“What does that mean?”
Robert sat down again.
“It means yesterday may not have been an isolated incident.”
The room became silent.
Atlas walked to the window.
He stared outside.
Claire followed his gaze.
Across the street, nobody was standing there.
But Atlas remained focused.
Claire whispered:
“What do you see?”
The dog didn't move.
Daniel walked beside her.
“Maybe nothing.”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
She knew Atlas.
When his body became that still, something had caught his attention.
Robert noticed.
“Mrs. Morgan.”
Claire turned.
“Yes?”
“Do you have any reason to believe someone has been watching the house?”
Claire thought.
“Sometimes.”
“How often?”
“Not enough to prove anything.”
“What kind of activity?”
“Cars.”
“What kind?”
“Dark SUVs mostly.”
“License plates?”
“No.”
“Same vehicles?”
“Sometimes.”
Robert exchanged a glance with his colleague.
Daniel noticed.
“What?”
Robert closed the folder.
“We need to take a closer look.”
Claire nodded.
“Do it.”
They spent the next three hours reviewing security footage.
The cameras covered the driveway.
The front gate.
The side path.
The rear yard.
The street.
Most of the footage showed ordinary suburban life.
Joggers.
Dog walkers.
Delivery vehicles.
Children riding bicycles.
Landscapers.
But then they found something.
A black SUV.
It appeared on three separate days.
Always between 6:15 and 6:30 in the morning.
Always stopped across the street.
Always for less than five minutes.
Robert leaned closer.
“Can you zoom?”
Daniel did.
The image sharpened.
The driver's window was tinted.
The license plate was partially obscured.
Robert wrote down the number.
“Run it.”
The woman beside him made a call.
Thirty seconds later, she looked up.
“Plate doesn't match the vehicle.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone altered it.”
Claire looked toward Atlas.
The dog was still watching the window.
Robert stood.
“Everyone stay inside.”
Claire's heart began to beat faster.
“Why?”
“We don't know who we're dealing with.”
Daniel moved closer to her.
“Are you saying the HOA is spying on us?”
“We're saying we don't know.”
The next sound came from outside.
A car door.
Claire froze.
Atlas turned.
Robert moved immediately.
“Stay here.”
He walked toward the window.
The SUV was gone.
Only an empty street remained.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.