Chapter 6 - The Staged Break-In
When I returned home that evening, I acted noticeably agitated. I paced around the living room, checked the front door lock repeatedly, and threw my phone onto the table in frustration.
Vanessa watched me from the kitchen, a suspicious glint in her eyes. "Marcus? What’s wrong with you?"
"It’s the neighborhood," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "My manager at the corporate office just called. Someone broke into three houses down the street last night. The police said a professional burglary ring is targeting homes in our area."
Vanessa’s eyes flickered with a sudden, intense interest. "Really? A burglary ring?"
"Yeah," I continued, pacing up and down the marble floor. "They said these guys are entering through unlocked doors or back windows late at night while people are sleeping. I’m thinking about installing another alarm system tomorrow."
"Oh, don't worry so much, darling," Vanessa said quickly, coming over to smooth my collar. "We have high walls and good locks. I’m sure we’re perfectly safe."
"I hope so," I said, looking into her eyes. "Because I have to fly back to Chicago tomorrow night for an emergency board meeting. I’ll be gone for forty-eight hours."
A spark of raw, triumphant joy flashed across Vanessa’s face before she quickly concealed it beneath a look of worried concern. "Oh no! Another trip? But... if you must go, don't worry about us. I’ll make sure everything here is locked up tight."
"You're wonderful, Vanessa," I whispered, kissing her forehead.
That night, while Vanessa was taking an extended shower, I slipped into my office and accessed her personal laptop, which she had foolishly left logged into her encrypted chat app.
I read through her latest exchange with Julian Vance:
Vanessa: Marcus just told me he has to fly back to Chicago tomorrow night for two days. This is our window.
Julian: Perfect. The developer's notary is locked in. I’ll come over at midnight tomorrow. Make sure the old woman is completely drugged so she can't resist putting her thumbprint on the land transfer deed.
Vanessa: What about Marcus's house cameras?
Julian: Disconnect the main router like you did before. He thinks the system is just glitching. Once the deed is stamped, we stage the break-in. We make it look like the burglars broke in, panicked, and suffocated the old woman in her bed. By the time Marcus flies back, he'll be a grieving son inheriting a tragedy—and the land will already belong to our shell company.
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I stared at the messages, my chest heaving with quiet, murderous rage.
They weren't just planning to steal our land. Tomorrow night, they were going to murder my mother.
