“Very good.” He pulled out his smartphone and began tapping the screen. “I’m Mr. Tadwell from the insurance company. My office said you needed this done today?”
“Right.” Aud unlocked the door and held it open for the man. “The vandalism happened last night. The police and I believe my stalker did it.”
Mr. Tadwell’s skimpy eyebrows nearly disappeared into his long bangs. “Stalker?”
“Yes, I’ve been having trouble for a couple of weeks. The police have a file.” The disarray in his home forced a wave of sadness over Aud. He was just thankful not much was broken.
“I hope they can find the person quickly.” Tadwell tapped his screen some more. “We tend to find that female stalkers are a bit more destructive than males.”
“It’s a man.”
The statement caused another round of raised eyebrows. “Really? You’re sure about this?”
“Not completely.” Aud walked over to the window and looked at where the glass had been. He thought it was unusual that the police had taken time to remove all of it as evidence. The plywood covering the hole looked more out of place from the inside of the house and was an even harsher reminder of the intrusion into his life.
“Your policy covers you regardless.” Tadwell pointed his phone toward the covered window. “I’ll need to get a few pictures. Was there other damage?” He moved closer to the window.
“Not damage. Though I did find a couple of things missing.”
“Anything valuable?” Tadwell pointed his smartphone to get a close-up of the windowsill.
“No, all personal items.” Aud was torn between sitting down and trying to relax and pacing. He opted to stand behind the sofa and lean against its sturdy leather back.
“Definitely sounds like a stalker. Do I presume the police took the glass as evidence?”
“Correct.”
A slow sigh escaped Tadwell. “Okay. Do you wish to include the personal items in the claim?”
Knowing how easy the black jock and other things would be to replace, Aud pursed his lips. “No need. I just really want the house fixed. My assistant has already gathered the names and numbers for some glaziers that can come out and repair the damage.”
“I do hope you aren’t planning on doing that today.” Tadwell continued to tap on his phone.
“Why?”
“Your policy doesn’t cover the added expense of having repairs done either on a weekend or on short notice.”
Aud frowned at the little man. “I thought I had one of the platinum-level plans with your company. Is that not the case?”
“Oh, I assure you, you have our highest plan. It just doesn’t cover emergency repairs. We’ll pay the base cost of replacing the window and standard installation fees, but anything rush or weekend will come out of your pocket, Mr. Sorenson.”
“Out of my pocket.” Aud straightened from where he’d been leaning over the couch. The frustration that had been building in him since he realized Randal was stalking him bubbled up. He suddenly needed to lash out at someone. “How long does it say in my file that I’ve had the policy on this house?”
Tadwell paled and tapped frantically. “Nine years, sir.” He gulped.
“And do you have the information about the policy I have on the gallery?”
“Yes, sir.” Tadwell shook slightly, right after his last tap on the screen.
“I plan on calling a repair company that can get out here this afternoon and fix the window so I don’t have to continue to stay in a hotel. I suggest you authorize that, or I will be sending my hotel bill to you right after I move my insurance to a different agency. One that cares that some of its better clients often need things done on short notice, even if it is on the weekend.”
Tadwell gulped, looking up at Aud’s imposing six-foot-three-inch height. “Yes, Mr. Sorenson. I’ll see that all the expenses on this job are taken care of. My manager said you are a valuable client. You’re sure there wasn’t anything else broken or if you want to claim any of the missing items?”
“I’m positive.” Aud relaxed slightly. “So what is the procedure for handling the payment?”
“Since we’re not sure of the exact cost of the repairs, you can have your contractor contact me.” He fished a couple of cards out of his pocket and handled them with shaking hands to Aud. “Just give them my card.”
Aud took the slip of paper. He walked over to his desk and retrieved the invoice from the handyman who’d put up the plywood. “Here’s the bill from the guys who came out last night to close up the window. I presume you’ll reimburse me?”
Tadwell took a quick picture of the invoice. “I’ll see that it’s processed and the check is put in the mail Monday.”
“That’ll be good.” Aud set the yellow paper back on the desk. “Is there anything else you need? I’d like to start cleaning up a bit while I’m waiting on repair guys.”
“I don’t think so.” Tadwell scrolled through a few things on his phone. “I believe everything’s in order.”