Chapter 3
Tim grabbed his bag from the passenger side of his truck and slammed the door. His cell phone rang as he unlocked the front door. He didn’t recognize the number.
“Tim Larken.” He shouldered open the door.
“Hi. This is Gabriella Carter. I’m Mariana Acevedo’s daughter.”
He dropped his bag inside the door and closed it. “Hi, Gabriella. Is your mom all right?”
“Oh, yes. Unless she’s been kidnapped by pirates in Borneo in the last few minutes, I’m assuming she’s fine.”
What? “Oh-kay. What can I help you with then?”
“It’s about the house—”
His phone beeped and he glanced at it. Seeing Mrs. Wilson’s number, he asked, “Can you hang on a second?”
“But—”
He switched over to the other line. “Good evening, Mrs. Wilson. How is everything?” He worried about his older neighbor across the street. She was cantankerous and called him about every little inconvenience, but he knew she was lonely. Her kids lived on the west coast and rarely visited her. Being close to his own family, he tried to help out where he could.
“Timothy, someone is breaking into the Acevedo house.”
That couldn’t be a coincidence. He walked through the kitchen to the sliding back door.
“Why do you say that, Mrs. Wilson?”
“I saw someone skulking around earlier. They disappeared around the back of the house and I haven’t seen them since.”
If anyone would have noticed a potential break-in, it would be Geraldine Wilson. She was a one-woman neighborhood watch.
“I’ll check it out, Mrs. Wilson.” He disconnected and headed across the shared lawn. Sure enough, a pair of shapely legs stuck out of the kitchen window.
The bottom the legs were attached to was just as shapely. He understood the owner’s predicament—her legs were too short to reach the garbage can she’d obviously used to boost herself up.
Just as he drew close to the potential burglar, his phone rang loudly. A shriek came from the other side of the window and her legs flailed wildly. He dodged out of striking distance and answered.
“Tim, it’s Gabby. I think we got cut off.”
Shit. He’d forgotten to switch back over to the other line. “Sorry about that. Is this about a pair of legs sticking out of your parents’ kitchen window?”
“Gabby! Who are you talking to?”
The question echoed from the disembodied legs and the phone.
“Sorry,” Gabby said. “I’ve got you on three-way.”
This was not the situation he’d always fantasized about when it came to a three-way. He shook his head at how quickly his mind went X-rated. “No problem. I’m guessing you know who the legs belong to.”
“My sister, Zoe. She got locked out. I told her she wouldn’t fit and she should wait until you got home, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Zoe’s feet kicked again. “You’re the least favorite daughter.”
Tim smiled and covered his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing out loud. This had to be one of the more ridiculous things he’d ever encountered and he’d once had to wrestle a greased-up frat boy to the ground during pledge week at the University of North Carolina.
“I’ve got it,” he said. “She’ll call you back when she’s loose.”
The sisters spoke rapid-fire in a language he didn’t understand. It wasn’t Spanish. He knew Mrs. Acevedo was Brazilian, so maybe Portuguese?
