“If he steps foot on your block, my officers will know.”

“That doesn’t stop him from finding other ways,” I said.

“I understand,” Harris said.

“But you need to remain calm.”

“I can come by and do a quick perimeter check of the yard if it makes you feel safer.”

“Would you?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said.

“I’m only a few streets over.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Thank you, Detective,” I said.

I hung up the phone and set it back on the island.

The silence in the kitchen returned, heavier than before.

Julian had insisted on installing the smart home system when we bought the place.

He called it an investment in our security.

But it always felt like a cage.

He used to adjust the thermostat from his office downtown just to prove a point.

He would turn off the lights in the living room while I was reading, laughing about it later.

I had paid an IT specialist five hundred dollars last week to wipe his access.

Clearly, it hadn’t worked.

I walked slowly toward the pantry.