The kitchen counters were covered with cups, food containers, and empty bottles.
Several unfamiliar jackets were draped over chairs.
A pair of shoes sat in the middle of my hallway.
Melissa’s makeup bag was still sitting on my bathroom counter.
They had not merely visited my house.
They had settled into it.
The officers followed me through the living room and toward the backyard.
The music was loud.
The pool was full.
Jake stood beside my grill flipping burgers.
Melissa was laughing with a group of people near the patio table.
Then she saw me.
Her smile disappeared instantly.
The color drained from her face.
“Anna?”
The entire backyard seemed to freeze.
I looked directly at her.
“Surprised to see me?”
Her mouth opened and closed.
“You weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow.”
Several guests exchanged confused looks.
One of the officers stepped forward.
“Ma’am, are you Melissa?”
Melissa nodded weakly.
The officer gestured toward me.
“Is she the owner of this property?”
Nobody spoke.
Finally, I answered for her.
“Yes. I am.”
The confusion around the backyard grew immediately.
A woman climbing out of the pool stopped in her tracks.
“Wait,” she said, looking at Melissa. “This isn’t your house?”
