and down a flight of stairs to the flat below, Mr. Katz hissing and clawing the whole way as I held him in a death grip. I pounded on the door of my neighbor’s quarters.
“Theresa, it’s me, Sophie. Let me in, it’s an emergency.”
Theresa threw open the door looking predictably sour-faced. Her expression became even more pinched when she saw Mr. Katz. “If you think you are going to bring that flea-bitten animal into my home…”
I pushed past her. “Theresa, I’m not kidding, there really is an emergency. I need to use your phone.”
“You’re trespassing. If you and your rodent don’t get out of my flat this instant I am going to call the police. Do you understand me?”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Here, I’ll save you the trouble.” I dropped Mr. Katz in favor of her princess phone sitting on the antique side table.
“Nine-one-one emergency,” a voice recited on the other end of the line.
“Someone’s broken into my home.”
“Are they still on the premises?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where are you, ma’am?”
“I’m at my neighbor’s in the apartment below.”
“What’s the number of your place?”
I gave her all the necessary information. After listening to my end of the conversation, Theresa seemed somewhat less inclined to kick me out and instead pulled a kitchen chair under her doorknob. The dispatcher didn’t let me off the phone until the assigned officers buzzed the apartment. I picked up my book and Mr. Katz, who, by this time, was only marginally less traumatized than myself, and fought the urge to kick the door down as I waited for Theresa to let us out. I stepped out into the foyer just in time to see Officer Gorman coming up the stairs. We looked at each other, unsure of how to react.
Gorman’s partner, a short, muscular young guy, ran up the stairs after him. He looked at Gorman questioningly.
Gorman nodded to him. “The next one up.” He jerked his head back in my direction. “It’s open?”
“Yeah, I didn’t hang around long enough to lock up.”
“Stay here.” He and the short guy took the stairs two at a time.
I knew that I should stay where I was, but now that the police were there to give me a false sense of security I felt my curiosity getting the better of me. I gave them a few minutes to get in and look around before cautiously climbing the stairs after them. When I stepped through my door, Mr. Katz leaped out of my arms and dashed under the coffee table, a maneuver that almost sent Officer Gorman sprawling.
I shrank into the corner. “Sorry about that, he’s a little nervous.”
“Uh-huh.”
The young cop came out of the bedroom. “No sign of anybody here. No sign of forced entry either.”
“Nope.”
I slammed my fist against the wall. “I did not make this up. Somebody was here. I don’t know if they came and left in the middle of the night or if they were here more recently, but I know they were here.”
The young one scratched the back of his head. “What was it that alerted you?”
“There was a book out of place.”
A good sixty seconds passed before either of them found his voice. Finally Gorman cleared his throat. “A book?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. This just couldn’t be happening again. “Okay, I know how lame that sounds, but you have to hear me out on this. I am not a crackpot. I know someone was here and I know it was the same person who vandalized my car.”
Gorman sat down on the couch and the other officer leaned against the wall wearing a rather bemused expression.
I took a shaky deep breath. I had to make them believe me. “Okay, I told you about Sex, Drugs and Murder, right?”
“Sex, Drugs and Murder? Is that one of those alternative lifestyle courses they teach at Berkeley?” asked the young cop. Gorman lifted his hand as if to say, Don’t ask.
“Look.” I held the book out in front of me by the corner of two pages. “This is the book. This is also the book that was out of place on my
“Theresa, it’s me, Sophie. Let me in, it’s an emergency.”
Theresa threw open the door looking predictably sour-faced. Her expression became even more pinched when she saw Mr. Katz. “If you think you are going to bring that flea-bitten animal into my home…”
I pushed past her. “Theresa, I’m not kidding, there really is an emergency. I need to use your phone.”
“You’re trespassing. If you and your rodent don’t get out of my flat this instant I am going to call the police. Do you understand me?”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Here, I’ll save you the trouble.” I dropped Mr. Katz in favor of her princess phone sitting on the antique side table.
“Nine-one-one emergency,” a voice recited on the other end of the line.
“Someone’s broken into my home.”
“Are they still on the premises?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where are you, ma’am?”
“I’m at my neighbor’s in the apartment below.”
“What’s the number of your place?”
I gave her all the necessary information. After listening to my end of the conversation, Theresa seemed somewhat less inclined to kick me out and instead pulled a kitchen chair under her doorknob. The dispatcher didn’t let me off the phone until the assigned officers buzzed the apartment. I picked up my book and Mr. Katz, who, by this time, was only marginally less traumatized than myself, and fought the urge to kick the door down as I waited for Theresa to let us out. I stepped out into the foyer just in time to see Officer Gorman coming up the stairs. We looked at each other, unsure of how to react.
Gorman’s partner, a short, muscular young guy, ran up the stairs after him. He looked at Gorman questioningly.
Gorman nodded to him. “The next one up.” He jerked his head back in my direction. “It’s open?”
“Yeah, I didn’t hang around long enough to lock up.”
“Stay here.” He and the short guy took the stairs two at a time.
I knew that I should stay where I was, but now that the police were there to give me a false sense of security I felt my curiosity getting the better of me. I gave them a few minutes to get in and look around before cautiously climbing the stairs after them. When I stepped through my door, Mr. Katz leaped out of my arms and dashed under the coffee table, a maneuver that almost sent Officer Gorman sprawling.
I shrank into the corner. “Sorry about that, he’s a little nervous.”
“Uh-huh.”
The young cop came out of the bedroom. “No sign of anybody here. No sign of forced entry either.”
“Nope.”
I slammed my fist against the wall. “I did not make this up. Somebody was here. I don’t know if they came and left in the middle of the night or if they were here more recently, but I know they were here.”
The young one scratched the back of his head. “What was it that alerted you?”
“There was a book out of place.”
A good sixty seconds passed before either of them found his voice. Finally Gorman cleared his throat. “A book?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. This just couldn’t be happening again. “Okay, I know how lame that sounds, but you have to hear me out on this. I am not a crackpot. I know someone was here and I know it was the same person who vandalized my car.”
Gorman sat down on the couch and the other officer leaned against the wall wearing a rather bemused expression.
I took a shaky deep breath. I had to make them believe me. “Okay, I told you about Sex, Drugs and Murder, right?”
“Sex, Drugs and Murder? Is that one of those alternative lifestyle courses they teach at Berkeley?” asked the young cop. Gorman lifted his hand as if to say, Don’t ask.
“Look.” I held the book out in front of me by the corner of two pages. “This is the book. This is also the book that was out of place on my
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