I had managed to leave my house keys on the floor next to my bed when I left for work, so I called my mother and arranged for her to pick me up from the train station. The Great Pumpkin was looking out for me; if she hadn't given me a ride, I would have come home alone, less than twenty minutes after I did.
When we reached the house, we saw a razor scooter parked next to the trash cans. "Huh," I said. "I wonder what that's doing there?" But we dismissed it as having been left by one of the neighborhood kids, and kept going.
There was a large Aaron Brothers bag, and a backpack, in the front yard. "That's weird," I said. But we decided it probably belonged to my little sister, who will sometimes put things in odd places while she does other stuff, and we kept going.
Inside, the cats were in a state of high dudgeon—even moreso than normal for a weekday afternoon—and appeared to have expressed their unhappiness by knocking a bunch of stuff over. Mom scolded them amiably while I started for the fridge to get a soda, and saw that Alex's bedroom door was open. His room is one of the only places in the house the cats aren't allowed. I thought "wow, lots of mischief," and went to close it...
...only to find that his bedside table had been cleared onto the bed. And the door to the laundry room was open. And the door connecting the laundry room to the back was open. And the DVD player was gone.
Cue freaking right the fuck out.
Mom searched the house while I got the stuff out of the front yard. The bags proved to contain everything that was missing: the DVD player, Alex's computer (mine was untouched), a bunch of small electronics, a few DVDs. (Ironically, our thief only took Firefly-related material. So we're looking for an asshole Browncoat. Nice!) The Aaron Brothers bag was mine, which explains why my pictures were scattered all over the floor.
After a heart-stopping moment of not being able to find Lilly, we got ourselves calmed mostly down, and Mom went to the hardware store to get new locks while I called the police. An officer came out and took my statement; we walked the perimeter, and found that the hide-a-key (which I didn't know existed until I called Alex) was missing. So that's probably how they got inside.
We think we came home and surprised the thief in the process of going back in for another load. That's why we found all their stuff (and the scooter). Had I come home alone, they would probably have still been there. And I would have walked in on them, without a car to warn that I was coming.
Alex got home and confirmed that all his stuff was there. Mom changed the locks. Victor and Lara came and took me for dinner. The cats got fussed over. And I took a machete to bed.
So...
1. Nothing is missing.
2. In fact, net gain: I have the thief's scooter.
3. We think it was a teenage boy, based on the scooter, the things grabbed, and the fact that none of my girly things were touched.
4. Alex is working from home today, so the house is not empty.
5. The cats are fine.
6. I will be sleeping with a machete for the foreseeable future.
It's an ignite the biosphere kind of day.
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August 5 2011, 20:06:08 UTC 5 years ago
August 6 2011, 15:27:18 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:13:04 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:34:19 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:17:49 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:34:39 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:20:33 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:34:57 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:23:46 UTC 5 years ago
And you're going to be groveling before the affronted cats for days.
I suspect you legally can't do anything to or with the scooter, since you don't want to give the Idiot Boy Criminal cause to sue you.
(Sadly, I am not kidding.)
But I would bike chain it to something quickly, attaching a note saying it can't be parked there, and to call you.
In case Idiot Boy Criminal is really an idiot.
August 7 2011, 15:35:22 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:30:37 UTC 5 years ago
Take extra good care of yourself for a while, please?
August 7 2011, 15:35:31 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:32:55 UTC 5 years ago
Ahem. I am glad you are okay and have your stuff, and that your Thomas did not choose this occasion to lead everybody on a tour of the neighborhood. And I'm glad you have a machete.
P.
August 7 2011, 15:35:57 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 20:44:37 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:36:09 UTC 5 years ago
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August 7 2011, 15:36:19 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:01:13 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:36:28 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:07:34 UTC 5 years ago
Machete sounds completely reasonable and very handy.
*hugs*
August 7 2011, 15:36:40 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:12:26 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:36:56 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:13:44 UTC 5 years ago
On the other hand, the thief has lost his scooter as the price of his rottenness, which is a small bit of win :)
August 7 2011, 15:37:08 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:16:34 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:37:18 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:33:43 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:37:30 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 21:41:14 UTC 5 years ago
I am also glad that you didn't lose anything and that you changed the locks. All very good things. But the best thing is not confronting the thief, since very bad things (tm) might have happened.
Here's hoping for a much more restful and less worrisome weekend and week ahead.
August 7 2011, 15:37:46 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:03:39 UTC 5 years ago
Last night I wanted to hexx the foreskin roach right off the planet, but in the light of day have decided that a come to justice ritual is better.
August 7 2011, 15:38:00 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:15:57 UTC 5 years ago
Your mom is a brave lady to search the house...my old apartment in Berkeley got broken into and I was too scared to go inside until the cops came. (Yes...even to check on my cats :c but the cops found them under my bed)
I hope that all of you will be okay in the following days. Home invasion really screws with your sense of safety.
August 7 2011, 15:38:14 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:16:49 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:38:25 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:19:51 UTC 5 years ago
I'm glad everyone is alright (cats included), and none of your stuff was lost. I'm always worried a break-in could happen here...
August 7 2011, 15:38:36 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:19:57 UTC 5 years ago
It was Jayne. The money was too good. And he ignored your My Little Ponies, not realizing they were probably the most valuable stuff in the place.
August 7 2011, 15:38:46 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:34:04 UTC 5 years ago
Glad everything was found and is ok. But still sorry you went through all of this.
*hugs*
August 7 2011, 15:38:55 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:34:16 UTC 5 years ago
August 7 2011, 15:39:03 UTC 5 years ago
August 5 2011, 22:50:48 UTC 5 years ago
And, hey, maybe you can trick the kid by putting up "Found - Razor Scooter" ads around your neighborhood.
August 7 2011, 15:39:12 UTC 5 years ago
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August 7 2011, 15:39:20 UTC 5 years ago
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