The police sergeant, a tired woman named Delgado, watched the clip on Laura’s phone. “We’ll take a copy,” she said. “But to be honest, this is grainy. Could be anyone. Could be a kid playing a prank.” She looked at Laura. “Good thing you had the cameras. I’d suggest a floodlight back there, too.”

Laura’s heart slammed against her ribs. She shook Mark awake. “Someone’s in the backyard.” They watched the figure pause at the sliding glass door, try the handle, then slip away into the shadows of the neighbor’s yard. Mark called the police. By the time they arrived, the figure was gone. But they had the footage.

That night, Laura and Mark had their first real fight. Mark was defensive. “She’s overreacting. It’s for our security. If she doesn’t want to be seen in her hot tub, she shouldn’t have a hot tub in her backyard.”

Laura took a ladder, a screwdriver, and a small hammer to the living room camera. She pried it off the wall, dangled it by its wire, and then smashed it against the brick fireplace. The little white orb shattered into plastic shards and a tiny, blinking green circuit board. It was a violent, satisfying act.

“What did she say?”

“Their hot tub is not public view! It’s behind a six-foot fence!”

The installation was almost insultingly easy. She mounted the doorbell camera herself, then placed the little orb-shaped cameras in the living room, the back patio, and the nursery. The nursery one gave her pause. She angled it toward the window, away from the crib. Just to see if anyone tries to climb in , she told herself. The final step was the app: Hearthstone Home. She set up a shared login with Mark, named the cameras (“Front Porch,” “Back Yard,” “Nursery Window,” “Living Room”), and paid for the premium cloud storage plan. For the first week, it was a toy. A delightful, anxiety-soothing toy.