CHAPTER NINE E: THE NIGHT WATCH

For several nights after the break-in, Mark left the kitchen light on until dawn.
He told himself it would discourage anyone from approaching the patio.
Claire noticed the habit during her visit.
“You know you can leave a light on without standing beside it,” she said.
Mark looked embarrassed.
“I keep checking whether the plywood has moved.”
Claire suggested they install a temporary motion light and ask the contractor to secure the board more firmly.
Mark called Luis the next morning.
Luis added two braces and showed him how to check the screws without removing anything.
The work took less than twenty minutes.
That evening, Mark made dinner and sat in the living room instead of watching the patio.
He still heard every car that passed, but he did not get up for each one.
Before bed, he called Claire and reported that the board was secure.
“And how many times did you check it?” she asked.
“Twice,” Mark admitted.
“That’s fewer than yesterday,” she said.
Mark smiled and turned off the kitchen light.
He slept until morning without waking to inspect the door.

CHAPTER NINE F: THE THREAT THAT WASN’T A THREAT

The consulting representative returned to Mark’s street two days after the first visit.
This time, he parked across from the Parker house and remained in his car for nearly an hour.
Mark noticed him while taking out the trash.
He did not approach the vehicle.
Instead, he recorded the license plate from his own driveway and called Keene.
The inspector asked whether the man had made contact or tried to enter the property.
“No,” Mark replied.
“He’s just sitting there.”
Keene explained that the behavior could be intimidating without necessarily establishing a crime.
He advised Mark to document what he observed and avoid confrontation.
Mark went inside and made coffee.
The man left before the cup was finished.
That evening, Mark received a letter from the consulting firm stating that it wished to resolve any misunderstanding involving its client.
The letter offered a telephone meeting but did not explain the firm’s authority to represent anyone in the criminal investigation.
Mark forwarded a copy to Keene and declined the meeting.
He felt disappointed that the response to an attempted break-in had become another stack of paperwork.
Claire reminded him that refusing an unnecessary conversation was also a decision.
“You don’t have to win an argument with everyone who knocks,” she said.
Mark put the letter in his folder and went for a walk before dark.

CHAPTER TEN: THE WITNESS WHO LEFT

The following afternoon, Mark received a call from an unfamiliar number.
A woman introduced herself as Denise Calder, a former dispatcher for the transport contractor.
She said Martin had asked her to copy the vehicle schedules before he vanished.
“I refused,” she admitted.
“I thought he was trying to blame me for something.”
Mark asked why she was calling him now.
“Because I saw your broken door on the news.”
Denise paused.
“Helen is not the person you should be afraid of.”
Mark gave her Keene’s office number.
Denise said she would call the inspector directly.
Before hanging up, she added one sentence.
“The silver case was a medication cooler, and it was empty when Martin took it.”