Chapter 5
Then he put all the blame on me.
Franklin shouted, pointing straight at me, "It was her.
"She's got it out for me. Yesterday afternoon, she messed with my smart lock and security cameras on purpose.
"That gave the thief the perfect chance to break in.
"She's totally in on it, or maybe she just robbed me herself."
Franklin was so fired up, like I was the worst criminal ever.
Leo was jotting things down in his notebook, his brow furrowed.
Perry turned to me.
"Ma'am, is what he said true?" he asked.
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I slowly pulled out a stack of papers from my bag.
I placed them on the coffee table, sliding each one in front of the officers.
"Officers, this is the official proof that I went to court yesterday for the pre-trial mediation," I said.
The officers paused for a moment, then picked up the paper.
I read aloud, "Plaintiff: Franklin Reed. Defendant: Leila Harvey.
"Reason: Trespassing.
"This is the authorization letter Franklin personally wrote for me two years ago, when he went abroad, asking me to take care of his house."
I slid the old paper over to them and continued, "These are the printed utility bills I paid for Franklin's home over the past year.
"And here are the receipts for the small appliances and houseplants I bought for his place.
"Finally, these are all the receipts and payment records for the security system I installed in his home last winter. I paid 2.5 thousand dollars myself for it.
"From purchase to installation, all the paperwork is under my name, and the payments were made from my own card."
My voice was steady, not a ripple of emotion.
With every document I slid over, the cops' faces changed a little more.
Franklin and Katherine grew increasingly uncomfortable.
I said, "At yesterday's mediation, Franklin and his girlfriend Katherine straight-up accused me in front of the mediator, saying the security cameras I installed totally violated their privacy.
"They demanded I take them down right away, no conditions attached.
"I'm a law-abiding citizen, so I went along with it.
"So yesterday afternoon, I called property management and had the equipment I paid for taken off his front door.
"Property law says the owner can do whatever they want with their own property, right?"
After I finished, the whole living room fell into a heavy silence.
Leo stopped writing and looked up at Franklin, his eyes full of scrutiny.
Perry looked over the materials carefully.
He set them down and turned to Franklin, his voice growing stern.
"Mr. Reed, is that true?"
Franklin started sweating bullets, cold beads trickling down his forehead.
He opened his mouth to say something, but not a single word would come out.
Katherine, sitting beside him, just kept her head down, too ashamed to meet anyone's eyes.
Perry said, "You accused your neighbor of trespassing, and during mediation, you insisted she remove the security system.
"Now the system's gone, your house gets robbed, and you turn around and call the cops, saying she's an accomplice?"
Perry's voice wasn't loud, but every word landed like a hammer on Franklin's heart.
"That's a false police report," Perry said.
Franklin wobbled, looking shaken.
"I... I didn't..." Franklin stammered.
His defense was utterly weak, almost pitiful.
Franklin protested, "Officer, I'm the victim here. My property was stolen.
"Even if she has the receipts, that security system was installed at my front door. She can't just remove it without asking me."
He was still grasping at straws, trying to defend himself.
I gave a cold chuckle and said, "Franklin, I've been holding onto your original door lock for you.
"When I put in the smart lock, I boxed up the old lock and handle and left them in your storage cabinet.
"Yesterday, when I had the system taken out, I made sure to tell the maintenance guy not to mess up your original door.
"I only removed the electronic security system that was my personal property.
"It was you who didn't immediately reinstall the old lock or put in a new one after you got home.
"So who should be held responsible for the security risk during that time?"
My words cornered him completely.
Perry stood up.
He gathered the documents and handed them back to me.
"Ms. Harvey, thank you for your cooperation. We now have a clear understanding of the situation," he said.
Then he turned to Franklin.
"Mr. Reed, please come with us to the station.
"Give us a detailed list of everything that was stolen from your place."