***
“Good evening, Officer Richards. I’ve been robbed. Must have happened while I was out having dinner with my girlfriend,” Clay stated.
Claire nodded. “It had to have happened between the hours of six and half past nine.”
The burly officer removed his police helmet and took a look around. His first observation was the alarm keypad mounted on the wall near the front entrance.
“Was your alarm activated while you were out?” he inquired, peering over his glasses.
“No, sir. I wasn’t going to be gone long,” Clay responded defensively.
The officer clutched his clipboard and made a note of the missing items.
“I’ve seen hundreds of break-ins, and there is something suspicious about this one,” the officer said. He paid particular attention to the pile of past due notices on Clay’s kitchen counter.
Clay and Claire sensed the officer’s inference.
“I don’t understand, Officer,” Clay said as he stood by Claire’s side.
“Well, first off, your house has a Yale illuminated sign out front. That means it has an alarm,” the officer explained. “Thieves generally bypass homes with security. Secondly, look around you. There are several high-value items that the thief could have stolen but chose not to. That’s not how thieves operate. You understand that it is against the law to make a false police report? People hit hard times, and miraculously things turn up missing.”
Clay and Claire had to keep from losing their composure. They didn’t appreciate the officer’s insinuation.
“How dare you?” Claire responded with a sharp tongue.
The officer carried on, “Ma’am, there is no sign of forced entry. The only way someone could have entered this house without a key is through that cat flap, which would be impossible.”
“Well, sir. Thank you for wasting our time. I will kindly take a copy of your police report for my insurance records,” Clay said in a sarcastic English accent.
The officer ripped off a copy of his report and donned his helmet. He rolled his eyes at them, then let himself out.
After the officer departed, Clay rummaged through a stack of mail, looking for his home and auto insurance policies.
“Got it.”
Claire sat on the love seat and folded her arms. The officer’s accusatory attitude only compounded her frustration over losing her favorite earrings.
Clay was pleased that the customer service reps from his insurance companies were eager to process the claims. Clay was even more impressed when a black 2017 Jaguar XKR showed up in his drive as a like courtesy car within two hours. He would have to wait four business days to determine the total compensation for the claim. Ironically, the claimed loss would equal the total due to bring his mortgage current.
The unpleasant police officer made it his business to get to the bottom of this uncanny coincidence.
Chapter 5: Thief in the Night