There was an empty police car parked on the street. The two cops who had been left to guard the scene were leaning against it, talking quietly. The crime scene was deserted. I sat on that bench and thought about Freddie. There were still people around. A car drove by. Two women walking together hurried down the street. They stopped to look at the house and then started off again. For a while I could hear their footsteps. They got fainter and fainter; then they stopped. A door slammed in the distance. The night was deadly quiet. I returned to my thoughts. I was trying to figure out why someone would murder Cheryl and Freddie both. It wasn’t hard to figure out why someone would murder Freddie. But Cheryl? I tried to see the link between them. It wasn’t easy. Then suddenly I couldn’t see at all. * * * I blinked, panic-stricken. The whole world had gone black. But I could still hear. There was a screech of brakes. I turned. Two bright lights were shining in my eyes. A car. It seemed to have stopped in a panic.
