Early the next morning, as usual, Deanna went to the herbal garden to water the medicinal plants.
Old Ashley was in a good mood, humming a tune, planning to take a walk in the nearby park.
Gregory and Chloe were in high spirits, each holding one of Great-grandma's hands, insisting on accompanying her.
How could Old Ashley refuse? Her eyes curved with a smile, full of affection, as she led the two children out the door.
When there was no one at home, two men in black suddenly appeared in the neighborhood where Deanna lived.
They wore duck-billed caps, masks on their faces, sunglasses hiding their eyes, making it impossible to see their faces clearly, and carried toolboxes in their hands.
The men in black had a clear target, heading straight for Deanna's house!
They opened the toolbox, took out an iron wire, and skillfully picked the lock.
With hammers in hand, they exchanged a glance and began to destroy the furniture.
Cups and bowls were smashed, mirrors shattered, glass coffee tables overturned, leaving shards scattered on the floor.
They smashed the TV, cut all the wires.
They even used a steel saw to cut the legs of the bed, leaving marks on the sofa and bedsheets.
The clothes in the wardrobe were not spared either.
Curtains were torn down, shredded, and thrown on the floor.
After doing all this, they carried their toolbox and left.
Deanna was busy in the herbal garden when she suddenly received a call from her neighbor Amelia.
Wiping her hands, she answered casually, "Amelia, what's up?"
Amelia's voice sounded anxious on the other end, "Deanna, your house has been vandalized! Come back and see!"
Deanna frowned at the news, her expression turning serious.
"What about my grandmother and the two children? Have they returned?"
She remembered before she left, they mentioned going for a walk.
Amelia thought for a moment, "They probably haven't returned, I haven't seen them."
Deanna was alarmed and hurried back home.
What met her eyes was an open door and furniture smashed to pieces.
The floor was covered in glass, leaving her nowhere to step.
She felt like her blood froze, her whole body chilling.
Amelia heard her footsteps upstairs and came over to comfort her.
"Deanna, don't worry, I've called the police. They'll be here soon."
Deanna nodded blankly, thanking her, feeling bewildered.
At that moment, Old Ashley and the two children also returned.
"What's going on!"
"Mommy!"
They looked at the mess, also dumbfounded, and quickly asked Deanna.
Deanna shook her head disheartenedly, her mind in turmoil, "I don't know, I just got back."
They looked at each other, all feeling flustered.
Amelia speculated, "It might be a burglary. This area is old, with a mixed population, such incidents happen often."
Old Ashley was absent-minded, "How could this happen? Our house isn't good, and there's nothing valuable. How could it be robbed?"
When they came, there were several people around, all looking at them and whispering.
Why was only their house robbed?
Deanna frowned at the words.
She felt things were not that simple.
She carefully observed the situation in the house. Nothing seemed to be missing, unlike a typical burglary.
Chloe was a bit scared, clinging to Old Ashley.
Gregory furrowed his brows, carefully observing the situation in the house, his eyes shining with rationality.
"Perhaps it's not a robbery."
Deanna said seriously to everyone.
Before Amelia could say anything else, the sound of police sirens suddenly rang out as the police arrived.
They consciously cleared the doorway and let the police in to inspect the situation.
"Who's the homeowner here?"
The police took a few photos and asked them.
"Me."
Deanna answered calmly.
She took the initiative to explain, "This morning, my family and I went out. Just now, the neighbor called me back, saying our house was vandalized."
The police nodded and asked specific questions.
"What time did you leave?"
Deanna thought for a moment and replied, "I left at nine."
Old Ashley didn't remember the time, so Gregory answered for her, "We left at nine ten."
The police recorded while saying, "The suspects' time of action should be between nine ten and ten."
Deanna remained calm and expressed her thoughts to the police, "The other party seems to have come prepared. Besides picking the lock and smashing the furniture, they didn't do anything else. Nothing is missing from the house, so they might have planned this for a long time."
The police didn't deny it, noting down what she said, and told her, "We've sent someone to check the surveillance footage. We'll investigate this thoroughly."
She nodded, sitting down with her grandmother. Old Ashley still looked pale.
An hour later, the police provided footage from the neighborhood surveillance.
The footage showed two men wearing duck-billed caps and masks walking towards the building at nine thirty in the morning.
The police judged that they were likely the perpetrators.
Since their faces couldn't be seen, the police asked Deanna if she recognized anyone with such a build.
Simple vandalism like this might indicate that the perpetrators were acquaintances.
Deanna carefully scrutinized for a long time and shook her head decisively, "No, I don't recognize anyone."
With no progress in the case and the trail going cold, the police had to leave.
"Miss Jones, we'll inform you when there's progress in the case."
The police left Deanna's phone number and said to her, "It's not safe here. To be on the safe side, don't stay here for now. Arrange for your family to stay elsewhere."
She nodded and said, "Thank you, officer."