I stopped just inside the door and grabbed the frame for support when I saw the living room. Two detectives—Parminder Uppal and some rookie I’d never seen before—were studying a trail of blood that started near the doorway where I stood and led around a corner into the hall. A large puddle of blood lay at my feet, and the smears and hand prints along the floor told the story of the victim’s final, painful crawl away from the attacker. Just at the bend of the hall, I could see a foot peeking around the corner. I recognized Mama G’s slipper immediately.