No one in Blythbury-by-the-Sea got that news sooner than Henry, who got it around seven from two Merton policemen who came over to ask a few questions. They were large, really huge men whose presence filled the kitchen. When Black Dog put her ears down and lowered her head to be scratched—which the bigger of the two policemen did—Henry couldn't help but feel that she was being a traitor. Maybe Henry's mother felt this, too. She didn't offer the policemen any of the coffee percolating happily on the counter. They sat down at the kitchen table. The less big policeman wiped away some muffin crumbs left over from breakfast. "That coffee sure smells good," he said. Silence for a minute. The bigger policeman coughed lightly. Then he opened a notebook and turned to Henry. "Yesterday, did you come home right after school?" he asked. "After crew practice." "And what time was that?" "Around four thirty," said Henry's mother.
