The Second Coming Read Free Page B

folded across her chest. There was a look of distress on her face.
    “I’m sorry about your neighbor,” Mike said as he looked up at her with eyes of regret. “I’m sorry you had to see her like that.”
    “I’ve never seen a dead person before,” the lady replied with a hoarse, unsteady voice. “I mean, I’ve seen someone in an open casket after they’ve been embalmed, but I’ve never found a dead body before.”
    “I have,” Mike said. “It never gets any easier.”
    The woman’s eyes were glassy and her chin quivered. “The smell of death and the look of terror on her face…how do you do what you do?”
    “To be honest with you, this is my first homicide investigation,” Mike replied as he put his boot up on the first step.
    “I thought you said you’ve seen dead people before?”
    Mike nodded his head with a grimace. “I fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
    “So you’ve killed people too?” she asked as she stuck her hands into her pockets.
    “Unfortunately so, but only people that deserved to die.”
    “Nurse Nancy didn’t deserve to die like that. Do you know what happened to her?”
    “She was strangled to death.”
    The woman gasped and began to hyperventilate as she sat down on the top step and tried to catch her breath. Mike slowly climbed the steps and satdown next to her. He watched with a sinking feeling in his heart as she began to sob. Mike placed his hand on her back.
    “I knew I should have called the police last night,” she suddenly said as she wiped the tears from her face.
    “What do you mean? Did you see something?”
    “I think I saw the killer.”
    Mike was stunned. “Where did you see him?” He tried to contain his excitement.
    “I was washing the dishes last night and when I looked out the window, I saw a man standing on Nurse Nancy’s porch.”
    “Do you remember what time it was?”
    “It was after I made my kids’ dinner, so I guess it was between six and six thirty.”
    “What did you see?”
    “There was a man standing on her porch and she opened the door for him.”
    “Did you get a look at his face?”
    “No. His back was to me.”
    “Can you tell me anything about his appearance?”
    “I can’t really remember anything about him.”
    “Do you remember what color his hair was?”
    She pondered for a second. “I think it was blonde or dirty looking.”
    “Did he have long hair or short hair?”
    “I don’t really recall. It wasn’t long.”
    “Do you remember what he was wearing?”
    “I think he was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt that I remember thinking were neatly pressed. I guess that’s why I didn’t call the police.”
    “What made you think you should call the police?”
    “I have never seen anyone visit her before. I didn’t think she had any family or friends.”
    “What type of build did he have?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Was he tall and skinny or short and fat?”
    “Not that I can remember. I think he was an average-sized man.”
    “What did she do when she opened the door for him?”
    “They talked for a minute and then he walked inside and she shut the door.”
    “Did you see him leave?”
    “I never saw him leave. That’s why I went to check on her this morning. I was hoping it was a friend or an acquaintance and that I missed him leave, but I had a bad feeling in my stomach.”
    “What happened when you went over to her house?”
    “I rang her doorbell a couple of times and when she didn’t answer I got worried because her car was still in the driveway. I walked around the outside of the house calling her name, hoping that she was working in her garden. I decided to look in through her windows to see if I could see anyone. I was hoping that maybe she was just sick and couldn’t get out of bed.”
    “What did you see?”
    “When I looked through the curtains in the living room, I could see her silhouette sitting in the chair. I was hoping she was asleep so I called out to her and banged on the