To think my neighbour stole my laptop?

[StarWa]

This is going to sound a bit ridiculous, but I promise it's true, unless I've lost my mind.

I went away for three weeks. During this time I asked my NDN to look after my cat - I left all the food, litter, poo bags etc.

I offered them £10 per day to do this, however, they refused and said I could repay the favour one day. We are quite friendly, she's a teacher and he works for a bank - both late thirties. Not that it matters, just so I'm not dripfeeding.

I take in a lot of Amazon deliveries for them and they would do the same for me.

I got home today and my laptop is gone - I always keep it in the same place on my desk. It was 100% there before I left. Thinking they might have moved it for whatever reason (fine) I text her to ask.

She told me I better not be accusing her of stealing it because she would never do that. I said I wasn't saying that at all, just a bit perplexed as I didn't take it with me.

Now she hasn't replied, but she's read my message.

I also wonder if "someone else " went in whilst they were feeding the cat and unbeknown to them it was taken. They are possibly sitting at home now thinking "fuck" do you think it happened then..

@stuntbubbles

Scenario 4: it was the CATS. “Think you can go on holiday and send a stranger into our midst, do you? Well we’ve got miaows for you.”

Yes OP, have you checked under the cats?

Maybe the OP realised she was using her laptop to post…

Could they have not locked up properly or was in another room and left door open and some chancer came in and took it.

@Belledan1

Could they have not locked up properly or was in another room and left door open and some chancer came in and took it.

That would be my second guess. After wondering if it was my neighbour.

Better find someone else to feed your cat next time.

I think the reaction of the neighbour was very telling. I feed my neighbours pets and vice versa and if they ever asked me if I'd seen something I wouldn't jump to the defence like this one did!!

I'm betting someone else came to the house, saw the laptop sitting out and either borrowed or hid it.

Neighbours reaction is a bit odd but like others say, it depends how your text read.

I find it hard to believe that she would have stolen it as I presume they'd have laptops and devices themselves.

My guesses are that you forgot you put it away somewhere or she was having a snoop on it and broke it. Too embarrassed to fess up so has hidden the evidence.

Come now, come now op, we need to know where you forgot you hid it lol

@KatherineJaneway

It could be the same with me and my glasses on occasion. You look for them but are wearing them.

I suspect OP realised she's posted this thread from her laptop.

That happened to me recently, I ad my phone on the windowsill next to the radio listening to a podcast,I needed to send a message and couldnt find my phone anywhere. I thought I was going mad as I knew it must be in the kitchen, it was quite some time before I realised that it wasn't the radio talking

If it helps I dumped mine in the washing basket when I took the lot downstairs and promptly forgot. Looked everywhere, convinced it had been knocked till I finally got the washing done!

I think it’s VERY strange she answered like that!

Blimey. If I helped my neighbour and she said. Oh mate. You don’t have any idea where my laptop is do you? I leave it here and blow me. I might of moved it. You didn’t see it did ya??’ The last thing I’d reply is. Oh wow I’m so sorry let me help you find it or no I haven’t seen it. ‘

I would t say you better not think I’ve stolen it!

Guilt response in my mind.

I'm with the 'in a safe place' crowd.

Or perhaps something has been put on top if it, they're slimmer than you think & more easily 'hidden' by papers, jumper, etc

That happened to me recently, I ad my phone on the windowsill next to the radio listening to a podcast,I needed to send a message and couldnt find my phone anywhere. I thought I was going mad as I knew it must be in the kitchen, it was quite some time before I realised that it wasn't the radio talking

Glad it isn't just me

Have you checked with any family members who have got keys and who might have borrowed it while you’re away? I know this is unlikely but worth checking!

Do they have teenage kids, could they have sent them in to do cat feeding duty, and one of them did it and their parents wouldn’t know? Also one of them being a teacher doesn’t make them responsible, my neighbour is a teacher and is a dodgy little scumbag.

00PhilCornwall1

beinglikedisoverrated

Any updates?

Windows updates for the laptop?

That's just a cruel thing to ask!!!

I did this recently with a laptop. Had it charging in a non-usual place (the socket we usually use for the iron) and it was resting on a pile of DD's school books. Unplugged it when fully charged and thought I'd moved the laptop to its usual safe place. A few days later, I was looking for it to use and accused DP of borrowing it, as it wasn't in its usual place. He denied all knowledge so I was then left wondering what on earth I'd done with it. Several days later I found the laptop (clearly where I'd left it after unplugging it), hidden in the pile of school books, when I was neatening them up . It had been 'buried' during the week as DD swapped over books for her school bag!

Yes this is another possibility. Had someone break in once and all they stole was a laptop and a mobile that were in plain sight. They don't necessarily hang around rummaging through drawers if they are opportunists.

Yes we had an opportunist burglary while we - and bloody useless Ddog - were asleep upstairs. Our own stupid fault as we’d left a downstairs window open. Only took my laptop and my bag, which was found in a nearby hedge minus phone and credit cards. They left through the front door which we found slightly open in the morning so you wouldn’t have known there’d been a burglary apart from the missing stuff.

I also recently misplaced my (very nice, 50th birthday present from DH) watch. I thought it was in my dressing table but couldn’t find it when I looked there. I became convinced that I’d taken it on holiday and left it at the holiday cottage we’d stayed at. Then I found it behind a framed photo on top of the piano.

Who would go on holiday though and leave laptops lying around? And if I was just going in to feed the cat, I'm pretty sure my sole focus would be on that and not 'clocking' anything left around the house (unless it was between me and the cat feeding task!).

Wonder if this thread will get to 40 pages of sleuthing before the OP comes back ..

Im feeling very sorry for the poor lady thats given up her time to feed the moggys while her neighbour was on holiday, for free. Next message would of definitely felt to me like it is an accusation.

As they say

NO good dead goes unpunished

sighs ,when is the op coming back to update ?, its going to niggle me all day now not knowing whats happened

Happened to my ex’s parents. She asked a neighbour to come in and feed cats while they were on holiday and when they came back some jewellery, including a ring that had belonged to her DGM was gone. They saw it later on sale at an antiques fair. At the time, she didn’t have the money to buy it back. I would have called the police to ask the antique dealer where he got it but she didn’t.

She never had proof but told me a few things about the neighbours that made her suspicious; neighbour had a key for emergencies and ex’s DM used to pay her for after school childminding, DM came home from work one day early as she was ill to find neighbour doing her families washing and drying using her machines and few other little things like that. Neighbour also always used to ask where DM hid valuables like the video (it was the 1980s).