Sean's Predicament

Chapter 1 Sean strolled casually down the street, with Pax leading the way. Just a man out walking his dog. Of course the fact this is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city has nothing to do with why we’re here. As if. He chuckled softly, causing Pax to look up at him in question. “Nothing to worry about, pup,” he told the black lab mix. They continued walking while Sean studied each of the large homes with a practiced eye. He knew from his research that every house on this side of the block backed onto a shared wooded area. Across the street was a park set on the lake’s edge. Wouldn’t mind being able to afford living here. Someday, maybe, if I hit the right houses. Now that he had a visual—a real one, not one from the map site—it was time to do his research. Going to the park, he found a bench facing the homes, tying Pax’s leash to one of the legs. Then he took his book from his messenger bag and settled down to read. Or so it would seem to anyone who was watching. In reality, he was tracking the comings and goings of the people who lived on the street. It was late afternoon, when husbands were coming home from work and teens from school—or wherever. Sean had done the same thing that morning, checking to see when the hired help arrived and what time family members left for the day. The next day he’d spend the late morning/early afternoon doing another perusal of the neighborhood for the same reason. An hour later, he put the book back in his bag before taking one more walk down the block. From there, he and Pax headed back to the car, and home to the apartment he was renting in a much less affluent part of the city. After feeding the dog, and himself, Sean sat down at the computer. Logging onto the Internet, with a name that was not his own, he began his search for information on the three homes he thought would be the best targets. By the time he finished it was well after midnight but he had the information he needed on them and the owners. “What do you think, pup?” he said after logging off. “The cream one with the swimming pool in back?” Pax looked at him in question. “The man’s past rich. He collects coins; his wife inherited a ton of jewelry from her grandmother, according to the information in the woman’s will. Nice small stuff that’ll be easy to walk out with.” He stretched and got up. “One son is away at college, the other one is in high school, so no young ones to worry about waking up wanting a glass of water.” He smiled slightly, remembering when he’d had to abort a job for just that reason. A two-year-old had started hollering that she wanted a drink, which of course woke her parents. He beat a hasty retreat with not much to show for his troubles. “But at least I got away clean. No cops, no arrest.” The only time he’d ever been arrested he was seventeen. It was his first foray into burglary and had been a failure to say the least. Since it was his first arrest, and he hadn’t actually made it inside the house, he was given a year’s probation. By the time that was over, he had improved his skills. Now, ten years later, he was well accomplished at getting in and out without being caught. He also didn’t operate in one city long enough that the cops could put the pieces together and decide they had a one-man crime spree on their hands. “Okay, pup, a quick walk around the block to work out the kinks then off to bed.” Unsurprisingly, Pax beat him to the door. They took their walk, and twenty minutes later, were asleep.