"What does that mean?"
"We think Karen wants her sister to harass you and Lily. Janet has a criminal record, too: assault, vandalism, stalking. She's just like Karen."
I felt sick. Even from prison, Karen was trying to hurt my family. "What can we do?"
"We're issuing a restraining order against Janet. She's not allowed within 500 feet of you, Lily, or your home. But be careful, Michael. These women are dangerous."
That night, I installed more security cameras and changed all our locks. I also hired a security company to patrol our street; I wasn't taking any chances with Lily's safety.
Three days later, the trouble started. I was at work when my phone rang. It was Mrs. Chin, our neighbor.
"Michael, there's a strange woman walking around your house. She's taking pictures and writing things down in a notebook."
I left work immediately and drove home. When I got there, I saw a woman who looked exactly like Karen, but younger. She had the same gray hair, the same mean expression, the same expensive clothes.
"Excuse me," I called out. "Can I help you with something?"
The woman turned around and glared at me. "You're Michael Dawson."
"Yes. And you are Janet Whitaker, Karen's sister." My blood went cold. "You're violating a restraining order by being here."
Janet smiled, but it was the same cruel smile I remembered from Karen. "I'm on a public sidewalk. I can walk wherever I want."
"You need to leave now."
"My sister told me all about you. She said you destroyed her life over a simple accident."
I pulled out my phone. "I'm calling the police."
"Go ahead. I haven't done anything wrong yet."
Janet walked away, but I knew she would be back. I called Detective Kim and reported the incident.
"We'll send a patrol car by your house every hour," Detective Kim promised. "But Janet is right: she wasn't technically breaking the law by walking on the sidewalk."
That evening, I sat down with Lily to explain what was happening. She was seven now and understood more about the world.
"Daddy, is the mean lady coming back?"
"No, sweetheart. Karen is in jail, but she has a sister who might try to bother us. That's why we have extra cameras and security now."
Lily looked scared. "Will her sister hurt me, too?"
"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise."
But keeping that promise was going to be harder than I thought. The next morning, I found my car had been keyed. Someone had scratched deep lines all along the sides; the word "liar" was carved into the hood.
I called the police, and Detective Kim came to investigate. "This looks like Janet's work," she said, examining the damage. "But we can't prove it without witnesses or video footage."
"What about my security cameras?"
"They only cover your house and yard. Your car was parked on the street outside the camera range."
I realized Janet was smarter than I had given her credit for. She knew exactly where my cameras were and how to avoid them.
Over the next week, the harassment escalated. My mailbox was knocked over. My garbage cans were dumped in the street. Someone threw eggs at my house in the middle of the night.
Lily was getting scared again. She didn't want to play outside and had nightmares about the mean lady's sister. I decided to fight back. I installed new cameras that covered the entire street, hired a private investigator to follow Janet and document everything she did, and started carrying a voice recorder everywhere in case she tried to threaten me directly.
My efforts paid off quickly. Two days later, Janet approached me as I was getting out of my car after work.
"Nice car damage," she said with a smirk. "Shame when bad things happen to good people."
I turned on my recorder. "Are you admitting you damaged my car?"
"I'm not admitting anything. I'm just saying karma is a bitch. You need to stay away from my family."
Janet stepped closer, her eyes full of hate just like Karen's had been. "Your daughter ruined my sister's life. Karen was a respected community leader until you destroyed her reputation."
"Karen put my daughter in a coma."
"That was an accident! But you had to play the victim and send an innocent woman to prison."
"Innocent? Karen was stealing money and terrorizing the whole neighborhood."
Janet's face got red with anger. "You're going to pay for what you did. Both you and your brat daughter."