No one's home

After constructing the greenhouse, Zoie needed to return the duct tape. I was putting Vance in the car to go get tomato plants, so I sent Zoie through the trees to the neighbors. She was gone awhile, shouted her name, but no Zoie. I know her, she is talkative and loves the chickens, but is scared of them. So I run next door and notice the neighbor's car is not in the garage. I am starting to get concerned. I knock on the door but know that no one is there. I walk out of the yard and am getting worried. I shout her name again and start thinking, how am I going to tell my mom that I can't find Zoie at the neighbor and other bad thoughts. Just as the thoughts were getting worse, I hear her voice and the door close.
"Mom, mom?"
"Zoie I am here."
With a sad face and tears, she says "They are not home. I asked Karl Norton (the cat) where they were and his friend (the other cat) and they didn't tell me."
"Zoie, did you knock on the door? Did anyone answer?"
"No, no one was there"
"Zoie, you can't go into people's house when they are not there. That is what the bad person did to us when we were not home (referring the break-in at our house about a year ago) and took all of our stuff.
Now the more concerned mom kicks in, "Were there any beeping when you went in?" I am now thinking that the cops could be on their way.
"No", she says.
We get into the car and I continue on about not going into other people's house when they are not there. I tell her that if the neighbor's car is not there, then they are not home. Poor thing felt really bad about the incident. But when we got home from town, the neighbors were home and she had to confess the story. The neighbor was not mad, thank goodness, he was more concerned or embarassed that the wife forgot to lock the door. He chuckled and the wife chuckled too later when they came over to see the ghetto greenhouse.
So, hopefully this is the only incident of this sort . . . . Thank goodness for good neighbors.