Your favorite sister Kathy returns to her house in a broken-down neighborhood after another rough day at work. It has been a long, hard day, and she hopes she’ll be able to just relax and kick her feet up after a long shower.
But Kathy quickly notices that her house has been broken into. Her TV has been stolen. All her valuables are gone. The thought of calling the police never even crosses her mind. Her phone has been smashed beyond repair.
“Who could have done this?” Kathy wonders. She knows that the local drug gangs have been growing in power. But Kathy hates drugs, and she always counsels her neighbors against using them. She knows the kids are sometimes tempted, but she tries to stay positive in hope that she can deter them from getting involved in that life.
Kathy goes straight to her walled-in garden and begins getting her herbs to replant. She pulls out some of her favorite chili peppers, which she has carefully propagated, to replant. Then she puts them in water to soak up the poison that they would have absorbed from the leaves from being crushed in the garden.
Kathy then seals up her preserves in jars, wraps up her fresh herbs, and heads back inside her house.
Kathy gets her instructions from her former neighbor.
“A little pockmark appeared on her face,” the neighbor says, looking haunted. “Who leaked that to you? It has almost spread to her throat now. It’s almost like someone lit a candle next to her, on her skin. The poison begins to spread, spreading.”
Kathy is shocked at the news.
“But someone in my neighborhood is hard up for cash. I’m sure they would never set off a bomb,” Kathy says hopefully. “But I understand that you need to make some money to help your family out. What if I pay you extra cash to replace all my items? I’m sure my boss will let me borrow a few days of sick leave.”
“You do not know the world of darkness and the life I have been living!” the neighbor says, interrupting Kathy. “I will have to spend the rest of my life in hiding. One day, I’ll have new items worth more than what I can get for them for a petty shoplifting charge. Until then, I must live on the streets. I have to go. If you figure out anything, ask around in your circle of friends.”
The neighbor leaves Kathy’s house. Kathy begins to fear for her life and also for the life of her sister. She begins to know that if she doesn’t do something fast, both of their lives are going to be taken away.
Kathy's expectations are high when she calls the operator to check her messages.
“Ugh, I feel so gross,” Kathy says when she hears that the police are responding to her latest burglary report. This time she’s not going to delay reporting the break-in to the police.
“Really?” a voice says on the phone. “An officer is on her way.”
“The break-in happened around 6:27 p.m.,” Kathy says.
At 7:00 p.m., the police have finally arrived at Kathy’s house.
“When did you say the break-in occurred?” the police officer asks Kathy.
“Shortly after 6:30 p.m.,” Kathy assures the officer.
“So you think maybe the robber came in when you were out of your house?” the police officer asks.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Kathy protests. “I had the house securely locked. I’ve never left my home open while I’m out.”
“The robber could have hidden in your garden and broken the lock from the inside,” the officer says. “This is a big possibility. You live in a remote area, so people going through the neighborhood would think it was just one of those hustler looking for a quick sale.”
“Well then,” says Kathy. “Could you please check the backyard once you’ve searched the house?”
“We will. There is something in there that could explain the crime. It has been placed in a small box with briefcase locks. It is the closest thing to a bomb ever seen,” the police officer says.
“Can I see it?” Kathy asks.
“Sure you can look at it, but we have already taken precautions to secure it,” the police officer says. “Someone has painted the bomb, and it makes me wonder all the more about who, or what, might have left it there.”
Kathy walks outside cautiously, heading for her house.
“What you see will chill your heart,” the police officer warns as he allows Kathy to get closer before paying attention to her.
“That’s a sick joke!” Kathy says, highly uncomfortable. “What am I looking at?”
The police officer pulls the shutter of the small garden gate open.
“Is this what you had described to me?” the police officer asks the neighbor.
The man nods.
“Well, you certainly have not been lying to me. That looks exactly like what I know of to be a bomb.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” the neighbor says.
“A bomb? Why would someone leave this for me?” Kathy asks.
“A very good question,” the police officer says. “Let us take this back to the precinct, where we can analyze its contents.”
“Until you figure out what’s going on, I can come to your house and protect you as if I were your bodyguard,” the neighbor says.
“I don’t know,” Kathy says. “Normally, I would never accept help from strangers, because I try to take pride in being independent. But I would rather be dead than be on my own.”
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