Chapter 318: New Neighbors
*Our cute little neighborhood is going downhill because of people like you. – Mrs. William Henderson-Brown*
There was a loud knock on the door and Pagan hoped to any god that was listening, that it was the pizza guy. Opening the door to a very angry looking old woman, he decided he should have directed his pleas to a goddess instead.
Plastering on a friendly smile he looked at the woman who had to be in her eighties. At least. Her white hair was perfectly styled in the standard old woman poof above a stern looking face. Dark eyes scowled at him, and lips were pressed together in a thin line. Her blue dress was impeccable with coordinating shoes and a black wood and silver walking cane.
“Hello.” Pagan said offering a hand.
“Your children are bothering me.” She said the word children as if it were offensive.
Pulling his hand back, he leaned against the door frame. It was hot and they were playing in the waterhose. Maybe they were a little loud, but they were also just little girls.
“They are playing in the backyard; I will let them know that they need to be a little quieter.”
“You should keep them inside.”
“And you should mind your own business. Yet here we are.” He gave a small dismissive shrug.
“How dare you?”
“Me? I’m not the one coming to a stranger’s house complaining about his children playing in their own backyard. Is there anything else that I can help you with?”
She harrumphed and raised her cane, jabbing him in the stomach. “You’ll do as I say!”
“I don’t think so.” He said standing up straight and pushing the cane down. “I think it’s time for you to go back to your gingerbread house and check on your potions.”
With that he stepped back inside his house and closed the wood door. With a finger wiggle wave through the sidelight, he turned on his heel and went through to the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, with a partial drunk beer in hand, he returned to the door. This time it was the pizza guy. As he was signing the credit card receipt, a police car pulled up.
“Oh, man, I parked on the street. That’s OK, right?” the teen said as he pulled the pizza out of the heated bag.
“I’m sure it is.” Pagan said accepting the boxes. He fished out the ten-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over. “Tip. Not reported.”
Smiling, the kid accepted the tip and walked down to his car. He passed the uniformed officer on his way.
“Come on in.” Pagan told the policeman as he took the three steps up to the porch. “I’m going to put this in the kitchen.”
The man nodded and closed the door before following Pagan. He sat the boxes on the counter and opened the refrigerator. Grabbing a water bottle, he handed it over to the other man.
“Thanks, I’m officer Joe Daniels, Monroe police. Mrs. Henderson-Brown called us.”
“I’m Pagan. I told the lady that I would try to keep the girls a little quieter.”
“She said that she asked you about the children and you pushed her cane out from under her and she fell.”
Pagan looked at him a little shocked before he started chuckling.
“You have a different story?”
“Yeah.” He walked out of the kitchen and to the small office. Just as he suspected, the cop followed. Grabbing the tablet connected to the security system, he pulled up the front porch cameras. Clicking on the camera aimed directly at the door, he backed up the footage until just before the woman knocked on the door.
“There’s two other camera angles and audio. Just click the little speaker button in the top corner.” Pagan said offering him the tablet.
He clicked on the speaker icon and then the play button. The whole incident played out on the screen before him. After Pagan closed the door, the woman stood there for a moment before turning towards the steps.
“Do you have a camera on the steps?”
“Yeah.” Pagan looked over the top of the tablet and swiped the screen until he got to the camera on the front of the house. Clicking on a button it rewound to the same time that he played the other clip from.
They watched the interaction again. This angle showed her walking back to the steps where she paused for a moment. After looking both ways down the street, she threw her cane down on the sidewalk. Then she carefully walked down the steps before looking again.
In shock, the two men watched her fall off the bottom step.
“Kids can’t play outside if you’re in jail.” The woman cackled as she got up and hobbled to her house next door.
“Well, damn.” Joe muttered. “Can you send this to me?”
“Yes….” Pagan rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I know you can. But I don’t know how.”
“Pagan!” Cookie called out as he came through the back door.
“In the office, Cookie! I need you.” Pagan called back before informing the officer, “He should know how.”
“Daddy!” Alyssa said excitedly as she bolted into the office. Her hair was dripping, she was barefoot and had a towel wrapped around her swimsuit clad body. “There’s all kinds of cops and firetruck out front.”
“Our neighbor fell and hurt herself.” Pagan explained, hoping that the man understood that he did not want his daughter to know about the incident on the front porch.
“Is that why he’s here?” Ashlyn asked as she looked at the cop. Unlike her sistr, she wore flip flops and her hair was in a damp ponytail.
“Yes. Your daddy has a really good security system that caught it on camera. He’s helping me.” The man smiled at the girls.
“Is she hurt bad?” Alyssa asked. “Should we get her some cookies? You always get us cookies when we get hurt.”
“That would be a great idea. Karan, can you and the girls call Mia? Maybe she can put a box of cookies together for miss…?”
“Henderson-Brown.” Joe supplied.
“Absolutely. Come on girls, let the men grunt and growl in their caveman ways.” Karan replied and ushered the girls out of the room and closed the door behind her.
“Your woman is a godsend.”
Cookie laughed. “You only say that because you haven’t been on the receiving end of her wrath.”
“Nope. Can you show me how to send a video clip?”
“Oh, that’s simple. Trevor and Werewolf made it idiot proof.” Cookie took the tablet and showed him how to select what he wanted and then how to email it.
“How many cameras do you have?” Joe asked.
“A lot.” Cookie chuckled. “A few years ago, I was losing equipment and supplies on build sites. First thing that I do now is have Wolf Pack come out. Makes for a hell of a selling point too.”
“I bet. You can press assault charges-.”
“No.” Pagan cut him off.
“My girls have been through enough. I’m not putting them through that too.”
The officer nodded. “She will probably be charged by the DA. I’m giving her a ticket for misuse of emergency services. I’ll turn everything over to the DA, and let them know that you chose not to press charges.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you out.”
“I’m getting pizza before the girls claim it all for themselves.” Cookie said opening the door and heading for the kitchen.
