Home Invasion!

Amy and I went out for a drive today to look at houses and, specifically, to visit an Open House in Simsbury. We cruised around for about 3 hours driving past houses that Amy had found online (and that fit the unwritten description of "our house"). Then after stopping for lunch, we drove to the Open House in Simsbury.

The Open House hours were 1:00 to 3:00, and we arrived at 1:02. I was was worried that we might be too early, might have beaten the Realtor, but there was a car in the driveway which wasn't there when we drove by earlier. And as we walked up the driveway, we saw that the front door was open, the Realtor lock box hanging from the doorknob.

Amy was first through the door, opening up and stepping in. I was a couple steps behind her and, turning to my left, I looked through a window and saw the Realtor sitting at the kitchen table, spooning side salad onto a plate. We are early, I thought. The guy's trying to eat his lunch before anyone arrives. Hearing us at the door, though, he looked up and saw me. I waved. He waved back. And I stepped in following Amy.

We were in a foyer/hallway. Amy started to walk down the hallway, calling, "Hello," when, from somewhere in the house, a dog started barking. Hmmm, I thought, that's odd. The Realtor, walking out from the kitchen, called back, "Hello?" When he stepped into the living room and saw Amy eight steps into the house with me not far behind, he said, "Welcome." Amy told him we were here for the Open House and the guy said, a bit confused, "There's no Open House here today."

The dog continued to bark.

Amy looked at me. I looked at Amy. We had just, as strangers, unannounced, casually walked in to someone's house. Amy told the man--not the Realtor, but the owner of the house--about the listing online that his house had an Open House today. He said no, but he thought there was one down the road. Then he added, "You're welcome to look around if you'd like." We didn't like. Instead, we apologized and hustled off, listening carefully for the sound of police sirens or gunfire. Behind us, the dog continued to bark.

Back at home, we checked online--just to be sure it was entrapment and not an out-and-out home invasion--and yes, that house was listed as having an Open House today.

That poor guy was in for a long two hours.

The scene of the crime: