine. I’m sure it’s just a false alarm,” I said as I held onto Del’s hand. “The thing hasn’t been working great for a while. Wait here for a second, and I’ll go talk to them.”
I climbed out of the car, but she was right behind me as the guard came to meet us at the beginning of the driveway. Del was probably more worried about it all than I was; her hand shivered in mine, and I squeezed it slightly to comfort her.
“Hi, I’m Brandon Baker, this is my house. Did the alarm go off mistakenly? It’s been doing that. I had it off for a few weeks, but someone came over yesterday and said it was fixed.”
“Sir, it appears there’s been a break in.”
“Really?”
It was a shock to hear that there had actually been a break in. I really didn’t expect it and instantly became more aware of my surroundings and what was going on. There were two security vehicles that had pulled around in my driveway, and I noticed some people moving throughout my home.
“Yes, sir. The alarm reported a breach in the front door; when we arrived, it was wide open. Police are on their way. If you’d like to come with me inside, we can look around with you and make sure everything is all right.”
“So someone really broke in?” I asked.
“It appears so, although I’m not sure you have anything missing. The electronics from the living room are all still intact. It’s possible the alarm scared the burglar off.”
“Wow, I’m just surprised someone would try to break in. This neighborhood is so secure.”
The security guard laughed at my comment and smirked a little. For the first time since moving to my house, I realized that the security I felt was likely imaginary.
The alarm company had to have been at my house for at least fifteen minutes by the time Del and I had arrived there, yet the neighborhood security guard still hadn’t arrived to check things out. The alarm on the house had probably gone off for a few minutes before the alarm company showed up with their security officers, as well, and there were no local police officers there at all. My feeling of safety was quickly shattered by this incident.
“Let’s go through the house,” the man said without commenting on the local security and their lack of presence on the scene.
“I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind,” Del said as she looked toward the house. “What if they are still in there?”
“It’s not likely, ma’am; I’ve had men sweeping the exterior and interior for the last ten minutes. You are welcome to stay out here, though.”
“I’ll be right back.”
All I could think about was that big-necked thug who had been at my house the day before. He certainly was trying to send me a message, and I got it loud and clear. My house wasn’t as safe as I thought it was and for whatever reason, he was intent on instilling a little fear into me. I had underestimated him, and that only happened once for me, I was going to make sure I didn’t underestimate this thug again.
“The front door didn’t actually have any signs of damage. Is it possible someone else has a key and didn’t know about the alarm?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got a few people who work on the house and they have keys. I’ll have to check with them in the morning.”
“Your computer equipment is still here, televisions, other electronics. Nothing appears out of place. Do you see any concerns?”
He was right: the house looked to be in the same condition it was in when I left it. Maybe it had just been my housekeeper coming by to drop something off? I hadn’t told anyone I had the alarm fixed; it could have startled her and she left so fast that she didn’t get the door shut.
Although it was very concerning to have my front door opened and the security company there, if nothing was stolen, I wasn’t going to get myself too worked up about it. There were too many other possible reasons that the alarm could have gone off.
“I should check my safe,” I said to myself when we got to the bedroom.
As I punched in the code, the safe opened and everything was in its place. Nothing was missing, no electronics stolen, the house hadn’t been ransacked – I had to chalk it all up to some sort of fluke for the time being.
“Can you increase the patrols around my house please? I’d like to have a car here at least once an hour until I figure out if this was really a break in or not.”
“Of course, sir. If you continue to have issues, I could give you the name of a private security firm that offers protection detail, as well. It’s run by my brother and very good.”
“Oh, no. I don’t think that will be necessary. Just swing by a little more often and that will be fine for the time being.”
“Sounds good. I’ll wrap up my report and get out of your hair.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m Joseph Rigs,” the man said as he reached his hand out to shake mine.