April reached the left side of the house. She considered walking up to the front door, knocking, her mind filling with the sweet image of Charlie and Grandma Rose embracing her, thanking her for saving them. But she knew that kind of Pollyanna thinking would have to be saved for another day.

She chose to go around to the back. She could look in through the kitchen window and get a feel for the situation. If everything was okay, if Grandma Rose and Charlie were sitting there making cookies, then she’d simply walk back around to the front, or let herself in through the rear door and offer a good reason for doing so. They wouldn’t care. They would be safe and happy.

April walked around the back of her house, scowling and rejoicing at the fact that the security light over the stoop was still unfixed. The cover of darkness kept her well hidden as she tiptoed toward the kitchen window.

She peered inside, just one eyeful.

It was enough.

What she saw could fill a thousand nightmares. She fought the urge to vomit and forced herself to look again. She had to know who the victim was. Please, not Charlie. Please, God.

It wasn’t Charlie. It wasn’t Grandma Rose, either. It was, in fact, someone she didn’t recognize at all, not that she could have recognized anyone, the body being in the state that it was in. But the parts were too big to belong to either Charlie or Grandma Rose. She was sure of that.

April heard an unfamiliar sound. Or rather, a familiar sound in an unfamiliar setting. Her father had been a carpenter. Not by profession, but by hobby. He built all kinds of trinkets and toys, desks and chairs. The sound of his saw had become married in April’s mind to the wonderful things he produced. But this sawing was different. This sawing spewed death.

The sawing ended. April was grateful at first the terrible noise had retired, but she realized there would be another victim. A smaller one perhaps. And soon.

What was she supposed to do? The police would take too long and might only endanger her son and mother, considering they were still in a hostage situation. There would be no survivors.