Just before Christmas, at dusk, one weekday evening, while Dino was putting together the tree, Niki answered a knock on the door. As she looked through the peep-hole and saw a muscular black man in his mid 20s, dressed in kaki shirt and cargo shorts, holding a note pad she immediately grew suspicious.

Niki asked what he wanted and he said, “Delivery from Fed-Ex.”

She knew no such delivery was scheduled and said so and the man kept asking if she could give him directions to the apartment he was supposed to deliver to, even holding up a map and asking her to point out where a certain building was.

Niki yelled, “Dino!”

Dino came to the door and heard the man running up the stairs. He crashed out of the apartment after him, but the Dindu was too quick and ran off to a waiting car, which sped off.

Numerous recent home invasions, which Baltimore County police deceitfully classify as burglaries, assaults or robberies, have been committed using this ruse.

White rabbits should take care not to pop up out of their hidey holes when the black dogs are in the wood.