She saw Tasha hug an old friend.
She saw Jordan run toward the driveway.
Nothing looked threatening.
Still, Karen's fingers tightened around her phone.
Across the street, Marcus suddenly noticed something.
"Hey, Tasha."
"What?"
"Karen's been watching us."
Tasha glanced toward the house.
The curtains moved.
Then they became still.
Tasha sighed.
"Maybe she's just curious."
"Maybe."
Marcus returned to the grill.
He decided not to think about it.
Twenty minutes later, the sound of sirens broke through the music.
Jordan stopped playing.
Mia looked toward the street.
Tasha's smile disappeared.
Marcus slowly lowered the barbecue tongs.
A police cruiser turned onto Willow Creek Drive.
Then another.
Everyone in the backyard became silent.
"What is happening?" Tasha whispered.
Marcus did not answer.
The officers stopped near the curb.
One of them stepped out.
"Mr. Johnson?"
Marcus walked toward the front yard.
"Yes?"
"We received a call concerning a disturbance."
Marcus stared at him.
"A disturbance?"
The officer looked uncomfortable.
"That's what we were told."
Marcus glanced behind him.
At the tables.
At the children.
At the grill.
At the people holding paper plates.
Then he looked back at the officer.
"This is a family barbecue."
The officer nodded.
"I can see that."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then a second vehicle appeared at the end of the street.
It was a black SUV.
It slowed as it approached the Johnson house.
Marcus watched it carefully.
The vehicle stopped at the edge of his driveway.
The driver's door opened.
And the person who stepped out changed the entire atmosphere of the afternoon.
Her name was Elaine Harris.
And she had come to Willow Creek for a reason no one there could have imagined.
Elaine Harris stepped out of the SUV wearing a simple navy jacket and carrying a leather folder.
She did not look like someone arriving to create a scene.
She looked like someone who had spent years learning how to enter difficult rooms without making them more difficult.
Marcus recognized her immediately.
He had seen her on television.
Governor Elaine Harris.
But she was not there in an official capacity.
That became clear when she approached Marcus and extended her hand.
"Marcus Johnson?"
"Yes."
Elaine smiled.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
Marcus glanced toward the police officers.
"Depends on what happens next."
Elaine looked at the officers.
Then she looked toward the house across the street.
Finally, she looked at the Johnson family.
"I heard there was a misunderstanding."
Marcus gave a short laugh.
"That's one way to describe it."
Tasha joined them.
"Governor Harris, why are you here?"
Elaine lowered her voice.
"Because I was supposed to meet someone nearby. When I saw the police vehicles, I stopped."
That answer sounded reasonable.
But there was another reason.
Elaine had been working quietly on a statewide community initiative. She had been visiting neighborhoods without the usual entourage, trying to understand what people actually experienced rather than what official reports claimed.
Willow Creek had not been on her original schedule.
But now it was.
The police officer approached.
"Governor, I didn't realize—"
Elaine raised a hand gently.
"You don't need to treat me differently because of my title."