MY HEAD SNAPPED sharply to the left, my eyes tracing the horrible sound to its source. As soon as I saw what was happening, I wished that I hadn’t. But it was too late and I couldn’t turn away. I couldn’t do anything, actually. It was over so fast, I couldn’t even get out of my chair to help.

Two men.

One knife.

Both eyes!

A chorus of shouts and screams flooded the restaurant as the man wielding the knife let go of the other man’s head, the blood spouting from his eye sockets as he collapsed onto the table. A little spark was triggered in the back of my brain. I know him. I recognize him.

Not the man with the knife, not the killer. He didn’t look familiar; he didn’t even look human.

He moved lightning fast – and yet there wasn’t a trace of emotion coming from him. He coolly tucked away the knife in his jacket, then bent down to whisper something in his victim’s ear.

I couldn’t hear it… but he definitely whispered in the dying man’s ear.

For the first time, I glanced over at Dwayne, who looked exactly as I felt. In complete shock. I could tell he hadn’t heard the killer’s whisper either.

What came next, though, everyone in Lombardo’s clearly heard.

The killer began walking toward the door to the kitchen when a man behind him shouted, “Freeze!”

I turned to see two men with guns drawn. Cops? If they were, they were out of uniform.

“I said, freeze!” the one repeated.