Strange behaviour by ex housemate

[MrsCrabbyTree]

An ex-housemate has just been at the front door wanting a jewellery item she left behind. Sounds totally okay, doesn't it?

But, 19 days ago she gave me permission to throw it away! Thank goodness I forgot to and it was still in the dresser drawer.

I am at a loss trying to work out what is going on. Was she hoping to cause trouble for me even though I have a text telling me she didn't want it and I could bin it. (It is of little or no value)

Yes, I know I should just move on but my bastard mind won't allow me. Anyone have any idea what her motive could be?

Would be a rubbish attempt at framing someone after sending a text that effectively exonerated them before hand.

It does sound odd, good thing you did not toss it.

Maybe she has money issues (trying to sneak away without paying her due rent would suggest this) and was intending to ask for the equivalent value of the bracelet in cash if you didn’t have it anymore.

Plans for this afternoon were to have coffee with a friend however it changed to lunch at her house. Don't judge but I picked up McDonalds on the way over so we enjoyed Maccas and wine and had a lovely time. Friend came up with a plausible scenario, which works if ex housemate had a second key.

This is how it goes -
Ex Housemate beared a grudge for being forced to pay the extra 2 weeks rent, remembered that I babysat grandchild on Thursdays and Fridays and we were mostly out of the house. However GC started school this year so I am home more often therefore hampering plans of finding an empty house.

She knocked, not expecting it to be answered, but had the forethought to be ready with the illogical excuse of asking for the jewellery, but not expecting it to be handed to her, thus her confusion.

So, if I had been out, ex housemate would have used her 'second' key to enter. Either (a) to steal something of value thus recouping the extra rent she paid or (b) to make mischief by doing something like leaving the bathroom tap running after placing plug in basin, which would have cost me money.

There are flaws to this tale, but it makes more sense than anything else anyone else has come up with.

Told my friend that she would be great at writing novels and that I never want to be in her bad books.

What do you all think? Sound good?

I can just imagine you both giggling coming up with the story! Lock's changed now, right?

If you have anything else of hers left get it out, get it out, as fast as you can

I think you’re right to focus on the ‘just dropping by’ as suspicious.

I also think now that you’ve debriefed, you can stop mulling over it.

Although it sounds very unlikely, if you hear from her again I’d be ready to repel any overtures of friendship. If she were to drop by again, I’d hold that door and say firmly that spontaneous visits don’t suit you and could she text in future. Then don’t reply to texts.

I say this given she worries you a little more than is healthy...

The above post was all speculation and fantasy, and hopefully as many giggles for you to read as my friend and I had while putting it together sipping a glass of white.

What I did do was sent ex flatmate a text, mentioning that I was surprised to see her but very glad that I was able to give her the jewellery seeing she changed her mind about wanting it. Her reply was "no probs". Just in case she had some thoughts about causing who knows what, have got my ample arse amply covered.

Someone asked if exflat and I had mutual friends - not as far as I am aware. The whole thing is just weird and I will never know why.

Crikey. Your explanation is a bit far fetched. Could be true. Maybe she’s just a bit of a weirdo. Or perhaps she couldn’t remember she’d sent the texts.

I agree with the posters around. Trust your instincts, she sounds like she was looking for trouble of some sort. Avoid her going forward.

Like I said, paranoia.

Good for you for sending that text to confirm she had the bracelet.

Otherwise it's just your word against hers that you gave it to her.

Wrt why she thought she could get away with something here - she might have been banking on you deleting texts from a long gone flatmate.

I suspect she wanted to make you pay an inflated price for the bracelet - perhaps an 'heirloom'? - to make up for throwing it away. Maybe she had a narrative to illustrate how much you hated her (involving rent or petty roommate squabbles) and threw away the bracelet out of spite.

Caught up with the current housemate last night and she shed some light on this.

On Tuesday evening as she was walking onto the drive, a man approached her asking if she was the ex housemate. He was nicely dressed and carrying paperwork and left when told ex flatmate moved months ago. Our presumption is that it was a legal matter.

Now I think ex housemate came by yesterday to do some detective work, hoping I would say 'by the way some man came here looking for you'. The jewellery was just an excuse to knock on the door.

My first instinct was that she wanted to either get into the house or oh so casually get some information from you.
The "legal" looking guy is probably someone or something she is worried about, wants to avoid yet wants to know how bad it is.

Jewellery sounds like an excuse in case you were there. I can see why she'd use that rather than "have any debt collectors been round by any chance?"

Sounds like she's being pursued for an unpaid debt.

I'd bet half of a moderate amount of money on her hoping you'd be out so she could try her key and grabbing at an excuse when she realised you were in.

And the rest of the moderate amount on:

She'd have claimed that she'd meant another piece of jewellery to throw and that you'd binned something worth £hugeamount that you'd have to repay.

The paperwork man in the suit sounds like a process server.

I would check your CC statement(s) and maybe your credit report if I were you.

If she knew a man came by looking for her she wouldn't go to the trouble of calling by to find out if a man came looking for her. If she knows it is a process server (if that's what he was) then she also knows what it is about. My guess is her visit was only about the bracelet, she owes someone money that she doesn't have, and they are going after her for it.