“We’ll report this as a Home Invasion” Hans, the taller County Trooper said. “Now let’s review a checklist of the steps you should take to prevent another break-in. “
“What you did tonight was actually quite good” said Kevin, the young Police Deputy from the Village.
He HAS to be older than 15”, I thought. How could the two troopers have dispatched him to search the periphery? If anyone were lurking, Kevin would be toast.
“Mrs. Price, let’s get back to this list” interjected Roger, the balding, older County Trooper.
I listened dazedly as my mind tried to grasp the reality that a few minutes earlier someone had penetrated my home.
Our home at Diamond Lake was our refuge while we were living in Chicago: getting on and off airplanes, nourishing a son and daughter, and managing two high-powered careers. 26 years ago, when we bought it, we thought it was a palace. But it was really pretty bad. True, it had been a model home for the Howell Point Development. That was in 1935 when the brochure boasted:”It has all the modern conveniences: electricity and running water.” The living room and dining room soaked up 10 gallons of paint before they were white. The kitchen had an ancient mobile home refrigerator mounted precariously on the counter. We ate in a booth with torn green plastic cushions and an ersatz wood tabletop. The bathroom cubicle was a night mare of iridescent brown tile and dark brown velvet wallpaper. We relished this home’s funky contrast to the famous Chicago lakefront towers in which we lived and worked.
When it became our retirement home we restored and renovated it into our “House on the Hill”. Our favorite room was the living room. We called this high-ceilinged aerie, all white and bright with its many skylights and glass walls overlooking the lake, “The Meditation Room.” The matching slim white recliners facing the lake were our “Serenity Chairs”. After cackling cancer wrested Don away, I always looked to the lake for solace. I soared with dancing diamonds of sunlight and savored a full moon rising bright orange over the island. Fluttering Sea Gulls sailed past and carried me far from the pangs of a root canal. The thrill of an early March “Ice Out” eased the ache of laying off 15 souls. The soft “lap, lap” of the waves soothed me to sleep. It was serendipity. Until tonight.
I stepped out of the office sleepily, content that the report on the Yacht Club Harvest Moon Hayride was complete. I’d printed it on bright orange paper. A nice touch I thought.
PING.
“What was that?” I mused.
PING.
“What…”
Ping
Suddenly I knew exactly what it was! The ADT Alarm was counting down 45 seconds before screeching break-in. Some-one had gotten through the garage and was in my house NOW!
“Be careful. Don’t fall. Move!” I told myself.
I hurtled down the hall to the master bedroom and locked the door behind me. One down! Diving through the bathroom, I secured the second lock. Two down! I slipped in to the walk-in closet. No lock, but a tricky pocket door to open.
PING!...PING!...PING! How many had there been? I did a quick calculation. It would take another 30 seconds before the Alarm went off.
“Press your Lifeline button. Now, get 911 on the cell phone. Where’s the cell phone? In your pocket where it should be? Yes! Here we go. 9-1-1.”
“This is 911.”
“Operator, someone is breaking into my home!”
“What’s your name?
“Virginia Trowbridge”
“Where do you live?”
“22369 Forest Hall Drive”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yes. I’m a widow.”
“What’s your phone number?”
“Operator! Hurry! They’re in the house NOW!”
“Mrs. Trowbridge, I’m REQUIRED to ask these questions. What’s your phone number?”
“269-445-2468. Please, call the police!”
“The Police are on the way”.
“Thank God! Let me give you the codes to get into the garage and the house.”
“We’re not ready for that. I’m busy talking to your alarm company.”
“But they can’t get in without them!” I cry in frustration. Why was this taking so long!
“What’s that? Is some-one rattling the bedroom door?” I grab my cane, ripping the rubber stabilizer off the bottom. I want these invaders to feel the full force of its Titanium shaft! I get into batting position.”You’re only going to get one blow. Decide: eyes or crotch?”
“Virginia Trowbridge! The troopers are at the garage door.
Give me the codes now!” the 911 operator demands.
Suddenly, it is SHOCK AND AWE ON Forest Hall Drive! The alarm explodes in non-stop, ear-shattering sound. The land line starts ringing off the hook in five rooms. The Lifeline operator bellows forth on the separate enhanced speaker phone:
“Mrs. Trowbridge, are you all right? Mrs. Trowbridge, do you need help. Mrs. Trowbridge, are you all right? Mrs. Trowbridge, do you need help?”
Someone starts banging on the bedroom door.
“Virginia Trowbridge, please unlock this door!”
“Identify yourself first”.
“Mrs. Trowbridge, I am Roger and my team mate is Hans. We are Cass County Troopers. Come out NOW. “
I comply. As I enter the living room, I’m stunned by the fact that every single exterior security light is on full blast and there’s a police officer in a blue uniform on my front doorstep. The two troopers in front of me are in tan uniforms. The land line is still ringing off and LIFELINE is still begging to know if I need help. One of the troopers opens the door. A very young police officer steps in.
“Hi Kevin” the trooper says.
“Hi Hans” Kevin replies, marching directly to the Lifeline phone. “Lifeline, this is Deputy Police Officer Kevin Maloney from the Village of Cassopolis. Mrs. Trowbridge is okay. Intercept the ambulance. Return it to base. Thank you. Goodnight.
“911, kill that ADT phone response.” Roger is on his cell phone.
“Yes Sir”.
I can’t wait any longer. “Officers, how did they get in?”
“They used one of the new digital scanners. They try hundreds of codes on your garage door until they find a fit. It takes only a few minutes. Why don’t you sit down and collect yourself while we check the basement and the attic” replies Roger.
I collapse into the recliner and try to soothe myself with the keepsakes of marriage and family. The picture of Courtney and Evan flames out above the creamy marble of the fireplace. My artist friend Tiby painted it when the children were two and four.It had been my Christmas surprise for Don that year. He had thrilled me with his gift of a much coveted Maxi Coat. Forty three years ago! Across the room is the framed black and white photograph of Don and his team mates when he played for legendary Basketball Coach Hank Iba. Oklahoma was number one in the nation that year. There are our six family portraits. The latest one includes all three little granddaughters. Only Don is missing. Here’s a June Cary watercolor of the Hobie Regatta with our boat, “The Island Cat”, right in the center.
“Mrs. Trowbridge, please stay with us now”. Roger’s voice startles me. I realize that we’ve been talking about the safety checklist for several minutes now.
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry Officer. It’s just that it’s been a pretty tough night”.
“I understand. This is the last point and the most important. You probably could have stopped them tonight.”
“How?” I ask, stunned.
“The door from your garage into your mudroom was unlocked. It’s a big, heavy door that can be double bolted. It would take a battering ram to knock it down. Most intruders won’t waste time with an obstacle like that. As it is, your alarm monitor shows they penetrated the mudroom, great room, and living room. The master bedroom would have been next. It’s always the goal. That’s where the jewelry and the money are”.
“You should have chosen another hiding place” interjects Kevin.
“It’s the only room inside the house with a keyed lock”, I protest.
“Well, we scared them off this time. But remember, keep that garage door locked and bolted”, Roger concludes.
“Yes Sir.”
I show them out. Trance-like, I start through the safety checklist. I secure the garage door. I change the ADT alarm code and reset it. I call ADT service and leave a message that I want a technician out in the morning to test their equipment. I decide to change the outside garage code in the morning. There is NO WAY I’m leaving this house tonight. I go through the house and turn the outside security lights to always on. I switch on the porch lights. Done! The house is now lit up like a maximum security prision. Exhausted, I sink into the white recliner. Will it ever be a serenity chair again?
“What almost happened tonight?” I ask myself. Would it have been robbery, assault, rape, murder?” I shudder.
“What if I’d been asleep in the master Bedroom? I would never have heard those first PINGS.”
“I could have dozed off in the great room with the TV blasting away. They would have stepped right in on me from the mud room!”
“Thank God I double-bolted that garage door”, I think wearily. I jolt upright out of my stupor. “”How could I forget? I leave that door open so the EMTs won’t have to break it down!”
“Stay calm. Think rationally”, I counsel myself. “Would a delay have mattered when you fell and broke your hip? BUT, THIS INVADER IS TRULY DEADLY. He comes and goes at will. Each time he steals more. What if next time it’s a heart attack?
I get up. I unbolt the door. I go back to my chair. Trembling, I look to the lake for comfort. It is dark and silent.
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