Chapter 4

Penny paused and glared at me menacingly.

A few police officers entered the house and frowned at the mess on the floor. "What's all this, then? What are you all doing?"

I had to give Penny credit for her lightning-fast improvisation.

She grabbed Monica by the arm and walked over to the officers, her expression despondent and angry. "Officers, this lady's son has been peeping at my daughter while she's in the shower. He even took photos of her and put them up on the internet! You must help us!"

As she spoke, she wiped her tears, the perfect portrait of a mother heartbroken by her daughter's suffering.

Monica immediately curled up in Penny's arms, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed dramatically.

Seeing this, the neighbors around us began to interject with their accounts, their voices overlapping as they hurled accusations at me.

"It's true, officers! That lady's son is a pervert! He peeps at this poor young lady while she's in the shower, then takes photos of her!"

"It's despicable! And his mom isn't helping by defending him! We can't get her to see sense!"

"We even found proof of his crime! The cameras are in his room, yet she's still denying his involvement!"

Monica was still sobbing away as the neighbors spoke up for her.

The police officers surveyed the room. "So, where's the young man in question?"

"He's not home. I bet he hid out of guilt! But his mom's here." Penny pointed at me. "This woman's a liar who'll say anything to protect her son!"

I rolled my eyes and straightened my clothes. "Officers, I'm the one who made a report. She barged into my house with a group in tow and ransacked my belongings. How different is that from outright burglary?"

The police glanced at me, then at Penny, before frowning. "One at a time, ladies. Tell us what happened."

After hearing the whole story, the police officers checked the photos in the camera. "Well, the photos were taken from this angle, alright. The timestamp also shows that the photos were taken the last couple of nights."

"But I've never even seen this camera, officers! Could you run a forensic test on the camera and the fingerprints on it?"

Penny began to look anxious. "Is that necessary? Your son could have bought the camera behind your back if you had never seen it. And gloves could have easily prevented him from leaving his fingerprints on the camera!"

One of the police officers got a little impatient and rapped his knuckles against the table.

"Quit squabbling, you two! For the sake of getting to the bottom of this, I'll need both of you to come down to the station with me. We'll send the camera in for forensic testing, too."

Upon hearing that she'd have to go to the police station, Penny groused, "Do we have to go to the station, officers? My daughter's the victim here. She's traumatized enough as it is…

"Besides, the creep in question isn't even home yet! Shouldn't you arrest him first?"

I objected at once, "What difference will my son's return make? He'd never do something like this, to begin with. Don't kid yourself!"

The police officer turned to ask me, "When's your son getting home?"

I was about to answer when a familiar voice sounded outside the room. "Mom, I'm home! Where are you?"

Startled, I bolted out of the room.

"I'm here!" I hurried forward to take Benedict's hand, the rest of the neighbors quickly falling in step behind me.

Penny immediately cried when she saw Benedict, "The peeping Tom's finally home! You there, apologize to my daughter!"

The neighbors swarmed us like sharks, ready to snap their jaws. "Delete those photos and apologize to the young lady right now!"

"Officers, you must arrest this young man and teach him a lesson behind bars!"

Benedict was lost upon hearing the admonishment. Looking bewildered, he asked, "Peeping Tom? What do you all mean by that?"

One of the police officers approached Benedict. "They found this camera in your room, and in it are many photos of the young lady living across from your window, taken while she was in the shower. Did you do this?"

With a shake of his head, Benedict countered, "How could I possibly do something like that?"

Penny seethed at him, "You little creep! Like mother, like son! We found your camera, young man. That's irrefutable evidence of your crime! Are you still going to deny it?"

The police officers took on a terse tone with Benedict as well. "We'll consider letting you off on a lighter punishment if you confess, young man."

Benedict froze, confusion blooming across his face. A beat later, he took off his shades, revealing a pair of milky-gray eyes that didn't register anything. "But I was born blind, everyone."