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said before, we’re short-handed, but Officer Grant is on his way.  In the meantime, I’m going to have a look around.”
The chief pulled out a large flashlight and held it next to his service revolver, which was pointed toward the door as he approached it.
I could hear my heat beating as I waited for the chief to come back out, or worse yet, hear the sound of a gun going off. 
When Officer Grant showed up on foot beside my window, I nearly had a heart attack.
“Where did you come from?” I asked him, trying to catch my breath.
“I parked in front of Grace’s place,” he said.  “Where’s the chief?” Officer Grant asked as he looked around for his boss.
“He’s inside alone.”
“Wait here,” Grant said, and then he approached the house himself.
Four minutes later, the two men came out together, but their guns weren’t holstered, and their flashlights were still emitting a pair of blinding lights.  They both nodded in my direction as the chief beckoned me over to them, so I got out of the Jeep and approached them.
“We’re going to take a quick sweep of the park,” Chief Martin said.  “But before we do, we want to make sure that you’re safe.  Go inside and lock the door behind you.  Suzanne, don’t let anyone in until we come back.  That’s an order.”
“That’s not going to be a problem,” I said as I hurried back to my Jeep, started it, and then quickly pulled it into my parking space.  After that, it was a quick sprint to my front door.  I couldn’t wait to obey the last part of that order, though I normally didn’t take well to getting instructions from anyone, let alone the chief of police.  After I deadbolted the front door, I finally allowed myself a second to catch my breath.  It appeared that I was safe, at least for the moment.  After I took a second to collect myself, I looked around the entire house, but nothing seemed out of place.  I certainly didn’t own anything valuable, so why had someone gone to the trouble of breaking in?  Had they actually broken anything, though?  I looked at the lock, but it appeared to be undamaged.  If that were the case, then how had they gotten in?  Was it possible that I’d forgotten to lock the front door on my way out after all?  No, I distinctly remembered bolting it in place behind me as I’d left.  If they hadn’t gotten in that way, then how had they gained access?  I looked around a little more thoroughly, and that’s when I noticed that it was cooler in Momma’s bedroom than it should have been.  Pulling the curtain aside, I saw that one window pane was neatly punched out, allowing someone access into my home.
I was still studying the broken window when the two police officers started knocking on the front door.  I opened it for them after they both identified themselves, and then I said, “I found out how he got in,” leading them to the broken glass.
“It looks like you surprised someone in the middle of a burglary attempt,” the chief said.  “Somebody must have known your schedule at the donut shop and figured that you wouldn’t be home.  Why are you here at this time of morning, anyway?”
“Emma and Sharon had things under control, so I decided to come home and take a nap before I went to collect Jake, not that there’s any chance of that happening now.”
“Suzanne, if you’d like, I can patch that window for you until you get it replaced,” the chief said.
“Need any help with it, Chief?” Officer Grant asked him.
“Thanks for offering, but I really need you out on patrol,” he said.
“Happy to do it,” Officer Grant said, and then he winked at me before he left.  “Don’t worry, Suzanne.  They won’t come back again anytime soon.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said, not even thinking about that possibility before he’d mentioned it.
Once Officer Grant was gone, the chief said, “I know that there’s some plywood around here somewhere.  I remember seeing it when we were