the old bungalow had a long, sloping green roof from which sprouted to Dormer windows. Cassie assumed that one belonged to the bedroom shared by the couple and the other was the little girl's room. the siblings were painted a reddish-brown. a wide Porch ran the length of the front of the house and the front door was a single-light French door. most days the family lowered a set of Blinds over the doors glass but today the blinds over the door and the front picture window were up and Cassiecould see into the living room. and overhead light had been left on.
the front yard was definitely the play area. it was always neatly cut and trimmed. built along the left perimeter was a wooden swing set and jungle gym. Cassie knew that the girl who lived in the house before to swing with her back to the house and facing the street. she had often thought about this, wondering if there was something about this habit that could read as some sort of psychological clue .
the empty swing hung perfectly still. cassie saw a kickball and an red wagon sitting motionless in the grass, also waiting for the attention of the little girl. Casey thought the play area might be one of the reasons the family was moving. all things being relative in los Angeles, Laurel Canyon was a pocket of reasonable safety in sprawling city. still, it wasn't desirable in any neighborhood to have your children playing in the front yard so close to the street, the place where harm could befall them where danger could come to them.
it didn't say anything about this potential problem with the yard in the advertisement. Cassie looked down and read it again.
BRING ALL OFFERS!
1931 classic calif. craftsman
2/2, spacious living /dining, huge wooden lot.
highly motivated and anxious!
reduced and priced to sell!
Casey had noticed the for sale sign on the property during a routine drive-by three weeks earlier. the sighting had thrown her life into turmoil, which was manifested in insomnia and inattention at work. she had not sold a single car in 3 weeks, longest absence ever from the sales tote board.
today's showing was the first open house as far as she knew. so the wording of the ad struck her as curious. she wondered why the owners would be so anxious to sell that they wouldalready have reduced the price after only three weeks on market. that did not seem right.