Mary’s scream pierced the otherwise silent night.
When John reached the doors that would give him access inside the house through the bedroom, they were shut tight and would not open. Frustrated, he banged on the door and tried to peer through its windows to see what was happening within, but the colored sheers that hung within the darkened room blocked what little vision might emerge from within.
He reached out and kicked the doors inward breaking the latch. Looking beyond the bed to the bathroom, he saw its closed door also blocking his way. Just as two police officers swarmed through the bedroom door ordering John to put down his weapon, from behind that closed door, Mary screamed again.
John pointed to the door and, to the policemen and cried, “Help her.”
The taller of the two officers moved to the door. With one swift kick, it came crashing in. As the cop entered the bathroom, he called out, “Freeze.”
From his vantage point on the other side of the bedroom, John saw the officer enter the bathroom, turn and look in all directions, then throw open the closet doors and peer within.
He holstered his weapon, turned back to the bedroom and said, “There’s nobody here."