Glad it worked out and hope the door damage didn’t delay her plans to be with her boyfriend.

FWIW I think your comment sums up what I wanted to express the best. I didn’t even understand how I felt till I read it but you nailed it…Thanks PS I LOVE the idea of an unwelcome mat

It sounds like, all said and done, a decent personal experience. It sucks because it’s frightening to your friend, but: 1) the cops came in time, 2) you realized you’re quite useful in a crisis situation, 3) are able to kill, should it come to that, 4) but have the moral center that doesn’t wish to. Definitely worth blogging about, if for no other reason than to document an incredible, albeit unwelcome, life event. Ooh, sorry for the random (glib) brainstorm, but the intruder makes me wonder if anyone has made an “Unwelcome” mat?

As for reviving your careers maybe that comment has some truth to it, maybe it doesn’t but if you had been forced to kill that miscreant that career revival would not have been worth it because your lives would have been turned upside down in multiple ways — a possible murder trial (here in Michigan we have the Castle Doctrine where if someone breaks into your home you have the just about absolute right to shoot to kill that person but very few states have that — IIRC the only other state with that law is Florida, for those unfamiliar Atlanta is well into the state of Georgia which is not in either Michigan or Florida for sure), having to live with the fact that you killed someone (that is a heavy burden no matter what the circumstances) and the aformentioned news coverage which even if you respond “no comment” to every question they hound you for weeks or even months trying to get their news story on you. I am not very familiar with the “Mansion Madame” or the history behind her but if that was anything like the Heidi Fleiss version and it went down any time within the past 20 years or so every news agency within a 500 mile radius of Atlanta would have latched onto it (unfortunately they may anyway).

I hope you and Melissa never have an experience like this one ever again, Mike. Once in a lifetime is more than enough of something like this for anyone. I do know I wish you had a houseboat you and Melissa could go out on for a few days until it can be ascertained that she is not in any more danger. If I were you I would seriously consider stocking up that houseboat and both you and her staying/sleeping in it (along with her boyfriend if possible just in case he is also a target — it isn’t much of a drive between Atlanta and parts of Texas) located well into international waters –with a satellite phone, a couple of pistols and a few boxes of hollow-point ammo just in case until the police call you with the news that any additional perps were caught and the danger has likely passed. If a perp were to somehow find you 50 miles off of shore (unlikely) you would still have two things going for you — no chance of a murder trial, there is no law in international waters unless you are on a flagged cruise or cargo ship and the water along with being on separate boats would make it harder for any perps to get to you.

you wont run into him in L.A. he is an Atlanta local, dont know his name off the top of my head but Melissa knew him. Oddly he was ndian, as in from India…about 6’2″ 240 lbs short black hair, clean cut but the cops knew him apparently they have had problems with him before…meth was mentioned.