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in my shoulder bag and grabbed a granola bar in lieu of breakfast. Picking up my violin case, I headed out of my apartment, munching on the granola bar on my way to the bus stop.
    Fifteen minutes later I disembarked from the bus onto Dunbar Street and walked two blocks into a quiet residential neighborhood. The leaves of the large trees lining the street waved in the gentle morning breeze, and bright flowers planted in front gardens scented the air with the sweet perfume of spring. Amid such beauty, it was hard to believe there could even be such a thing as murder. But as much as I appreciated my surroundings, Jeremy’s death was never far from the forefront of my mind.
    When I reached JT’s white, two-­story house, I jogged up the front stairway and used my key to let myself in through the front door.
    â€œI’m here!” I called out as I shut the door behind me.
    I didn’t receive a response, either from JT or his collie-­malamute cross, Finnegan. I passed through a set of French doors on my right, entering the front room I used as my music studio. After transferring my cell phone from my bag to the pocket of my jeans, I left the rest of my belongings in the studio and followed the main hallway toward the back of the house.
    â€œJT?”
    As I reached the kitchen, Finnegan bounded into the house through the back door, tail wagging enthusiastically as he bounced around me.
    â€œHey, buddy,” I greeted him, crouching down to give him a big hug.
    He rewarded me with a sloppy kiss on the cheek and more wagging of his fluffy tail.
    JT appeared in the doorway leading to the back porch, grinning as he watched Finnegan welcome me. “You’d think it was weeks since you last saw each other instead of less than twenty-­four hours.”
    Giving Finnegan one last hug, I stood up. “It’s nice to be missed.”
    My smile faltered, suddenly struck by the thought of someone missing Jeremy now that he was gone. Even though he hadn’t been the nicest guy, surely there had been someone in his life who cared about him. Parents, siblings, maybe a significant other. Now they would have to face not only the loss of Jeremy, but also the fact that he’d been taken away so violently.
    JT must have noticed the change in my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he shut the back door.
    â€œA cellist was killed at rehearsal last night.”
    â€œWhat? How?”
    I perched on a stool at the dark granite breakfast bar, Finnegan settling on the floor by my feet. “He was murdered. I found his body.”
    JT stared at me for a moment while he processed that information. Then he ran a hand through his brown hair, leaving it slightly mussed. “That must have been awful, Dori. Are you okay?”
    â€œYes. No.” I sighed. “I guess I don’t really know. It was awful. I’d never seen a dead body before, let alone someone who was murdered.” I shuddered. “Plus, I knew him. That makes it even worse.”
    JT came over to stand across the breakfast bar from me. “Do you know who killed him?”
    â€œNo. I think I just missed seeing the murderer, though.” I explained how I’d found Jeremy’s body and heard retreating footsteps right before my grisly discovery.
    â€œI’m glad you didn’t get there any sooner. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”
    A shiver went through my body. “I don’t even want to imagine what the killer would have done if I’d seen him. Or her.” I paused, thinking. “But at the same time, if I could have identified the murderer, he or she would probably be behind bars by now and I wouldn’t have to worry.”
    â€œAre you worried?”
    â€œOf course,” I said, realizing only then how true that was. “Maybe there’s a psycho out there who will kill again. Maybe the murderer is in the orchestra.”
    I didn’t want to think about that