A 91-year-old widow was home alone when she realized two burglars were attempting to break into her home. But by setting a clever trap, the elderly woman managed to outsmart them.
Vernon Jones had once promised to be with Dolores until the very end, even telling her during his marriage proposal that they would one day enter heaven together.
Sadly, fate had other plans. One day, Vernon suddenly suffered a heart attack and left Dolores behind. After his passing, Dolores found herself isolated and alone.
The small antique shop Vernon ran—a place he was well-known for in town—continued to do well. Vernon had also kept some of his most valuable antiques at home, a detail the neighbors had taken note of and frequently discussed. This chatter led to multiple attempts to rob both the store and their house.
Dolores felt vulnerable in her home after Vernon’s death. Everyone in the neighborhood knew she lived alone. Even though neighbors offered to help, she was too scared to accept anyone’s assistance.
One evening, as Dolores was returning from the shop, she saw her 31-year-old neighbor Bob peeking through the front gate of her property. As soon as he noticed her approaching, he quickly turned and walked away, pretending not to see her.
Dolores had heard unsettling things about Bob: he was unemployed, an alcoholic, and his wife had left him and moved in with her parents. Since then, he had lived alone, mostly drinking and wandering the neighborhood, often seen trying to charm various women.
Dolores had always found Bob peculiar and tried to ignore him. But the next day, as she sat on her balcony reading, she noticed him staring at her from his bedroom window. Feeling uncomfortable, she quietly went inside and shut the door. Later, she checked the window again, but he was gone.
From that moment on, Dolores felt something wasn’t right. She became extra cautious, always locking her doors and windows.
Then one night, while making tea in the kitchen, she heard a strange noise coming from the backyard. Though nervous, she forced herself to stay calm.
Grabbing a pan, she slowly opened the back door. It creaked as it swung open, revealing Bob and another man leaping over the wooden fence and fleeing.
“If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police!” she shouted as they emerged from the bushes. They ran off without saying a word. When she inspected the area, she found several empty beer bottles lying nearby.
That night, Dolores couldn’t sleep. The thought that Bob and his companion might have harmed her haunted her every time she closed her eyes. What if they had succeeded in breaking in?
She knew she had to act, but without solid proof, there was little the police could do. So, she resolved to remain vigilant.
The next day, Dolores hired a handyman to install new locks and security cameras around the house and backyard. She wanted to monitor every corner, hoping this would discourage Bob or anyone else from trying to break in again.
She spent the day reviewing the security footage but saw nothing suspicious. She assumed Bob had been scared off and finally went to bed feeling reassured.
But around midnight, a loud noise from the backyard woke her. Her first thought: Bob was back.
Rushing to the living room, she turned on the monitor—but the backyard cameras were offline. Staying calm, she crept to the kitchen window and carefully lifted the curtain.
There they were—two figures dressed in black, creeping around the house. Their faces were obscured, but she could hear them talking about stealing from her. Dolores knew she had to act fast.
Without hesitation, she called 911. The operator told her to stay calm and assured her that officers were on their way.
Determined to distract the intruders, Dolores grabbed a portrait of Vernon and began to speak loudly, as if he were in the kitchen with her. “Vernon, honey! I miss you so much. Why did you leave me?”
She glanced at the shadowy figures approaching the garden door, hidden only by a thin white curtain.
She continued, “Honey, I still haven’t touched the antiques you left in the garage. The old silver flute from your great-grandfather, your grandfather’s gold watch—they’re all still there. They must be worth thousands! I kept everything safe, just like you said we would for our future little shop.”
As she mentioned the antiques’ value, she noticed the shadows shifting. One of the men went to the garage and destroyed the security camera there.
Now was the time.
Grabbing Vernon’s baseball bat, a bottle of gas spray, and a lock, Dolores quietly crept to the backyard. She approached the garage just as the men were rummaging inside. Quickly, she sprayed them in the face with the gas, slammed the shutters down, and tried locking them in.
The intruders struggled to lift the garage door, but just then, police sirens echoed through the neighborhood.
Officers arrived swiftly. Seeing Dolores struggling to keep the garage locked, they rushed in and apprehended the two suspects.
Officer Lewis Robinson pulled off the men’s masks. Dolores wasn’t surprised to see Bob. “I knew it!” she exclaimed.
“You know him, ma’am?” Officer Robinson asked.
“Yes,” Dolores replied. “He lives next door. A few days ago, I saw him lurking in my backyard with someone else.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” said the officer. “We’ll make sure they don’t bother you again. Do you live alone?”
“Yes,” Dolores nodded. “My son lives in Texas, and my husband passed two months ago. My son’s job keeps him too busy to visit often.”
“Well,” the officer said, “it’s not safe to live alone nowadays. Crime rates are rising. You did a fantastic job locking them in the garage.”
Dolores smiled sheepishly. “Oh… I just pretended I had some antiques in there and was talking to Vernon. I figured they could hear me through the window, and it worked.”
“I’m impressed,” the officer said. “I’m glad you stayed calm and caught them. Please stay safe.”
“I will, officer,” Dolores replied with a grateful smile.
Following the officer’s advice, Dolores called her son Todd and told him everything. Alarmed, Todd immediately asked her to come live with him.
But Dolores didn’t want to leave the home filled with memories of Vernon. So instead, Todd requested a job transfer and moved his entire family to her town.
Together, Dolores and Todd’s wife, Claire, took over Vernon’s antique shop. They renamed it “Dolores and Vernon’s Treasure House,” honoring the legacy of love, courage, and resilience.
