“I can’t figure out why this guy tried to break into a house with an obvious security system.” I pointed to the sign in front of the house that said we were protected.

“Half those signs are fake. People pay for security for a couple of months, then decide it’s not worth it, so they cancel, but the sign stays up. Nobody takes signs seriously. Did you have the alarm set this morning?”

I shook my head.

“You and nobody else. And even if he’d set it off? Probably not many people living around here to hear it. Then it takes the alarm company time to respond, call the phone numbers they have on file and finally call us. He could be in and out—with small stuff like jewelry, drugs, cash—in ten minutes. He probably figured law enforcement wouldn’t get here for at least half an hour.”

His guess on timing was correct, because it had taken the deputy at least that long to show up and take my statement.

On a roll, he continued. “We have groups coming through here this time of year and late in the spring. They travel back and forth from somewhere up north and break into houses along the way.”

My mother had warned me. Apparently even bad guys needed a change of scenery in the winter. “I think he was alone.”

“Doesn’t matter. They work all kinds of ways. We’ve had three daylight break-ins the past week. Have you noticed strange cars?”

“It’s really quiet here,” I said. “The dog walker is about it.”

“Nobody’s come to the door to ask where a neighbor lives, or whether they can do odd jobs? Because the people I’m telling you about will do that, strictly to see if the house is occupied.”

I shook my head. “Spooky quiet.” Then I thought about the screen. “You know, we got home last night after dinner out—”

“We?”

“My nieces. Six and eight. I’m taking care of them while their mom’s away on business. My parents own the house.”

“So...” He waited for me to finish.

“There was a screen loose on the side of the house. Two of the screws were gone. Maybe somebody was trying to get in that way. The windows are pretty well hidden from the street.”

“Probably not. He’d try the doors first.”

“Maybe he did. Maybe today was his second try. And I’m pretty sure he did get into the screened porch. The door leading outside was open.”

He slipped his notebook back in the shirt pocket of a dark green uniform. “He won’t be back. If somebody is really staking out this neighborhood, empty houses are better bets. Now that it’s clear this house is occupied, he’ll leave you alone.”

I wasn’t happy he was so offhanded about my safety. “Why don’t I feel more secure?”

“Some people leave a chain with a collar staked outside, or put a water bowl and a few dog toys on the porch. Anything to make it look like they have a vicious canine protecting them. You could give that a try, or get a real dog. If this is a group from somewhere up north, they’ll move on in a few weeks.”