Natalie and Sheila shared a glance, then Sheila piped in. “Why did you saysteallike that?”
He hated to be the one to break this to her. “Your neighbor was correct. The house on Landover Lane is a rental property.”
Natalie shook her head. “No. That’s impossible.”
“Just hear me out.” He paused, giving her time to take a breath. “The owners live overseas. I spoke with the property manager this morning.”
“I signed all the papers. I saw the deed. It was in the safe in the closet.” She turned to Sheila. “You know. Tell him.”
“I know they went into that business deal together,” Sheila said. “I didn’t actually see the papers, but Natalie is a smart lady. It’s not likely she moved out of her house to rent one.”
“I checked the courthouse,” Detective Fellowes said. “The same family has owned that house since it was built eleven years ago, just like your neighbor said.”
“What does that even mean? How could—”
“Things are not always as they appear.” He paused. “I believe you’ve been conned, or—”
“You think I’m crazy.” Her lips quivered.
“No, ma’am. I don’t, but there’s no sign of foul play, and that leaves me with a lot of questions.” He paused, watching for her reaction. “The house was left in tip-top shape. Your neighbors gave us the name of the moving company. I contacted them. They delivered the contents to a storage facility in Virginia Beach.”
“Thank goodness.” Her demeanor softened. “I’ll be able to get my things back.”
Randy hated to even say the words. “No. Actually, that storage unit has since been emptied. We’ve asked for the security tapes to see if we can get information on who moved them.”
“Everything I have, except for what I had on vacation, isgone? My car? My jewelry. My clothes. Pictures.” Her voice got softer and softer with each word, and he watched the tide of tears rise until they slipped down her cheek.
“What can we do?” Sheila asked.
“I’m so sorry. This is not a good situation. I really don’t think Mr. Swindell is missing. We’ve contacted where you were staying in Cancún to see if they can help us fill in some blanks on him, but they aren’t being too cooperative so far.”
“This can’t be happening.” Natalie pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. “Where am I supposed to live?”
Sheila sat on the bed and wrapped her arm around Natalie. “It’s okay. You’ll come stay with me.”
“I can’t even go back to my old house since Marc helped me rent it out.”
“We’ll figure out how to get the renters out of your house.”
“What a mess! They’ll figure this out. They have to. I won’t be in your hair long. I promise,” Natalie said.
“You are welcome to stay with me for as long as you like. Forever, even,” Sheila said.
“No. You need your privacy.”
“Not really,” Sheila said. “All I do is work. You know that. The house sits empty except when I’m asleep. It’s a perfect solution.”
“Okay, so you have some options for the short term,” the detective said. “That’s good.”
“I must be an idiot to let something like this happen.” Natalie held her hands to her face, wishing that closing her eyes would make things go back to how they had been.
“Don’t beat yourself up.” Randy felt for her. “This looks like a professional job. It is in no way your fault. These cons, well, they could con anyone. They are just that good.”
“This is like something you hear on television,” Sheila said. “Not what happens to someone you know.”
“It happens more than people realize,” Detective Fellowes said. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Natalie.” She seemed like a nice lady. He hated to ask, but he needed to know. “Did it ever cross your mind that something was off?”
Natalie sucked in a breath. “No. Never. He was good to me. A good Christian man who is thoughtful and caring.”
