Then Lisa added something that made the situation even stranger.
She said this wasn’t the first time she’d heard people in our backyard while we were away.
Suddenly, what had sounded like a misunderstanding began to feel like something else.
Something deliberate.
We checked everything.
The gate.
The locks.
The hot tub cover.
The patio.
Nothing appeared damaged.
There were no obvious signs of forced entry.
But the more we thought about it, the less comfortable we became.
So Tom suggested installing a small security camera overlooking the backyard.
We didn’t tell anyone.
The following weekend, we made sure our neighbors could see us leaving.
We packed the car.
Loaded our bags.
Closed the trunk.
Pulled out of the driveway.
And drove away.
At least, that’s what we wanted Jim and Lisa to believe.
Instead of leaving town, Tom and I checked into a hotel about forty minutes away.
We stayed there overnight.
The next morning, we returned home.
Before we even unpacked, Tom opened the camera footage.
Within minutes, he stopped scrolling.
“Come here.”
I walked over.
And then I saw them.
Our neighbor Jim was walking directly into our backyard.
He wasn’t alone.
Lisa followed behind him.
So did their children.
They were carrying towels, bags, snacks and drinks.
Nobody looked nervous.
Nobody looked confused.
Nobody looked like they were trespassing.
They looked completely comfortable.
Like they had done it before.
Many times.
Jim walked straight to the hot tub.
He removed the cover.
The family climbed inside.
Someone turned on music.
Drinks were opened.
Snacks were passed around.
They laughed.
They relaxed.
They spent hours in our hot tub.
Our hot tub.
At one point, Jim even walked onto our patio and opened a storage box.
I could feel my face getting hotter with every second.
“How do they think this is okay?” I asked.
Tom didn’t answer.
He kept watching.
Then we noticed something that made the entire situation even more disturbing.
The timestamp.
They had entered our backyard almost immediately after our car disappeared.
They had been watching for us to leave.
