Brenda clutched her chest and sank onto the marble floor because there was nowhere else to sit. “You are unbelievable.”
Kyle stormed back from the kitchen, face twisted with rage. “You definitely hid the cash and gold in the wall safe.” He charged upstairs.
I did not stop him. I had purposely left the wall safe open. Inside, there was nothing but dust.
A few minutes later, the trio reconvened in the living room. They looked exhausted, drenched in sweat, and utterly defeated. They had spent money on trucks, caused a public scene, and built an entire fantasy for nothing. The ten-million-dollar mansion had become a useless glass cavern.
Brenda glared at me. “You are truly evil.”
I shrugged. “I was just clearing out my life.”
Outside, it was a ninety-five-degree August day in Los Angeles. Inside the sealed mansion, it was worse. The massive windows had turned the empty house into a greenhouse. Without the familiar hum of central air, the stagnant air trapped the California sun inside.
Savannah ran to the powder room to splash water on her face. She turned the faucet, but only a dry rattle came out, followed by a few murky drops. “There’s no water,” she shrieked. “Mom, there’s no water.”
Brenda turned on me. “Vicki, why is there no power and no water?”
I leaned against the wall, fanning myself with a designer paper fan from my bag. “I moved out. Since the house was going to be empty, I canceled my utility accounts. I also had the main water valve and master breaker shut off for safety.”
Brenda stared at me.
“So now,” I said, “it is just a glass box with no power, no water, and no Wi-Fi. If you want to stay and enjoy the sauna, be my guest.”
Kyle slumped onto the bottom stair. “How are we supposed to live here? It is almost a hundred degrees.”
Savannah emerged from the bathroom looking ruined. “Mom, I can’t take this. Let’s leave.”
Brenda looked around the mansion, physically pained to abandon it. “Fine,” she said. “You win this round. But tomorrow I’ll call someone and get everything turned back on.”
I smiled. “Only if you can prove ownership to the utility companies.”
That shut her up. They trudged toward the front door, looking like defeated prisoners. But I had one final blow to deliver. As they reached the entryway, I called out.
“Before you leave, look at the wall.”
Taped to the pristine white wall was a laminated notice: Private property. Trespassing and vandalism strictly prohibited. All damage will be documented and pursued legally.
Kyle sneered. “Who are you trying to scare with a sign?”
I pointed up at the ceiling. A tiny red LED blinked on a sleek black dome camera.
“That is a battery-operated 4K security camera. It runs off-grid and connects directly to a twenty-four-seven monitoring center. Scratch a floorboard, smudge a wall, or break a window, and the footage goes straight to my attorney and the police.”
Kyle quickly pulled his hands to his chest, terrified to touch anything. Savannah pressed herself against Brenda. Brenda, furious but frightened, grabbed her kids by the arms. “Let’s go.”
I stood in the doorway and watched them flee. Outside the gates, the movers sat in the shade of an oak tree.