"Can I ask what this is about?" I said.
Officer Gerald glanced toward the back of the house.
"We received a report about suspicious digging on this property."
I let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh.
"Suspicious digging? My neighbor destroyed half my backyard."
"Your neighbor being Mark?" Officer Beckett asked.
"Yes. Mark lived next door."
Officer Gerald exchanged a look with his partner.
"How well do you know him?"
"I don't. Not really. We've been neighbors for almost two years. He asked to use my yard for his brother's birthday party. I gave him the gate key and went to my mother's house."
Officer Beckett opened a small notebook.
"When did he ask?"
"Friday afternoon."
"And when did you leave?"
"About an hour later."
"Did he say what time the party would begin?"
"He said Saturday afternoon."
Officer Gerald folded his arms.
"There was no party, ma'am."
