“The police car drives here on automatic,” Laura said.
“I’m sorry,” Maia said.
Charlie grinned.“Not your fault.”
“Have you checked the alarm?”Laura asked.
“You instructed us not to touch anything, so we haven’t moved,” Henry said.
“Huh,” Laura said to Charlie.“I didn’t think that would work.”
“I want this person or persons caught,” Henry said.“And I suspect the culprit is long gone.”
“Okay,” Laura said.“Let’s check inside before we walk around the outside.You know the drill.”
Once they approached the front door, the damage was clear.Someone had smashed each window on the front and taken to the door with an ax.
Charlie whistled.“Someone is holding a lot of anger.”
“I had a problem earlier,” Maia told Laura about the changing room debacle.
Laura and Charlie exchanged a glance.
“It might be unrelated,” Charlie said.
“Perhaps,” Maia said.
Laura nodded.“Let's see if they got inside.Henry, could you turn off the alarm?”
Henry stepped forward.“Do you have your key?”
Maia handed over her keyring, and he unlocked the badly damaged door.
He stepped inside to disarm the alarm, his ears welcoming the sudden silence.The stench of paint was overwhelming.“They didn’t get through the door but must’ve come through a window.”
“We’ll go first,” Laura said.“Keep behind us and tell me if anything is missing or out of place.”
“Someone had broken every window, and my door is full of holes.Is that the sort of thing you want me to mention?”Maia issued a harsh sigh.“Sorry, it’s not your fault.”
“Understandable,” Henry said, reaching for Maia’s hand and threading their fingers together.
Henry scanned the kitchen.The trespasser had pulled things from cupboards and dropped them on the floor in a heap.Sugar, flour, and macaroni noodles lay scattered on top of cutlery and a blender.Raspberry jam smeared the fridge/freezer doors.
“I hope my laptop is in one piece,” Maia said, sounding close to tears.
They remained together, broken glass and other items crunching beneath their feet.
“Do you usually leave this door shut?”Laura asked when they approached the room Maia used as an office.
“Yes, it’s my office,” Maia said.
Laura nudged the door open while Charlie snapped photos of the damage in the kitchen.
Henry sniffed and caught a familiar sweetness.“Candy wrapper,” he said to Charlie.“It looks like the same brand as the earlier ones we found.”
Charlie snapped a photo.
“For fuck’s sake!”Maia shouted.
