Page 11 of The Vow Thief
“You may have a real problem on your hands.”
I let out a humorless laugh.“Yeah, I think that’s obvious.”
“This is definitely trespassing,” the officer said.“Breaking and entering, vandalism, even if the damage is small, and potential burglary. Are you missing any items?”
I hadn't even considered burglary. I looked at Sarah.“We haven’t checked.”
The three of us moved through the house. Downstairs seemed untouched, but when we reached the master bedroom and started pulling open drawers, Sarah froze.
In the top drawer of my nightstand, buried under a few old receipts and cufflinks, was another photo of Lily. She was beside me while I was asleep, clearly in bed, eyes locked on the camera with calculated ease.
I could feel the color draining from my face.“I didn’t put that there.”
We checked the closet next. Inside one of my jackets, folded neatly in the inner pocket, was another. And another in the pocket of a coat hanging toward the back. More tucked in the drawer where I kept belts and ties.
I had moved most of my clothes and personal things out, but from what I could see, nothing I had left there was missing. The photos weren’t just evidence, they were taunts.
Sarah glanced at the officer.“She was planting them. For me to find.”
“Or for me to find,” I said, my voice low.
The officer scribbled more notes.“I am going to bag these up as evidence. And don’t touch anything else you find until we collect it. This is going in my report. Based on what I’m seeing, we’re looking at criminal trespass, breaking and entering, vandalism, and possibly theft if anything turns up missing. Planting photographs like this could also support a harassment charge.”
He sealed the bag with a snap and tucked it under his arm.“I’ll file this tonight. If a judge signs off, there could be a warrant by tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t touch anything else unusual you find. Call us, and we’ll handle it.”
Sarah gave a short nod.“We will.”
I walked the officer to the door, the cruiser pulled away a minute later, leaving the house quiet again.
We decided to scour the house, from every drawer to every closet and every room.
It took hours. We moved room to room, methodical and silent, the sound of drawers sliding open and shutting again filling the house. In the kitchen, Sarah pulled a photo from the back of the silverware drawer, another from behind a cookbook she hadn’t touched in months.
But none were in the kids’rooms. No photographs in toy bins, under pillows, or hidden in dressers. That was the only small relief.
Still, the intrusion felt everywhere.
What Lily didn’t know was that the curtain was about to fall, and she was about to learn what intrusion really meant.
-----Meanwhile, at Lily's-----
It was early the next evening when the knock came at her door. The kind of knock that announced, We already know you’re home.
She peered through the peephole and saw two uniformed officers. Her smirk faltered for half a heartbeat before she pasted it back on and swung the door wide.
“Ms. Thompson?” one of the officers asked.
“That’s me,” she said, leaning casually against the frame.
“We have a warrant for your arrest for criminal trespass, vandalism, and harassment. Please turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
The smirk cracked.“You’re kidding. This is ridiculous.”
“Ma’am, now.”
Lily stepped back, hands hovering like she was deciding whether to comply.“I was invited. Matt gave me a key...”
“Tell it to the judge,” the taller officer said, pulling her wrists together and snapping the cuffs on. The cold metal bit into her skin, and fury burned under her perfectly powdered cheekbones.
