Chapter 2 - The Spare Key
Ten minutes after the text went out, my security app chimed sharply on my phone.
BACK PATIO — MOTION.
I tapped the screen and opened the live camera feed.
Krista was standing outside my rear sliding glass door. Two heavy suitcases sat squarely on my patio pavers. As I watched in mounting disbelief, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a silver key, and slid it into the lock.
My blood ran cold. I dialed her number instantly.
She answered on the second ring. “Jocelyn? Look, we’re just getting a head start—”
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“Mom said I could bring some things over early.”
“I literally just texted everyone that nobody is moving in!”
“She said you were hormonal and upset, but that you’d calm down once we got here.”
On the camera feed, I watched as Krista turned the key. It didn't turn. The deadbolt held firm.
“Where did you get that key?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
“Mom gave it to me yesterday.”
My stomach tightened into a knot of pure betrayal. There had been only one spare key in my kitchen drawer. Three days earlier, Mom had come over under the guise of “helping me unpack,” spending a few hours in the kitchen while I nursed Clara upstairs.
She had stolen my spare key.
“Krista, leave. Right now,” I ordered.
“Jocelyn, be reasonable, we don’t have anywhere—”
“I’m sorry you’re struggling financially, Krista. But you cannot enter my home without permission. Get your suitcases off my property before I call the police.”
She muttered something angry, grabbed her luggage, and stormed off the patio.
May you like
I saved the video clip to my cloud storage, walked straight to my phone, and called the non-emergency police line. An officer came out within thirty minutes, reviewed the footage, and made an official incident report. Before leaving, he gave me the best advice I could have asked for:
“Call a locksmith first thing in the morning to change every lock on this house, ma’am. And keep that written message saved. If they show up after explicit denial of entry, we can press trespassing charges.”
