I stood frozen in the kitchen.
Outside, the woman knocked again.
Three gentle taps.
Then silence.
My mother appeared in the doorway wearing her dressing gown.
“Emma?”
I raised a finger to my lips.
Mom stopped.
Then she heard the voice.
“Ruth, please.”
Her face went completely white.
“Agnes?”
I grabbed her hand.
“Don't open it.”
Mom stared toward the front door.
“But she's dead.”
I shook my head.
“Apparently not.”
My pulse thundered.
For a moment, I thought about looking through the window.
Then I remembered the stranger who had tried to enter Mom's house two days earlier.
I wasn't going to make another mistake.
I called Detective Ortiz.
The woman outside continued speaking.
“Ruth, Marian has gotten herself into terrible trouble.”
Her voice trembled.
“I need your help.”
I put the call on speaker.
Ortiz answered immediately.
“Emma?”
“Agnes Vale is outside my mother's door.”
A brief silence.
