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“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, Mom. Sorry it’s so early.”
“Is it? I’ve been up for a while. How are you?”
“Fine. Sort of. Actually, something creepy happened last night. I figured I should call and let you know what’s going on.”
“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice suddenly laced with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It was disconcerting but I’m not hurt or anything.”
“What happened?”
“This is going to sound crazy, because it is, and I don’t know how else to tell you other than just coming out and saying it. Someone wrote a swear word on my door. In squirrel blood.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I got home last night and someone had written a swear word in big letters in squirrel blood. The poor little squirrel was left in front of the door.”
“Who would do such a thing? Did you call the police? Have they found them yet?”
“I don’t know, and yes, and no.”
“They must have done it to the wrong house. Someone wouldn’t target you like that.”
“That’s one of my theories, too, but I just don’t know. There was another dead squirrel outside the house not long ago, but I didn’t think much of it. There’s a lot of wildlife around here, I thought it had just died there. But now I’m not so sure.”
“You need to move home. Immediately.”
I rolled my eyes. “While I appreciate the offer, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Audrey, you can’t stay in that house.”
“The police came and they’re doing everything they can.”
“You still can’t stay in that house.”
“Mom, I have a lease. And one act of vandalism that could have been random or a mistake isn’t going to get me to move.”
“It might not have been random or a mistake.”
I followed Max toward the driveway. “I know.”
She took a deep breath, like she was about to tell me something important or possibly difficult to hear. “You know your father was loved and respected in Pinecrest, but anyone who enters politics makes enemies.”
I paused to consider what she was really saying. “So you think someone from Pinecrest found out where I live and wrote 'bitch' on my door in animal blood to get back at my dad who passed away two years ago?”
“Stranger things have happened.”
“Mom, has someone been targeting you? Has your house been vandalized and you didn’t tell me?”
“Oh no, certainly not.”
“Well, it seems like if Dad had enemies who would do this kind of thing, they’d go after you first.”
“Perhaps. Although my security system could be enough of a deterrent. They could have tried to get to me and settled for you instead.”
Was my mother really suggesting I was a second-choice vandalism victim? I couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ll mention Dad to the police in case they want to follow up on that lead.”
