Page 49 of Fake for 7 days

Had I had fun?

Oh yes, damn right I did.

"Why don't you come in for a moment? Then I can tell you everything. I'll make you some tea and you can put your feet up," I tempted Hayley.

"That sounds too tempting! How could I refuse?" Hayley laughed.

At that moment, the elevator stopped on our floor and the doors opened. Hayley's apartment was to the left of the elevator, mine to the right. So we both turned right. A second later, I stopped dead in my tracks.

I took a step back.

Blinked.

"Hayley," I whispered and pointed at the door to my apartment. It was wide open.

I was certain that I had locked the door as usual today when I left for the meeting with Carter. Yes, I had been excited and yes, I often forgot things. But I wouldn't just leave my apartment door open.

And that could only mean one thing: Someone had broken into my apartment. Burglaries actually happened quite often in this area of New York. Just six months ago, the lady from the floor below us had been hit. But somehow I still hadn't expected to ever become a victim of a burglary myself. It was like with illnesses: You never believed it would happen to you until it did.

Now the shock was deep in my bones.

You've mastered more dangerous situations, Isabella. Remember when that rascal tried to steal all your luggage on your trip to Egypt. This isn't worse.

I took a deep breath and examined the door lock more closely.

Indeed.

The deep scratches on the door itself and on the frame hadn't been there yesterday. Not this morning either.

They were new.

"Burglars," Hayley breathed next to me.

"Do you think they're still in the apartment?" I asked back just as quietly.

"I don't think so. Most burglaries only last a few minutes," Hayley whispered.

I put my right index finger to my lips and listened with bated breath.

I heard nothing.

After about thirty seconds of silence, I whispered: "I think they're long gone." At that moment, a thought occurred to me. "Earlier, I saw two men leaving the building. They seemed odd to me right away. Maybe... maybe it was them."

"Possible." Hayley pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'm calling the police. They need to record the damage anyway. Otherwise your home insurance won't pay anything." Hayley dialed the police number.

Home insurance!

I didn't have home insurance!

Of course not.

Such things cost money and I pinched every penny. So I didn't get any insurance that wasn't mandatory. Therefore, I had no home insurance.

Whatever was missing or damaged in my apartment, I would have to pay for out of my own pocket. Out of my own empty pocket. Resigned, I stared at the floor in front of me. Hayley had meanwhile reached a police officer on the line and was giving the address.

"No, we're standing right in front of the open door. I don't think the burglars are still here, otherwise they would have heard us long ago." Hayley sounded calm. Of course. It wasn't her apartment.

Isabella! Don't be so unfair. Hayley is really nice and is supporting you right now as much as she can. She could have just retreated to her own apartment. Instead, she's standing here with you.

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