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“I did not. I wouldn’t have had that type of lock if I’d known that. Is it difficult to use a bump key?”
Grant hated giving her the bad news.
“Not really, no. It’s actually pretty simple.”
“Shit,” Mia exclaimed. “Do people know this? Is this common knowledge?”
“I don’t think so. But I’m a cop, so… If someone is concerned about their lock being bumped, there are high security locks that can be installed. But they are more expensive.”
“It was never mentioned when I had the alarm people out to install the system. If I’d known, I would have done that.”
“With the alarm setup that you have here, they probably thought you wouldn’t need it,” Grant replied. “You have cameras, motion sensor lights around the house, and sensors on all the doors and windows. You have a robust security system for the average suburban home.”
“One would think a locked door would be the first line of security.”
“Your first line of security is making your house look like a target that they don’t want. Don’t have a regular schedule. Have outside lighting on at night. Have a dog that barks. Don’t have hedges that block your view outside or yard ornaments that can be used to assist climbing to the second floor. Your next line is the motion lights that will turn on when someone comes close to your home. They’re going to want darkness to do their work. It’s then that the door and alarm come into play.”
“Would you say that my house looks like one that people want to break into?”
“No, and that’s why this bugs me,” Grant said. “Whoever wanted in here really wanted in here. He didn’t care whether there were lights and an alarm system. Plus, you were home. Did he know that? I can’t say for sure either way, but none of that stopped him.”
“He? Do you know something that I don’t?”
“I’m using he in the most general of terms, although statistically it’s probably a male.”
Mia and Grant went inside to where she’d set up her laptop on the kitchen island with the videos cued up. Lane and Mike hovered in the background as Grant watched each video over and over, looking for something that would stand out.
One thing was clear - the guy didn’t want to be recognized. He was wearing dark sweatpants and a hoodie covered his face. He must have known there were cameras because he kept his head down, never directly looking up at any time. The intruder only showed for a few seconds on the doorbell camera, and then another few moments on a second when the alarm went off and they were fleeing on foot, disappearing in between the houses. Grant assumed the person’s car was parked on another street.
“Well…any thoughts?” Mia asked when he was finished. “The police said it didn’t show much but they took a copy just in case.”
“It doesn’t show much,” Grant agreed. “Hopefully, they can get more footage from your neighbors if they have cameras. We might be able to catch them walking down another street, or even better, getting into their car. But I do see a few things that might be of use here.”
Lane and Mike both leaned forward, their expressions hopeful. Mia, on the other hand, appeared to be dubious, as if she didn’t want to get her hopes up and then dashed later.
“What do you see?” Mike prompted.
“The intruder moves like he knows where he’s going,” Grant replied. “He doesn’t hesitate, looking from side to side or wondering where to go. This feels thought out and planned, like perhaps he’s been watching and learning. He keeps out of the sight of the camera a good deal of the time except when he’s on the front porch, and even then, not for long. I do think he used a bump key after seeing this. It only took a second to open that door. He didn’t have time to pick the lock.”
“He was watching?” Lane said, a look of revulsion on her face. “That’s creepy.”
“Most crimes aren’t thought through very well,” Grant replied. “They’re rushed and ill-planned, which is a good thing since that helps law enforcement catch the perpetrator. However, there are a small percentage that are the exact opposite.”
“Are they harder to solve?” Mike asked.
“Sometimes, but not always. People may think they’ve thought of everything, but they rarely have. For example, if this person has been watching the house, he may show up on other video from previous days. If I had video from the weeks before the break-in, I would be looking for people that don’t necessarily belong in the neighborhood like workmen or delivery drivers. People don’t question when they see a cable repair truck parked down the block, but that doesn’t mean that the person is really there to fix your cable.”
“Another creepy thought,” Lane said with a visible shudder. “Can I just say…ick? What has the world come to?”
“It’s always been this way,” Grant said. “But we don’t think about it much. For the most part, people can be trusted so we extend that trust. In certain circumstances, though, it can be a mistake.”
“I want to trust people,” Lane declared. “I want to believe in the goodness of the world.”
Mike put his arm around his wife, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“And that right there is why I love you. You always see the best in people.”
“I want to believe, too,” Mia said. “But right now, I’m not feeling as optimistic. Where do we go from here? What happens now?’
