Page 30 of Her Braun
“Well, I hate having to bother you at work, but we received a call from your neighbor, James Langston."
Kay felt her heart seize in her chest. "Oh my god! Is he okay? Do we need to send an ambulance for him?"
"Uh... No, Doctor. I'm sorry. He's fine."
Kay turned her head to the side and cupped her hands over the handset to hear better. When the Emergency Room had people moving around, it could get really difficult to hear on a good day. "Okay? I'm not sure what's going on..."
"I'm sorry to say that your house has been broken into."
"My... my house?"
Kay stood there, staring at the wall, not really seeing much of anything in front of her.
Through the phone she heard the sound of a commercial vehicle backing up.
"I know you're working, Doctor. I can have a company come over and board up the window. We have a few companies we normally call to secure homes after a break in."
Her mouth was dry, and it felt like she had to peel her tongue off of the roof of her mouth.
"What... what windows are broken?"
"The broken windows are at the back of the house. Behind some bushes."
Kay leaned heavily against the desk.
Those bushes.
The bushes that she knew were overgrown.
The same bushes that she knew were a danger.
She read those articles about single women in their homes and their safety.
Kay groaned softly. "I'm sure my next-door neighbor Jack is going to say, 'I told you so.'"
"Excuse me?" The detective... Detective Rafferty, was talking to her. "Which neighbor?"
She shook her head and mumbled an apology under her breath. "Jack Nelson. He's on the other side of my house from Mister Langston," she explained. "He works for the city, and he printed out one of those 'Women's Safety' articles they ran in the paper and slipped it under my front door."
"Oh?" Detective Rafferty's voice lifted a little. "Is there a reason why he's so concerned about your safety?"
Kay pressed her fingertips to her forehead. "I don't think he was concerned about my safety so much as just wanting something to complain about. When I bought the house, I think he'd planned on buying it for himself or someone he knows, but when the house went up for sale he was on vacation, and I made a good offer, so the seller accepted it before Jack returned. Since I moved in, he hasn't been shy about his opinions." She sighed. "I don't pick up the leaves fast enough. My trash can is too close to the curb. Not close enough to the curb. And then there was my landscaping or lack thereof."
"Do tell..."
"Well, I had plans of putting in a more natural garden in the front and back, but he said it was just messy. So then I put in some bushes at the back of my house to provide some cover for my windows, and that cost quite a bit-"
"I bet." The detective chuckled. "Full grown bushes?"
"That's what I mean. I put them in because his bedroom on the second floor has a direct line of sight into my bedroom and my bathroom, that's when he started talking about howdangerous it is to cover my windows with bushes like that. He tried to tell me that people could hide in those bushes."
"And that's when he put that printed article under my door."
"Do you remember the title of the article?"
Kay hummed under her breath. "Sorry, no. I don't remember the title. I gave it a glance. Saw Jack's handwriting on it, saying something like... 'I told you it's dangerous' or 'I'm right about it being dangerous.'"
"Interesting."
