Nelson stuck the last plate into the dishwasher. After drying his hands off, he put soap into the dishwasher and set it to start in two hours. He wiped down the counters, swept the floor, and then mopped it. Once the kitchen was sparkling, he turned toward the living room and called out. “Kitchen’s done.”
“Four more rooms and then we’re finished.”
Nelson picked up the cleaning supplies Allie had left on the table. “I swear, you should have finished the living room by now.”
“I would be if we hadn’t made such a mess out here.”
Nelson chuckled as he walked into the dining room. “I guess we were a little too enthusiastic.”
“You were the one who wanted to do this with me. The last step is always cleaning.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Nelson sighed and started cleaning the dining room. Dusting, vacuuming, furniture polishing, and tidying. After finishing, he went into the living room and found Allie just wrapping up.
“Finally got the stains out.” Allie grimaced and picked up her tray of cleaning supplies. “Let’s tackle the bedroom and then you can get the small bathroom while I get the big one.”
“Sure.” Nelson followed Allie up the stairs. “This is way more work than I expected.”
“Proper domestic care takes time.”
“Yeah, but I thought the whole point of breaking into vacant houses was to avoid doing this kind of work.”
Allie shrugged. “Better than getting caught.”
Nelson grumbled as he helped Allie clean the bedroom. Halfway through, Allie paused. “Did the dishwasher just start?”
“No.” Nelson checked the clock near the bed. “Not for another hour.”
“Then what was that rumbling?”
Nelson looked out the window. “That was the garage door.” A family was climbing out of the car parked in the driveway.
“Shit.”