Mystery guest

Trini sat at the table staring listlessly at the cold remains of her supper.

"What time is it now?" she whined.

"It's about eleven. Long past your bedtime, kiddo. I want you to finish up soon... you need to get to sleep."

"But I wanna see Dommie! He's supposed to be home by now. He said he would make Jowie dance for me... and he said Linnie was comin' over..." Her voice was heartbreaking.

Manuel sighed. "I know, but sometimes Dommie loses track of time. He's probably still working. Hey," he said in an attempt to sound cheerful. "If you finish up in the next five minutes, I'll make Jowie dance for you. How's that?"

"No..." she said, with the conviction only a small child can manage. "You don't do it the same..." A knock at the door interrupted.

"Dommie!!" Trini cried.

"Trini, sit down," Manuel's voice was gruff. "It's not Dom... he wouldn't have knocked. It's probably Linao."

I hope she has a good reason for showing up so late...

He peered through the distorted lens of the peephole and saw a man with a hat pulled down low over his eyes.

Manuel's brow furrowed slightly. He leaned against the door, calling through it warily. "...Yes? Can I help--"

His sentence was cut short by a sickening crack as the door was forced open and he was knocked down. A fist slammed on the light panel, plunging the apartment into darkness.

summary written by Cherie