Leila sets her alarm for two a.m. She goes to bed fully dressed. When it goes off, she immediately smothers it with her pillow. Sitting up, she waits a few minutes to see if her sister in the bedroom separated by the bathroom has noticed. It seems not. Nor has she alerted Miss Marple, the dog who sleeps every night in Bessie’s room, snuggled in with Packer the kitten. Perfect.
Carrying her backpack with camera, flashlight, and police panic button inside, she slips down the staircase to the back kitchen where she puts on a dark-colored jacket, toque, and scarf, and pulls on her boots. Waiting to see if anyone has noticed her, she carefully unlocks the back door, slipping out into the yard. Aware that the unmarked police car won’t appear till eight a.m. to follow her to school, she confiden
