Page 134 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

Mac lifted an eyebrow. “Nothing has stopped you before. Let it out.”

“I can’t,” she said. “If I did I’d scream at the top of my lungs and wake my neighbors. They are probably all looking at the house right now anyway with your cruiser here, Mac.”

Mac turned to Van. “Any signs in the house that someone was there?”

“No,” he said. “But she doesn’t leave traps like I do.”

“Anything missing?” Mac asked her.

“No clue. Van wouldn’t let me back in.”

“Let’s go,” Mac said.

Van took Frankie out of her arms and they walked through her house. “I looked anywhere I could to see if someone was hiding in the house. I don’t see any signs of entry. If you had a security system rather than just a front door camera we’d know more.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ve never had a reason for it here. It feels like this crap has only happened to me since meeting Van.”

She shouldn’t have said that when she saw the hurt look on his face.

“Yep, that’s me bringing shit into your life.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean that.”

“Kelsey is just worked up. If she was able to let it out then maybe she’d watch her tongue more,” Mac said.

“Let’s just file this report so I can fix any damage with Van,” she told Mac.

An hour later, Mac was done. The neighbors had been talked to and no one saw anything. It didn’t surprise her. Someone could have come in through her backyard or up the street and walked by the side of her house, sprayed that and moved on.

Just like at Van’s, the motion lights going off could be anything. They could have thought it was her letting Frankie out. Could be the wind or another animal.

When they were back in the living room she was stewing on the couch. “I don’t want to think this is connected,” he said.

“I believe in coincidences, but how the heck could this be connected? My house is vandalized outside and someone just walked inside of yours and looks around. They could have thought you forgot to set the alarm or it went off on its own. There was no sign other than these little traps you set. It makes me wonder if you do that because you don’t trust me.”

“Stop,” he said. “That’s ridiculous and you know it. I’ve got no reason to not trust you.”

“That’s right. You don’t get jealous even though you were ticked off over Bill. But you still said right away that you thought this had to do with my online dating months and months ago,” she snapped.

“You’ve got a temper on you,” he said.

“I do. More so when I’m being accused of something I didn’t do and have given you no reason to even think about it. And if you think these are connected, there is no way one of my idiot dates would know you or where you live, let alone be able to get into your house!”

She took a deep breath. Phew, she felt better yelling. Maybe she should have done that outside as Mac suggested.

Frankie was hiding behind the chair and Van was only lifting his eyebrow at her.

Nothing seemed to faze him.

“Are you done now?” he asked.

“I think so,” she admitted. “Listen, Van. Tell me why you think it’s connected and why you think it has to do with you. I think that is why you’re pissed. You can’t ever talk to me or tell me what is going on and then it comes out in accusations.”

“Just like you yelling at me rather than talking to me?” he asked.

“That’s different. No one can deny I talk to you all the time and they sure the hell can’t say I hide anything. I’m pretty open with how I feel. I know you think I joke all the time, but I’m not joking. This is serious. And this is what happens when I’m pissed off and it’s serious.”

“So noted,” he said. “The reason I think this is tied together is the fact that neither of us was home tonight.”

---