Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Ma’am,” the security guard in front of me responded, “we don’t know whose child either of these young women––”
And just then there was the unmistakable sound of a police car rolling up, the brrp-brrp, and two real Oak Park police officers were there, getting out of the car that they left in the middle of the street because they could.
The officers, both women I knew, came toward us.
“What seems to be the trouble here?” Officer Cerise Goodman asked, and both security guards moved to speak to her.
It had to be hard to hear them, though, because the small crowd of people were all speaking at once. Hannah, who I realized was filming and talking, probably live streaming from the start, was moving her phone slowly to get a full panoramic shot. Kanti petted Seymour and told him to stop barking his head off.
“Stop,” Officer Goodman finally ordered, lifting her hands in the international gesture to shut up and calm down before she turned and looked at the girls. “Now, Miss Morrow, why are you and Miss Kage sitting in front of your house?”
Instant silence, and this was why Hannah didn’t want to let her father know what was going on. He would rain hellfire down on the security guards and everyone else.
“That lady,” Kanti said, pointing at the woman who thought my daughter and I being the same shade was important, “called her private security team on me because I parked my car in my driveway of my house,” she said, pointing at her Mercedes, “and she thought, I’m assuming, that I looked sketchy. I mean, I do have my dog with me, but you never know.”
“She doesn’t live there,” the woman shrieked. “She can’t possibly.”
I noted that Hannah was turning her phone back and forth to make sure she didn’t miss anything.
“She does live there,” Officer Khalid informed the woman. “With her family. Who are you?” she asked, walking over to the stranger.
“Where do you live?” Blount, who moved out of my way so I could walk over to my daughter, asked Kanti.
She pointed behind her.
“And where do you live?” he asked Hannah.
“Three doors down,” she informed him.
“They’re trying to break in,” one of the men, standing with the woman, accused Kanti and Hannah.
Kanti pulled out her car keys and held them up for Blount. “You want to try these in the lock?” He grimaced and she smiled. “I had to come home early to meet with people on a project for school that we had all summer to do that we’re only getting started on now.”
“Really?” I said as the parent on-site.
“I know, I know,” she groaned.
“And where is the rest of the family?”
“In Malibu with Hema at her new house,” she said with a dramatic eye roll.
“Why are we being mean to your wonderful sister who, after selling her app to Google, paid off the lovely house behind you and is paying for your education?”
She growled at me.
“Let’s not be jealous,” I teased her, cackling.
“I hate that you and my mother are friends.”
“No you don’t,” I countered.
“Right this second I do.”
Hannah snorted.
Kanti groaned.
“You should take those criminals away!”
I turned to look at the woman, who was still yelling at Kanti and Hannah. She had to be, I was guessing, my age, though the makeup and overly frosted hair was not doing her any favors. I was also thinking that her and sunscreen had not been acquainted when she was younger.
“All of them are staying at the Garber house while they’re in Milan for the summer,” Kanti told me. “Thankfully, they don’t actually live in our neighborhood.”
“Oh, Dena is going to be mortified when she gets home and finds out what happened,” I said, thinking of my friend who had, in the past, had both Hannah and Kanti watch her twin sons on a number of occasions.
“Yeah, she is,” Hannah said into her phone. “Mrs. Garber is a wonderful woman, who clearly had no idea her houseguests were racists.”
“Those girls should be arrested!” the woman shrieked.
“That’s it,” Officer Khalid said, making herding gestures with her hands. “Let’s go inside, folks, or I’m going to cite you.”
They all turned to walk back down the street then.
“Why are you here?” I asked the security guard whose name was Shelton, who was still typing on his tablet. “I mean, what gives you the right to even question either of these young women?”
“Listen, we were hired by Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, who have been staying at the Garber house, to watch them and the property,” he answered, pointing to the Colonial Revival Officer Khalid was in front of now with the group.
“I know which house it is,” I informed Shelton.
“When Mrs. Thornton called to say that she thought a girl was trying to break in across the street, we came immediately to investigate.”