At the end of the institutional beige hallway, a metal fire door swung open, hitting the concrete wall with a bang causing an echo. Detective Daryl Williams in a gray suit and matching gray mask strutted into the main lobby. Even with his face half covered, it was clear to Sean and Zoe that the man was someone who didn’t enjoy bullshit.

After making introductions, the detective took a seat several feet away from them, placed a writing pad on his lap, and pulled out a pen. “I understand you two came in to report a murder. Why don’t you start from the beginning,” said Daryl.

Zoe leaned slightly forward. “I live across from Central Park on the north end and I recently took up bird-watching. You’d be amazed by how many species of birds are in the park, detective. It’s a virtual bird wonderland. You can see blue jays and woodpeckers and I bought this amazing pair of super-powerful binoculars so I could better watch the birds and—”

“Can we get to the crime?” said the detective, already losing his patience. Sean kicked Zoe in the ankle.

“Like I said, I bought these really great binoculars to look at birds but sometimes I look out my window and watch people,” said Zoe.

“You do know about Peeping Tom laws, right?” said Detective Williams.

“I don’t look into people’s windows, detective. I only watch people outside on the street or in the park. I’m a short story mystery writer and watching people helps me absorb the collective humanity.”

Sean looked over at his friend with one eyebrow askew, and cleared his throat.

“You still haven’t told me what you know about a murder,” said the weary detective. Suspecting the woman in front of him was a kook, he looked around for someone to relieve him.

Aware she was losing her audience, Zoe clearly explained exactly what had happened and how she had read the murder-plot texts from her window. When she finished, the detective excused himself to find his partner, leaving Sean and Zoe sitting on the straight-backed wooden chairs that lined the precinct hallway. “That went well,” said Sean once the detective was out of earshot.

“You think?” said Zoe, optimism in her voice. “I tried to stay with the facts and not veer off.”

Sean covered his eyes with his hands. “Are you kidding me? He thought you were a whacko. Did you see the look in his eyes?” said Sean. “‘Virtual bird wonderland?’ Seriously, Zoe?”

“I wanted to give him some context. I didn’t want him to think I spend my days peering out my window at people. That sounds so weird.”

“That is what you do.”