Chapter 3My Vacant House Was Occupied – By Strangers

I headed straight to the Maplewood Police Station, hoping for help. But it turned out Gloria was already well known to them. The officer who greeted me looked exasperated.

“Yeah, we know her. But there’s not much we can do. She’s old, stubborn, and causes trouble often,” he said, carefully choosing his words.

I could read between the lines—Gloria was a nuisance, and the cops didn’t want to deal with her.

The officer suggested, “This is more of a civil matter. You’ll have to take it to court if you want the house cleared. The court can enforce eviction.”

Court? That could take forever. And meanwhile, my house would keep rotting under piles of garbage.

I took a deep breath, an idea forming in my mind. Turning to the officer, I asked, “Officer, is it illegal for me to enter my own property to clean out the trash?”

He hesitated but then cleared his throat. “If there’s no lease in place, it’s not illegal. Just don’t hurt anyone.”

Perfect.

With a newfound sense of determination, I marched out of the police station, ready to take matters into my own hands.

As I left, I spotted Gloria peeking into a trash bin down the street, accompanied by Travis. I ducked behind a sign, listening in.

“Mom, do you think that guy’s going to take the house back?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he never steps foot inside again,” Travis assured her.

Well, well, no wonder Travis had been acting strange. They were in this scam together.

The conversation continued.

“What if he calls the cops? He’s got the property deed,” Gloria fretted.

Travis slapped his chest confidently. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way to steal the deed and destroy it. Uncle Mitch can make us a new one.”

I clenched my jaw. These fools actually thought they could win by tearing up the property deed?

As the video I’d been recording on my phone ended, I let out a cold laugh. I now knew exactly what I was dealing with. Time to make them pay.