TOW EVERY VEHICLE

The day before the move, Carter received a call from Martin Shaw, the elderly man who lived across the lake road.

Martin often collected Carter’s packages when he was away. He also noticed every vehicle that entered the neighborhood.

“Your sister was here this morning,” Martin said.

Carter sat upright.

“Chloe?”

“Yellow car. She drove slowly past your place three times.”

“Did she stop?”

“Near the mailbox. Looked like she was taking pictures.”

Carter remembered Chloe’s message.

You’ll regret treating us like strangers.

He checked his security cameras. Chloe’s car appeared at 10:14 a.m. She photographed the front door, side entrance, mailbox, and driveway.

Carter called his parents.

Neither answered.

He called Chloe.

She rejected the call.

Instead of confronting them again, Carter contacted an attorney named Nina Patel, who had handled the lake house purchase.

After reviewing the messages and security footage, Nina advised him to change the locks immediately and notify local police that unauthorized entry might be attempted.

“Do you truly believe your parents would move in without permission?” she asked.

Carter looked at Chloe’s photograph of the side entrance.

“A month ago, I would have said no.”

“And now?”

“Now I think they’ve convinced themselves it isn’t wrong.”

A locksmith arrived that afternoon.

Carter also placed a written notice inside the front window stating that nobody had permission to enter or occupy the property without his written authorization.

He forwarded the security footage to the police department.

Then he changed his schedule.

On Thursday morning, instead of driving into the city, Carter worked from his upstairs office.

At 12:40 p.m., he heard the rumble of a heavy engine.

A white moving truck turned onto the driveway.

Behind it came Chloe’s yellow sedan and his parents’ aging SUV.

Carter watched from the window as Richard climbed out holding the old emergency key.

His father did not knock.