Calling the Cops on the Bishop

Amber and I were hoping to sleep in on the weekend of Memorial Day. However, we were suddenly awoken at four o'clock in the morning by some shouts out near the front of our yard. I jumped out of bed in a daze and with blurry eyes. I asked Amber if she heard the same thing that I heard. She had also woken up and told me that she had. I stood by our bedroom window, which was open, and peered through the blinds looking and listening for any activity. We had both of our cars out on the street that night because of some home improvement projects that were taking up the garage. I was concerned that someone may be tempted to break into one of our cars.

We both listened by the window and heard only a few more random, but short and quick conversations between two people. As we watched, I saw a flash light come on at the neighbors house. Whoever was holding the flashlight was peering into and around our neighbor's vehicles. Fearing that some wayward youth were attempting to steal something out of the car, I dialed 911 and got the cops. I did the usual address and phone number routine and then quickly, yet quietly, explained the situation. They said that they would send a patrolman to our neighborhood, but they wanted a play-by-play action until the cop got there.

While I was talking to them on the phone I quickly dressed into some exercise shorts and a T-shirt. I still didn't have my glasses on and so I couldn't give them very much detail of the people holding flashlights. The rest of my dialogue with 911 is somewhat reproduced as follows:

Me: "oh no, they have opened the door to one of the vehicles. They might be taking something out of the vehicle or trying to start it."
911: "okay sir, can you tell me what they look like?"
Me: "no I can't make it out. It is too dark." (Amber and I then quietly run downstairs to get a better view from the office window and for me to get my glasses on and to grab a kitchen knife.)
Me: "oh no, it sounds like they have started the engine! I'm going to give the phone to my wife so that she can talk to you while I run out there and stop them!"
911: "no Sir! You cannot go out there! Our officer is almost there. I need you to stay online and tell me which way they go.
Me: "no! I'm not going to wait while they drive away in our neighbor's car!"
911: "Sir, please listen to me. You don't want to make matters worse. Please stay on the phone and just tell us where the car goes and what it looks like."
Me: "okay, they're leaving the driveway and heading west toward the lake."
911: "great sir, we have a policeman that is almost there."
Me: "wait! They have turned around and are coming back this way. They are driving slowly and weaving along the entire width of the road. They may be checking out other houses."
Me: "oh no! I am looking at the neighbors house and their front door is wide open and no one is in the doorway. My wife is trying to call them on the other phone but they are not answering! I wonder why in the world their door is just wide open with no one there."
911: "okay sir, so you are saying that no one appears to be at home and they are not answering the phone?"
Me: "they should be home because both of their cars were in the driveway. This is really strange."
Me: "oh wait I see someone coming from around the back of their house with another flashlight. They're slowly walking around the house.  Also, the person in the car is turning around again! I don't understand it. Oh wait, hold on!"

I recognized the person on foot with the flashlight. It is our neighbor, the wife of our bishop. I went outside and asked her what was going on. She explained it to me, and then I put my phone back to my ear:

Me: "I am so sorry! This is all been a big misunderstanding. It is our neighbors who have lost their dog. They've been using the flashlights to try to find the dog and finally have gotten into their car to slowly drive around the neighborhood to see if she is in the neighbors yards."
911: "Sir, I'm glad to hear that everything appears to be okay. The policeman is nearly there and I'll have him stop and make sure that everything is okay still."
Me: "thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry for the false alarm."
911: "no problem sir. We are glad that everything seems to be okay."
<I hang up>

I then went out in our Van and drove around the neighborhood to try and find the dog. We were out for the next 15 minutes or so but didn't see the AWOL canine.

I talked to our bishop and his wife after searching. They explained that they had gotten up early that morning to pack and leave for Afton, Wyoming. While they were carrying things to the car the wife saw the dog make its escape out the front door. She yelled to her husband that the dog was getting away. He was confused and yelled back asking where she went. There were quick exchanges and shouts as they split up and hurriedly tried to catch the pet. These were the loud conversations that Amber and I woke up to. They had quickly grabbed flashlights and started going around the house and around the vehicles seeing if the dog was hiding close by. Once they couldn't find her, the wife headed off on foot and the Bishop got into their vehicle and started to drive around our street shining the headlights in various yards to see if she was there.

We laughed together as I explained to them how we called 911 thinking that their vehicle was being stolen. They said that while they were out looking after I had gotten off of the phone with the police, that a cop had stopped them in their car and chatted with them for a minute. The officer then offered to go around the neighborhood also in search of the dog.

After the extensive search, our bishop and his wife decided to leave for Wyoming without the pet.  Sure enough, an hour or two after they left, I saw the dog walking down the street near their home. I went out and caught the dog and locked it in our backyard. The kids had a great time playing with "Crystal" throughout the first part of the day.  The Bishop's wife called me later in the morning and I explained to her that we had her dog. She had somebody come by in the early afternoon and pick up the dog so that she could be cared for during their absence.

In the end, we and our neighbors all got a kick out of Amber and I calling the cops on our bishop.