Jake chuckled.
“What did you tell her?”
“That everything’s fine.”
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Then came Melissa’s voice again.
“She has no idea we’ve been keeping her house warm.”
The recording ended.
Nobody said a word.
One of Melissa’s friends stepped backward.
Another shook her head.
A man standing near the grill looked disgusted.
“You let us come to somebody else’s house?”
Jake had no answer.
Neither did Melissa.
For the first time since I had discovered everything, I could see genuine embarrassment on both of their faces.
Not only because they had done something wrong, but because everyone knew they had done something wrong.
The officers instructed everyone to leave the property.
People gathered their belongings and headed for the gate.
Some looked embarrassed.
Others looked angry.
Several refused to even look at Melissa on their way out.
Within 20 minutes, the backyard was empty.
Only Melissa, Jake, the officers, and I remained.
Melissa had started crying.
“Anna, I’m sorry,” she whispered.
I crossed my arms.
“You were being paid to feed my cat and water my plants,” I said. “I trusted you with my home because I wanted to help you.”
Fresh tears rolled down her face.
“We never meant for it to go this far.”
