You could see it through the kitchen window. She hadn't opened it. Claire, when was the last time you were inside the garage? She turned from the window. I don't go in there.
I haven't since I couldn't find the key to the padlock after Daniel died. I assumed he had it on him and it got lost at the hospital. I had a locksmith put a new one on. Who else has a key to the new lock? Just me.
Why? There's a vent panel on the south side of the garage. The screws on it are new. Somebody opened that panel recently. Her face went through several expressions fast.
That's not possible. I would have seen. How often do you go to that side of the garage? She stopped. The vegetable garden is on the north side, I said quietly.
She closed her eyes. Claire, has anything else been strange lately? Anything you noticed but maybe didn't think much of? Cars you didn't recognize? Sounds at night?
She was quiet for a long time. About 3 weeks ago, she said slowly. I woke up at maybe 2:00. 2:30 In the morning. I heard something.
I don't know exactly what, like something dragging. Maybe. I thought it was an animal. A raccoon or something getting into the garbage cans. Did you check?
I looked out the bedroom window. The cans were fine. I went back to sleep. Which side does your bedroom face? She looked at me.
The south side of the house. We sat with that for a moment. I want to call the county. I said, "Get an infrastructure inspector out here before we do anything else with that box. If there's an active void system under this property, we need to know what we're dealing with before we open anything or move anything." You think someone was using the drainage channel?
I think your husband buried something under the ground in your backyard and told you not to trust the ground and then died. And I think 3 weeks ago, someone was outside your southacing window at 2:00 in the morning. I kept my voice even. I think before we open that box, we should understand the situation we're in. She looked at the box on the porch for a long moment.
Then she nodded. Call the county. The inspector they sent out was a man named Bill Hargrove. Mid-50s glasses. The kind of guy who has clearly spent 30 years being right about things that nobody listened to.