Devon huddled at his bedroom door. If the two ladies didn’t stop making all that noise his sister would wake up and she would be mad. Really mad.

The two ladies from the dead mommy’s house pounded on the front door some more.

Why did they come here? Police people had been over there all day. Bunches of them. They had taken the mommy away. The daddy had been real upset. Devon saw him crying. The baby had cried, too.

Devon still felt those funny butterfly things in his stomach when he thought about how scared he had been in that closet. And then when the angel had chased him he thought he was going away for sure. His arm hurt from the scratches. He’d crawled under his house and then he’d finally come inside when he was sure the angel hadn’t followed him home.

It was daytime when he woke up and police people were everywhere.

The police had come to his house this morning, but he didn’t answer. His sister told him over and over to never answer the door.

Why were the two ladies here now? They banged on his front door again.

Devon held his breath.

His sister’s bedroom door opened.

She was gonna be so mad.

As if she had heard him talking in his head, she shook her finger at him. “You stay right there. Don’t make a sound.”

His sister didn’t like for people to see him. She said they would take him away if they found out she couldn’t afford a real babysitter. He didn’t want to go away. Not with people or with angels. This was his home. Since his mom died it was just him and his sister. He couldn’t go away and leave her all alone. And he didn’t need a babysitter.

She answered the door and he tried to hear what the ladies said but he couldn’t. Crawling on his belly, he sneaked down the hall and closer to the stairs so he could hear the words. He had to be careful. If he got too close they would see him. That would be bad.

“I’m Deputy Chief Harris and this is Detective Wells,” one of the ladies said. “Were you aware that your neighbor, Gabrielle Grayson, was murdered in her home last night?”

“What? No!” his sister cried. “That’s awful.”

Murder. Devon knew that word. He saw murders in some of the movies his sister watched. She didn’t know he watched them while she was at work. Murder was when a bad person killed a good person. Devon was pretty sure the angel took the mommy next door. Angels weren’t bad. There was a mistake, he decided. The police didn’t know about the angel. Maybe it was supposed to be a secret.

“Were you home last night, Miss Chambers?”

“I work the graveyard shift at Steward Machine Company. Then I have classes at Lawson State. I just got home a couple of hours ago. I was sleeping.”

“I’m sorry we had to bother you today,” the same lady who was doing all the talking said. “Do you live here alone?”

“It’s just my brother and me.”

Devon couldn’t help himself. He eased a little closer so he could see past the railing.

“Was your brother home last night?” the lady with the blond hair asked. She was the one asking all the questions. He liked her voice. She sounded nice. He’d seen her in the dead mommy’s backyard.

His sister shook her head. “He’s only eight. He stays with a sitter when I’m at work or school.”

Devon didn’t like when his sister lied, but she said it was the only way they could stay a family.

“Miss Chambers, how long have you been living here without electricity? We thought the house was vacant since the utility meter has been pulled.”

His sister stared at the floor a second like she was embarrassed. “I didn’t get paid until today. They’re supposed to turn it back on sometime this evening.” She shrugged. “I’m late with the payment sometimes. It’s no big deal.”

The blond lady and the dark-haired lady looked at each other as if they didn’t believe his sister. She was telling the truth. Devon pressed his lips together so he wouldn’t say anything. His sister didn’t tell lies except about him staying at home alone so much.

“So no one was home last night?” the blond lady asked.

His sister shook her head. “I’m really sorry about Mrs. Grayson.”

“May we speak to your brother?”

The air stuck in Devon’s chest and swelled up like a big rock.

The blond lady looked up as if she’d heard him. He scooted back. His heart started that funny flapping it did when he was scared.

Had she seen him? Was he in trouble? His sister was gonna be mad!

“He might be asleep.”

“Miss Chambers,” the blond woman said—he couldn’t see her but he knew her voice now—“it’s very important that we speak to everyone who lives near the Graysons. You and your brother are the only people we haven’t interviewed. I’m certain you want to help us find Mrs. Grayson’s killer.”

“My brother is… autistic. I doubt he can be any help.”

His sister said the word! He hated that word. The urge to hide inside himself started pulling at him. No! He had to stay. He had to hear what they said next. His sister needed him!

“Can he communicate at all?” the lady asked.

What a silly question. He was autistic, not a dummy. He could talk and he could hear. He could see real good, too. He did lots of things real good.

“He can but he’s very shy.”

That bad feeling in his tummy started again. What if they found out the truth and tried to take him away? He should never have sneaked out of his house. He shouldn’t’ve been watching next door. This was his fault!

“With your permission,” the blond lady said, “we’d like to try to speak to him. Maybe he’s seen someone new in the neighborhood or heard something. I noticed some of your windows are open. In this heat, most of your neighbors keep their houses shut up tight. You and your brother may be the only people who might’ve heard any trouble in the neighborhood.”

“I explained that we weren’t home last night,” his sister repeated. “But I’ll go up and get Devon if that’s what you want.”

The blond lady said something else and then he heard footsteps on the stairs.

His sister was coming!

Devon scrambled back into his room. He jumped in his bed and covered himself. Don’t take me away. Don’t take me away.

“Devon.” His sister jerked the cover off him. “The police are here. They want to talk to you. You have to—”

His sister made a sound with her mouth like he did a little bit ago. Like she sucked in a big breath that would turn into a rock in her chest.

He looked up at her but she was staring at his T-shirt. Why did she look so funny? Was he wearing it inside out? Devon looked down to see. There was lots of dried blood on his T-shirt. He’d forgotten about wiping his fingers on the shirt after he touched the dead mommy’s blood. Uh-oh.

His sister clamped her hand over her mouth and fell to her knees next to his bed. “Oh my God, Devon,” she said behind her hand. “What’ve you done?”

His sister’s eyes were big and round like she was scared…

“I scratched my arm under the house.” He held out his hurt arm for her to see. Much as he didn’t like telling stories to his sister, he couldn’t tell her about going into the neighbor’s house and he couldn’t tell her about the angel. No one could know.

Leslie stopped being afraid and got mad. “You shouldn’t be going under there. How many times have I told you to stay in the house?”

He shrugged. “Sorry.”

She helped him change his shirt and then she held out her hand. “Come on. The police want to ask you some questions. Remember, Dev, we have to keep our secret.”

He bobbed his head up and down again and then reached out and took his sister’s hand. Telling lies was bad, but he didn’t want to get taken away. If he’d listened to his sister he wouldn’t have to tell any lies.

He tugged at her when she started toward the door. When she looked back at him, he dared to ask, “Do angels take live people too?”

His sister looked like she didn’t understand or was too tired to answer silly questions. “What?”

Devon shrugged. “They take the dead people. Like they did mommy. What about the live people?”

She squatted down to put her face close to his. “Devon, angels don’t hurt people. They protect them. They take dead people to heaven like they did mom but they don’t hurt anyone, especially not live people. Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

She hugged him real hard. “We’ll be fine, Dev.” She looked at his eyes then. “I promise.”

Devon smiled. He wasn’t gonna worry about that angel anymore. Leslie would make everything okay. She always did.

Besides, she just told him that angels didn’t hurt people.