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Carlita’s heart plummeted as she gazed up at the broken window above the pawn shop. “What in the world? That doesn’t go anywhere.”

“Maybe it was some kids messing around.”

“Let’s grab a ladder and check it out.” Carlita fumbled around inside her purse for the keys to the pawn shop. Adjacent to the business and connected by a lower level hallway was her apartment building. Her tenant, Luigi Baruzzo, lived in the studio unit which shared a common wall with the pawn shop. Four larger apartments were located on the second floor, catty-corner to the family business.

The upper-level busted window didn’t access anything. In other words, it was merely a cosmetic facade.

After tracking down a ladder, Pete climbed to the top. Using his cell phone’s flashlight, he shined it inside and along the narrow wooden plank that ran the length of the building. It was a small space, barely large enough for a person to crawl through. “Someone was in here.”

“I bet when they found out it didn’t go anywhere, they were sorely disappointed.”

Pete descended the ladder and brushed his hands on his slacks. “I’ll call the police to report the incident.”

After placing the call and while the couple waited, they checked out the pawn shop. Thankfully, the store hadn’t been touched. Carlita suspected whoever broke the window discovered there were surveillance cameras covering every square inch of the property and decided to hightail it out of there.

Within minutes, a patrol officer arrived. A woman, one Carlita thought looked vaguely familiar, appeared. As she drew closer, she realized she had met her during a previous incident. “Officer Jonkers.”

“Mrs. Garlucci. I thought I recognized the name when the call came in.”

“It’s Mrs. Taylor now. Pete and I got married.”

“I would like to say it’s nice to see you again,” Pete said. “Unfortunately, we seem to cross paths with you when we’re dealing with unpleasant situations.”

“A hazard of the job,” she joked. “I got a call about a break-in.”

Carlita briefly explained what had happened.

“I’ll take a look around.” Jonkers inspected the busted window, along with the inside of the pawn shop. After finishing, the trio reviewed the surveillance camera recordings. Not long past ten, two individuals dressed in dark clothing appeared to be casing the joint.

They left the scene, only to return a short time later. At roughly ten-twenty, they threw something toward the side of the building. Seconds later, a shower of broken glass rained down. With a rope in hand, one of them tossed it in the air.

Carlita squinted her eyes. “Can you tell what they’re doing?”

“It looks like they have some sort of hook on the end of their rope,” Jonkers said.

The smaller of the two burglars tugged on the rope. Leveraging their weight, the figure wearing dark clothing began climbing the side of the building and disappeared from sight. Long seconds ticked past. The burglar eventually reappeared.

Meanwhile, their accomplice stood on the sidewalk, keeping watch.

The burglar who had done the climbing grabbed hold of the building’s drainpipe and shimmied down. The person was roughly halfway when the pipe broke off, sending them tumbling.

Recovering quickly, the climber sprang to his feet and limped toward the street. “He broke our drainpipe.” Although the lighting was poor, Carlita could see the pair arguing. The “climber” grabbed the rope and shuffled off with his accomplice by his side.

They continued watching the surveillance recording until Carlita and Pete appeared.

“It looks like they thought they were being clever, bypassing the alarm system by sneaking into the upstairs window, only to discover it didn’t go anywhere.”

“And broke my pipe on the way down.” Carlita blew air through thinned lips.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that you’ll want to get your window fixed as soon as possible.” Officer Jonkers spun in a slow circle, surveying the inside of the pawn shop. “What’s upstairs?”

“Nothing but an attic. Across from the attic space are apartments.” Carlita explained there was a single lower unit and four on the second floor, connected by a hallway and a set of stairs.

“Would it be okay if I chatted with your tenants to see if they heard or saw anything?”

“You can. Unfortunately, we were all attending a fundraiser down the street,” Pete said.

The cop stared at him. “So…the whole place was empty when the burglars broke in?”

“Correct. It seems like a pretty odd coincidence,” Carlita said.

“Like maybe the burglars somehow knew no one was around,” Pete added.

“I wouldn’t rule this out as an inside job. How many people were at this fundraiser?” Jonkers asked.

“At least half of Savannah.” Carlita told the cop it had been broadcast on a local news channel. “It was a fundraiser for a Walton Square business, Shades of Ink. Almost all the neighbors were there.”

“Sounds like a crime of opportunity. I’m sure you’re aware pawn shops are attractive targets for thieves—jewelry, guns, collectibles, all stuff worth stealing.”

“Which is why we have cameras on every corner.” Carlita tapped her chin thoughtfully. “They don’t strike me as being professional burglars.”

“Most thieves and thugs aren’t. They’re looking for quick cash or stuff they can sell on the streets.” The cop jotted some notes in her notepad, handed them the preliminary police report, and told them to call her if they came across any new information.

Her radio went off, dispatching her to another nearby location. It was Colby’s Corner Store.

Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “The owner of Colby’s store was also at tonight’s fundraiser.”

“Looks like your place wasn’t the only one on the burglar’s radar.” Jonkers excused herself. She climbed back into her patrol car and sped off.

Pete turned to Carlita. “This isn’t a fluke.”

“Nope. Someone knew about the fundraiser, saw their opportunity and targeted us.” She tapped her foot on the floor. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Because you think there could be more?”

“Yep.”

Although Officer Jonkers had already walked the perimeter of the buildings, Pete and Carlita made another round, carefully checking for signs of an attempted break-in.

The couple returned to their starting point. “I have to say, I’m sure when they saw all of Elvira’s high-tech camera equipment, they decided maybe they should try an easier target.”

“I hope you’re right. While we’re here, we might as well check her building.” Pete motioned toward Tony and Shelby’s place. “I see the lights are out at Tony and Shelby’s.”

“I’ll wait until tomorrow morning to let Tony know what happened. There’s no sense in waking the family up at this late hour.” Carlita shoved her hands in her pockets. “If I remember correctly, Dernice is a night owl. She might still be up.”

Backtracking, they checked the alley first, making their way to the shared parking lot at the end. With a quick look inside the vehicles, Carlita was relieved none of them had been messed with.

Turning right, they walked along the back of the building before circling around to the front. “Elvira’s gadgets and gizmos must have deterred the burglars.”

Pete turned his phone’s light on and flashed it along the front of her building, focusing it on the upper level. “Hold up. I think I see something.”

Carlita followed his gaze. Sure enough, the vent cover was crooked. “Someone was trying to get into the air return vent?”

“And possibly even succeeded.” Pete motioned to her. “Do you have Dernice’s number handy?”

“I do.” Carlita pulled her cell phone from her purse and scrolled through her list of contacts. She sent Dernice a quick text message, asking if she was home.

Her reply was prompt. Yeah. I’m here. What’s up?

Carlita: Pete and I are standing out front. Can you meet us?

Dernice: On my way.

She arrived only moments later, a concerned expression on her face. “What’s going on?”

“Burglars busted out the window above the pawn shop,” Carlita said.

“The window to nowhere?”

Pete and Carlita took turns filling her in on what had happened. “While Officer Jonkers was writing her report, she got called to Colby’s Corner Store.”

“Something is going on.” Dernice told them she returned from the fundraiser and found the office files scattered around. “I figured it was probably an employee trying to find something and left the place in a mess. Elvira would have had a hissy fit, but seeing how she’s gone, I chalked it up to it being an employee who was in a big hurry.”

“Or maybe someone was inside.”

“The doors were locked. I didn’t notice where anyone might have tried to break in.”

“Same for the pawn shop. Of course, the burglars didn’t get anything because the window they sneaked into doesn’t lead to anywhere.” Carlita tilted her head, studying the crooked vent cover. “Have you ever noticed the vent cover being off kilter before?”

Dernice stepped in next to her, lifting her gaze. “No, but you’re right. It’s definitely crooked.”

“We should probably check it out.” Pete led the way inside. Starting in the front, the trio worked their way back, thoroughly searching the lower level before heading upstairs. “What’s up here?”

“Boxes and junk. Elvira keeps talking about someday renovating it and turning it into apartments for extra income.”

They reached the upper level, most of which was wide open. It appeared the previous owner had made a half-hearted attempt to finish it and gave up. Hence, stud walls were in place, but there was no drywall.

“Where’s the light switch?” Carlita ran her hand along the wall.

“The lights don’t work,” Dernice said. “There’s a short in the wiring. Elvira is too cheap to get it fixed.”

Pete took the flashlight Dernice had grabbed on her way up the steps and began checking the rooms. While she waited, Carlita wandered over to the wall facing the street.

Dernice caught up with her. “Are you trying to figure out where the vent comes in?”

“Yeah.” Carlita shifted her gaze and studied the ceiling. “I see the ductwork.”

Pete appeared. “There’s no one here. It doesn’t look like anything has been messed with.”

“Can I borrow the flashlight?”

“Sure.” He handed it to his wife.

Carlita shined the light along the metal ductwork, pausing when she noticed what looked like a sag, caused by the weight of something heavy. “There’s a dip in the ductwork.”

Dernice darted over to the corner and grabbed a broom. Using the end, she began tapping along the perimeter. She reached the dip. With a little more force, she pushed up.

Pop. The duct popped, echoing loudly in the wide open space.

Carlita stumbled back, clutching her chest. “You scared the daylights out of me.”

“Sorry,” Dernice apologized.

“I keep thinking someone is gonna come crashing down.”

Pete grabbed a baseball bat sitting in the corner.

Dernice finished tapping and pushing, making her way to the vent cover on the side wall. “This is where it ends.”

Keeping a firm grip on the bat, Pete used his free hand to flip the latch on the cover.

Carlita reached out to stop him. “What are you doing?”

“Taking a look inside.”

Thump. The ductwork, only a few feet from where they stood, made a thumping sound.

Dernice’s eyes grew round as saucers. “I hope I’m wrong, but I think there’s someone in there.”