Obi said nothing. Taking out his phone, he shut the door, bolting it. The man started pounding on it, rattling the doorknob.
"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"
"There's a strange man on my porch, trying to get in the house."
"Are you in a safe place?"
"No. I'm standing in my foyer, hoping he doesn't come through the window." Leaning his hip against the door frame, he felt every vibration.
"Can you get to a safe place, Mr. Randolph?"
"I'm worried about leaving the door, ma'am."
"Leave it. Go to a safe place. I have officers rolling now."
"Yes, ma'am." He headed to the utility room. It had a solid door between him and the rest of the house, as well as a door leading outside, should he need to leave.
"Is anyone else in the house?"
"My parents were here, but I haven't seen them this morning."
"See if you can find them. My officers should be there in less than a minute."
The banging and knocking got louder. The door knob rattled, and Obi was afraid it would fall off. If it did, there was very little to keep the man from getting in. There was a deadbolt, but like the door knob, it was rickety. The storm door was mostly glass, but there was also a screen, which someone could punch through.
"I'm in the laundry room at the back of the house," he stated.
"Good. My first officer is there. I want you to hold on, until I get confirmation that the threat has been dealt with."
"Thank you. I can still hear banging."
There was suddenly silence.
"The officer must have gotten him, it's stopped. I'm going out."
"No! Absolutely not, until I get an all clear from Officer Avery."
There was a pause. His doorbell rang.
"That will be Officer Avery," the dispatcher said. "Verify his name and badge number for me."
"Yes, ma'am." Making his way to the door, he saw the familiar face of his cop buddy. "I know Officer Avery," he told the dispatcher. "It's him."
"Good. You have a better day, Mr. Randolph."
"I will. You too."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
"Bye." He unlocked the door, letting Avery in.
"Where's the bad guy?"
"On his way to lock up. My partner took him."
"Any idea who he was?" he invited the officer in, closing the door behind him.
"I was hoping you could tell me."
"No clue. I just got up. Want some coffee?"
"Love some."
"Come on back to the kitchen. I'll make some. I don't know where my folks are."
"Is this their house?"
"No, it's mine. They're visiting." He checked the coffee pot and found out that someone had set it up. All he had to do was press the button.
Officer Avery helped him get out mugs, cream and sugar. Obi found some bagels on the counter and toasted one for each of them. He gave his statement and they sipped their coffee and ate. They were just finishing up when the front door rattled. Avery was immediately alert. Obi put a hand on his arm.
"My parents. Dad has trouble with the door."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. He did the same thing yesterday."
The door burst open and his mother flew down the hall to the kitchen.
"What's going on? What happened? The storm door's dented, and the front door is all marked up."
"It's all right, Mom. Someone tried to break in."
"What? Oh, my Lord! Prescott, did you hear?"
"I did. Who was it?" He set a couple bags from the hardware store, on the table.
"No idea, but he knew my name."
"That's odd." Shaking his head, Prescott poured coffee for himself and Hester.
"If you think of anything else, call me. Do you still have my card?"
"I do." Obi pointed to the freezer door. The card was up there with a magnet. "Thank you for responding so quickly."
"You're welcome."
"Can you let me know who the hell that is?"
"When I find out, I'd be happy to." His radio crackled. "Go for Avery."
"You ready for a ride?" the other man's voice said.
"Yes. Hey, any identity on the intruder?"
"Bardo McHenry," his partner replied.
"Wait. What?" Obi said. "That's my friend Wynter's ex-boyfriend. He's from New York City. What the heck is he doing here?"
"I'll make it a point to find out. More importantly, why here?" Avery said.
"No clue. But you might want to talk to Wynter."
"Good idea. Do you have her number?"
"Yes." Obi gave it to him.
"She's on her way to the hospital, to see her mother," Hester replied.
"I'll call her later. It's going to take a little while to finish the paperwork. You feeling all right, Father? You look kinda rough."
"I'm okay. I look worse than I feel."
"Good. If you need me, call."
"I will, I promise. I'll put your number on my phone."
"Excellent."
"Lovely to meet you, dear," Hester said. "Do you want some coffee to go?"
"I don't mind if I do," he replied.
©Dellani Oakes 2023
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