Nathan took a deep breath. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears, but he forced himself to stay calm. He opened the door. Two police officers stood on the porch. One was older with gray hair and a tired face. The other was younger, maybe in his 20s, with sharp eyes that looked at everything.
“Can I help you, officers?”
Nathan asked. The older officer looked at a notepad in his hand.
“We received a call about squatters living in this property illegally. This house is owned by Nathan Cole. Is that you?”
“Yes,”
Nathan said.
“I’m Nathan Cole. This is my house.”
The younger officer looked confused.
“Sir, if this is your house, why did we get a call saying there were illegal squatters here?”
“That’s a good question,”
Nathan said.
“Who called you?”
The older officer checked his notes again.
“A Mrs. Patricia Cole. She said she was calling on behalf of her son, that would be you I guess, because squatters had broken into this property.”
“My mother,”
Nathan said, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Yes. But she was mistaken. There are no squatters here.”
The younger officer raised an eyebrow.
“So there’s nobody living here?”
“I didn’t say that,”
Nathan said carefully.
“I said there are no squatters. Squatters are people who live somewhere illegally without permission. The people living here have my permission.”
The older officer frowned.
“Sir, we need to verify that. Can we come in and speak to whoever is inside?”
Nathan’s mind raced. If he said no, they might think he was hiding something. But if he said yes and they saw Evelyn.
“Of course,”
Nathan said, stepping aside.
“But I need to explain the situation first.”
The officers came inside. They looked around at the simple furniture, the toys on the floor, the drawings on the walls.
“Sir, what exactly is going on here?”
the older officer asked. Nathan took a deep breath.
“There’s a woman and her son living here. They’ve been here for several years. I gave them permission to live here.”
“Several years?”
the younger officer repeated.
“But your mother said.”
“My mother doesn’t know everything about my life,”
Nathan interrupted.
“Officers, this is a family matter. A complicated family matter. But I can assure you, no laws are being broken here.”
The older officer didn’t look convinced.
“Sir, we still need to speak to the people living here. We need to confirm your story.”
“Why?”
Nathan asked.
“I’m the owner of this house. I’m telling you they have my permission to be here. Isn’t that enough?”
“With all due respect, sir,”
the older officer said,
“we’ve seen situations where people claim to have permission to be somewhere when they really don’t. We need to verify.”
Nathan knew he was running out of options.
“Fine. Let me go get them. But please, there’s a child up there. He’s only 8 years old. He’s scared. Try not to frighten him more than necessary.”
The officers nodded. Nathan walked to the bottom of the stairs.
“Evelyn,”
he called softly.
“Can you come down, please? The police need to talk to us.”
There was silence for a moment, then the sound of a door opening. Footsteps on the stairs. Evelyn came down slowly, holding Lucas’s hand. Lucas’s eyes were wide with fear. He’d never seen police officers in his house before. The older officer’s eyes widened when he saw Evelyn.
“Ma’am, can you state your name, please?”
Evelyn’s voice shook.
“Evelyn Martinez.”
The officer wrote it down.
“And you live here?”
“Yes,”
Evelyn said quietly.
“How long have you been living here?”
“7 years,”
Evelyn said. The younger officer looked at Nathan.
“And you gave her permission to live here 7 years ago?”
Nathan hesitated. This was the tricky part because 7 years ago he thought Evelyn was dead. He’d had no idea she was living here. But if he said that, the officers would arrest her for trespassing.
“Yes,”
Nathan lied.
“7 years ago, I told Evelyn she could live here.”
The older officer’s eyes narrowed.
“Sir, 7 years ago, were you living in this city?”
“No,”
Nathan admitted.
“I was living across town. I’d abandoned this property.”
“So how did you give her permission if you’d abandoned it?”
the officer asked. Nathan’s mind raced, trying to think of something that sounded believable. But before he could answer, Evelyn spoke up.
“I called him,”
she said. Everyone looked at her.
“7 years ago, I called Nathan. I told him I had nowhere to go, that I needed a place to live. He said I could live here since the house was sitting empty anyway.”
It was a lie, but it was a good lie. A believable lie. The older officer looked skeptical.
“Ma’am, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your relationship to Mr. Cole?”
Evelyn looked at Nathan. Nathan looked at Evelyn.
“We used to be married,”
Evelyn said quietly. Both officers’ eyebrows went up.
“Used to be,”
the younger officer repeated.
“It’s complicated,”
Nathan said quickly.
“We separated years ago. But when Evelyn needed help, I let her stay here. That’s all.”
The older officer studied them both carefully.
“Okay. So let me make sure I understand. You two were married. You separated. Years later, she called you needing a place to stay, and you let her live in your abandoned childhood home. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Nathan and Evelyn said at the same time. The officer didn’t look like he believed them. But he also didn’t have any proof they were lying.
“And this is your son?”
the younger officer asked, looking at Lucas.
“Yes,”
Evelyn said, pulling Lucas closer.
“What’s your name, buddy?”
the officer asked gently. Lucas looked up at his mother. She nodded that it was okay to answer.
“Lucas,”
he whispered.
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