And Linda, David’s mother, had always struck Margaret as someone who played polite but calculated games.
Margaret’s eyes settled on the house two doors down.
Tom Parker’s place.
Tom was in his early forties, a quiet man with a tidy lawn, a garage full of tools, and a reputation for fixing just about anything. Over the years, he had helped Margaret with the occasional repair at the villa, installing a new thermostat, upgrading the Wi-Fi, and solving problems she did not even know how to name.
She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed her coat.
If she was going to protect her home, she needed more than a lawyer.
She needed a shield no one could bypass.
Tom answered the door wearing a faded T-shirt and jeans, a smudge of grease on his forearm. His eyes lit with polite surprise.
“Margaret, what brings you by?”
Margaret offered a small smile.
“Tom, I need your expertise. It’s about the villa.”
Tom’s brow furrowed.
“Something broken?”
“Not exactly,” Margaret said, stepping into his workshop-like living room.
She glanced around at the shelves lined with gadgets, spare parts, and the occasional half-assembled drone.
“I need a security system. One that no one, and I mean no one, can disable.”
Tom leaned against a workbench, curious.
“That’s a tall order. What’s going on?”
Margaret hesitated, then decided there was no point in being vague.
“My daughter is trying to take the villa. Her in-laws will be moving in soon if I don’t stop it. I need the place secure before that happens.”
Tom’s expression darkened in a way that surprised her.
He set down the wrench he had been holding.
“Her in-laws. You mean Linda and Robert?”
Margaret nodded cautiously.
A bitter laugh escaped Tom.
“Well, isn’t that interesting?”
Margaret tilted her head.
“Why?”
Tom walked over to a drawer and pulled out a faded file folder.
“Linda was part of a property scheme about eight years ago. My aunt was misled out of her retirement condo. Linda’s name wasn’t on the paperwork, but she was involved. I couldn’t prove anything. My aunt lost everything.”
Margaret’s eyes widened.
“I had no idea.”
Tom’s jaw tightened.
“Let’s just say I don’t mind the idea of making Linda’s life a little more complicated.”
For the first time all day, Margaret allowed herself a genuine smile.
“So you’ll help me?”
Tom grinned, but there was steel in his expression.
“Not just help you. We’ll make sure that villa is a fortress. If they set foot inside without your permission, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”
The next morning, they loaded Tom’s truck with equipment.
Motion sensors.
Smart locks.
Voice-activated systems.
Programmable lighting.
And more devices Margaret did not even recognize.
The back seat was stacked with boxes, each one a piece of the puzzle.
They drove up to Lake Harmony under the cover of a weekday morning, when the road was quiet and the villa was empty.
Margaret unlocked the front door and stepped inside, inhaling the familiar scent of cedar and lake air.
“This place is beautiful,” Tom said, setting down a toolbox. “We’re going to keep it that way. Just with a few surprises.”
They started in the entryway.
Tom installed a smart lock that required a unique passcode, facial recognition, and remote access from Margaret’s phone.
“Even if someone changes the code,” Tom explained, “they can’t get in without your face or my override.”
In the living room, he placed discreet motion sensors near the ceiling corners.
“These will trigger different responses. Lights, sound, even the water system. Think of it as interactive deterrence.”
Margaret raised an eyebrow.
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