“What are you asking?”
“To tell me whether the charger damaged it.”
Daniel stared.
“Why would you think the charger damaged it?”
Karen did not answer immediately.
Susan noticed.
“So you already suspected something was wrong with the charger.”
Karen’s face tightened.
“No.”
Daniel folded his arms.
“Then why did you come to my garage at midnight three days ago?”
Silence.
Susan looked from one to the other.
“What?”
Daniel explained.
The camera footage.
Karen standing near the outlet.
No cable.
No vehicle.
Just looking.
Susan turned toward Karen.
“Why were you there?”
Karen glanced toward the SUV.
“I wanted to see the outlet.”
“Why?”
Karen exhaled.
“Because the charger had gotten hot before.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“How hot?”
“I don’t know.”
“Warm?”
“Hot.”
“Enough that you couldn’t comfortably touch the plug?”
Karen hesitated.
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“Karen.”
“Yes.”
Susan stared.
“And you kept plugging it into our house?”
Karen immediately became defensive.
“I didn’t know the problem was the charger.”
“That isn't the point.”
Daniel stepped off the porch.
“Show me.”
Karen followed him toward the SUV.
The portable charging cable sat in the rear cargo area.
Daniel did not touch it.
He crouched near the plug.
One side of the plastic housing was discolored.
A brown mark ran near one of the contacts.
Daniel looked up.
“How long has it looked like that?”
Karen shrugged.
“A while.”
“A while meaning what?”
“Maybe a month.”
Daniel stood.
“You plugged this into my house knowing it was overheating?”
“I didn’t know why it was happening.”
“So you decided to test it on somebody else’s outlet.”
Karen’s face changed.
Susan had followed them to the driveway.
“That’s why you kept coming here.”
Karen shook her head.
“No.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Then tell me why.”
She stared toward the pavement.
Finally she said:
“My garage outlet kept tripping.”
Daniel went still.
That explained everything.
Not entitlement alone.
Not convenience.
Karen’s own electrical system had been warning her.
Instead of investigating it, she had moved the problem next door.
Chapter 6: What Karen Hadn’t Told Anyone
Daniel called roadside service for her.
Not because he felt obligated.
Because he wanted the SUV away from his driveway and did not want Karen attempting another improvised charge.
The technician arrived forty minutes later.
He connected diagnostic equipment.
After several minutes, he looked toward Karen.
“Charging fault.”
Karen crossed her arms.
“From the car?”
“Could be.”