The Umbrella Ending

The ladder was still leaning against the house under my window when I left for work at 5:30 a.m. My brother had camped out on my sofa. He wanted to protect me. When I was away he did a little detective work, he snuck over to the neighbors house. He checked the back of the mans' truck and saw that all his tools had a spray paint marking, bright orange on them. Before long, it was daylight and he returned next door to my house and retrieved the ladder. He brought it inside to prevent it from going missing.

My brother told me that many construction workers paint their tools to keep them separated from other workers.

But, just in case I get too far, let me tell what happened earlier in the day, very early. You will have to read The Umbrella.

When the story ended, I failed to tell you that the yelp in the first story was the man. The umbrella was dropped when my brother-in-laws rifle full of buckshot rang out. The man in the middle of the road was my brother getting ready to chase him. Little did the man know I had a small army ready to go. He thought he had enough time to grab his ladder and get home before the police got there.

My brother had come around the back of my house and surprised the guy coming out from under my front porch and Chris my brother in law was loading his rifle inside his house next door.
My brother hopped into my brother-in-laws truck and so did Heather wanting an adventure.

My brother had to track the wet footprints through the woods and muddy dry creek bed to the guys back door. My neighbors door.
The police officer, after leaving my sisters, Heather and I headed home we both had to get up in the morning. Heather had school and I had to be at work at 6:00am.

The police officer left my sisters and went to the neighbors' house. He knocked on the door. It took several moments before someone showed up. It was the man freshly showered with a wet head and long clean pants on. No shirt of course. He questioned the man. He was suspisous of the time the shower. That night (morning) nothing was done.
When I arrived home from work, there was a monument of sorts in my front yard near the property line. It consisted of THE LADDER, THE UMBRELLA, a doghouse and dog (a mean looking ugly Rotweiller)

I asked my brother and brother-in-law, "What is that?!"
Oh, those boys had come up with this grand scheme to send this person a message. To scare him to not to do it again. "I am not even certain it was him!"
"Oh yes it is him", I have proof my brother exclaimed.
"Well, no matter, you are not the police."
"How am I going to feed the dog I ask?" My brother-in-law pipes in and says that it is his brother's dog that I am borrowing it. Until I feel, I do not need him anymore and he brought food with him.
For the next few days, I have this monument in my front yard. I had plans for the ladder. I needed one to hang a bat house up and Marshall had plans for the shelf.

Then one day I come home and the monument is gone. I go to my sisters' house and question her about it.
"Dumb dog likes bones"
"I went to get the mail and I noticed it all was gone, all he left was the dog and dog house and a big fat bone licked clean."

Oh well. My brother-in-law took the dog back to his brothers.
That night I woke to a noise, I was not sure if it was anything, I thought I might me antsy. I tried to sneak into Heathers room so she could sleep in my bed with me and help listen out.

My brother jumped up saying "What????" I told him I thought I heard a noise and before I had it out my mouth all the way, he was out the door. He did not see any thing, but called the police anyway.

The police came out and went straight next door after my brother caught him in the driveway. He and his wife/girlfriend came to the door. The police suggested she go inside but she did not want to. My brother stood at a distance to hear what was being said. The police told him that if I called about this same kind of thing again he was going to run a criminal background check on him and his wife.

The next weekend they moved.

I did sleep a little easier at night, not because my brother took up residence with me, but because I feel certain that my next door neighbor was the peeper. It still gives me chills thinking about it.
Put curtains on your windows and close the blinds to keep the creepers from leering into your room while you are asleep. It will save you a restful night sleep. I never really thought people did that kind of thing, THEY DO.