"If that's the little boy, ma'am, he's all right," said MacCready. "One of the neighbors took him to their house."
"What is it, then?" David, demanded.
"There was an older woman living here — "
"Mrs. Jensen," David said. "She's our housekeeper."
"She's dead, sir. She's been killed."
Karyn's knees turned rubbery for a moment. David put an arm around her shoulder to steady her.
"How did it happen?" he asked the policeman.
"If you could come inside and answer a few questions, you can help us find that out," MacCready said.
David looked down at Karyn.
"It's all right," she said in a small voice.
He turned back to MacCready. "We'll help in any way we can, Lieutenant."
Inside, Mrs. Jensen's body had been taken away and a tarpaulin spread on the floor at the foot of the stairs to cover most of the spilled blood. Lieutenant McCready led the Richters into the family room, out of sight of the blood stains.
Yes, they told him, everything had seemed quite normal when they left the house this evening. No, they had no knowledge of anyone who might want to kill Mrs. Jensen. Yes, she was a careful person, in the habit of keeping the door locked. No, it was not likely she would have admitted a stranger to the house.
Lieutenant MacCready scribbled notes in a spiral-bound pad as Karyn and David answered his questions.
"Have you noticed anyone suspicious hanging around the neighborhood lately?"
Karyn started to speak, then hesitated.
The detective looked up. "Mrs. Richter?"
Karyn saw David's slight frown, but went ahead anyway. "Well, there has been someone. But I don't know if it's relevant."
"Anything at all you can tell me might help," MacCready said.
"There's a woman," Karyn said, getting the words out in a hurry. "I've seen her several times lately. I had the feeling she was following me."
MacCready's eyes narrowed. "A woman following you, you say."
Karyn chewed her lip. She looked over at David. He took her hand.
"Do we have to go through all of this now?" David said to the policeman. "My wife has been under the care of a doctor. For her nerves."
Karyn stiffened slightly at David's emphasis on nerves.
"I'll make it as brief as I can," MacCready said. "This could be very important if what we have here is an attempted kidnapping."
"Kidnapping?" Karyn said. "Do you mean someone was trying to take Joey?"
"It's a possibility. Now, about this woman — "
Karyn told him about the dark-haired woman, and how she'd seen her in the coffee shop, on the street, and again riding in the taxi. As she spoke, Karyn realized how thin it sounded, how little it really was to base a suspicion on.
"Are you sure it was the same woman each time?" MacCready asked, his tone cool and courteous.
"Yes. I'm almost certain it was the same woman."
"Almost," the liteutenant repeated under his breath. Karyn could see the interest fade in his eyes. "We'll check it out," he said. "I think that's enough for tonight." He took a card from his breast pocket and handed it to David. "If anything comes up, give me a call."
As MacCready closed his notebook and stood up to leave, another uniformed officer came into the room.
"Lieutenant, do you want to talk to that woman now? The one who says she saw an animal?"
Karyn looked up sharply.
"No," MacCready said shortly. "You take her statement, that's all we need."
"What's that about an animal?" Karyn asked.
David gave her a warning look.
"One of your neighbors said she thought it looked like a big dog that jumped through the window and ran away from the house when the people came in." MacCready dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "People sometimes see things like that in moments of stress."
"But is it possible," Karyn persisted, "that it was an animal?"
The detective shook his head. "There are no dogs anywhere around here as big as the one she says she saw. And besides — " His eyes flicked toward the archway beyond which lay the blood-spattered tarpaulin. "There's no dog I ever heard of would do that to a human being."
"What about a wolf?" The question was out before she could think about it.
"Karyn, please," David said.
Lieutenant MacCready answered her question seriously. "No way. Wolves need wilderness. The only wilderness around here is that patch of trees over beyond your house, and nothing bigger than a ground squirrel can exist in there. No, what we're looking for here is a man. A big, powerful man. Probably a psychopath."
"I hope you get him, Lieutenant," David said fervently. "Mrs. Jensen was like part of the family."
"Don't you worry, Mr. Richter," said the detective, "we'll get him."
Karyn turned away from the men. Through the window she could see the moon shining intermittently through the broken clouds. No, you won't, Lieutenant, she thought. Not this one.
14
AFTER THE POLICE and the television people and the neighbors and the sightseers left, David picked up his son from the neighbor's house and took Joey and Karyn to spend the night in a hotel. The next day they took Joey to stay with David's sister, who lived across the lake, in Bellevue. Then they went down to the police station and answered more questions for Lieutenant MacCready. Finally, late in the afternoon, they went back to their house.
David strode around briskly, talking in a very businesslike manner. "We'll have to get the window replaced first thing. And new carpeting in the hall. The stairs and the wall will need a thorough cleaning."
"Do we have to settle it all right now?" Karyn said.
"The important thing," said David, "is to get on with our lives. Get Joey back home and everything back to normal as fast as possible."
"No, David," Karyn said softly. "It won't work. Things will never be back to normal. Whatever that is."
"Please, Karyn, I know this is a terrible blow. I feel it too, believe me.
But it won't do any good to dwell on it."
"Don't you understand?" she said. "Don't you know what it was that killed Mrs. Jensen? No, it was not a dog, and it was no psychopathic killer, either."
"You don't seriously believe — "
"I do. The wolves of Drago are here. The werewolves. They've come for me."
"You're upset. I'll call Dr. Goetz. He can prescribe something for your nerves."
"Dr. Goetz can't do me any good now. No one can. They've found me, and there will be no rest now. What happened to Mrs. Jensen is my fault."
"That's crazy talk. It was a prowler, more than likely."
Karyn took both his hands in hers. "It was no prowler, darling. I know that, and I think in your heart you know it too. As long as I stay here, there is danger. Not only for me, but for you and Joey, too."
"What are you saying?"
"I have to go away, David."
"No!" he cried.
"I have no choice."
"But — where will you go? How long will you stay?"
"I'll stay until this thing is over, one way or another. And I think it's better if I don't say where I'm going right away."
"I can't agree to that."
"Please, David. I promise you I'll let you know as soon as I can. Meanwhile, the fewer people who know where I'm going, the harder it will be for anyone to follow me."
"I'll go with you," he said. "We'll fight this out together."
Karyn shook her head. "No, darling. Joey will need at least one of his parents with him. He'll need your strength."
"Karyn, I can't let you just — walk out this way."
"I have to," she said. "It would be too dangerous for you and for Joey if I stayed here. If you love me, David, don't try to stop me."
He put his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. "If I love you? My God, Karyn, I love you more than anything in the world.",