"The Road Back," Part VIII - "More surprises"

As they turned onto his block, he expected to see police barricades, police lights flashing, the whole nine yards; however, the street was deserted. It looked like a normal night on Main Street, USA.

He continued driving past his house. “Where are you going?” Ed asked. “I want to park in the alley behind the house,” he said. “Less curious eyes back there.”

He parked and they got out to walk up to the back door. It wasn’t locked, which bothered him, but he went in anyway. Turning on the kitchen light he saw what he expected---the place was spotless, no  body on the floor, not a sign of blood anywhere.  He shook his head in disbelief.

“So,” Ed asked, “what’s up?

It took him a while to answer. “When I left here an hour ago, there was a dead woman on the floor, and blood was everywhere.” Ed gave him a condescending look. “Buddy, you know how you are when you’re drinking…”

“I WASN’T DRUNK!” he shouted. “I saw her.” He paused. “It was the murdered woman on the news a while ago.” Ed turned on the tv. A woman’s face filled the screen. The reporter went on about the gruesome slaying of Mrs. Stevens. He froze, looking at the screen. It wasn’t the woman he saw with Sam earlier today. True, she looked like her, but when you see a dead body close up you remember. Who the hell was the woman he saw earlier with Sam at is front door?