Chapter summary
Chapter 4
At the front of Jet’s house, yellow‑black police tape blocks the driveway. Sergeant Jack Finney, Detective George Ecker, Chief Lou Jankowski, Jet’s parents Dianne and Luke, and her brother Luke arrive. Jack opens the tape, gestures the family forward, and they drive up to the blocked entrance. Jet’s blue truck is boxed in by vans and squad cars. Inside the house, the front door is wide open, revealing responders in blue protective gear moving bodies and paperwork.
Jack and Jet slip past the tape; Jet pulls up her gray sweatpants (Luke’s spare gym wear) and follows Jack through the narrow paths between vehicles. Jack tells Jet the crime‑scene technicians will finish in about an hour and the cleaners are waiting. He asks Jet if she really wants to see the interior despite the blood; she insists.
Detective Ecker arrives, removes his shoe covers, and offers to escort Jet. Jack, who has known Jet since infancy, agrees to guide her personally. They pass the front door, where the doorbell camera is examined and confirmed to have recorded only Jet’s arrival and Billy’s later forced entry; it did not capture the attacker.
Inside, Jet is struck by the sight of a trail of blood shaped like small paw prints leading to a pool on the polished oak floor. She asks about the family dog, Reggie; Jack assures her the dog is alive and now with Jet’s sister‑in‑law. Blood‑spatter markers numbered 6, 8, 9, 11 (on the floor) and 31, 32 (on the ceiling) are described. Jack explains the “cast‑off pattern” on the ceiling marks the weapon’s swings.
Jack and Jet discuss the forensic findings: the spatter indicates Jet was hit three times—twice while standing (back of head) and once while on the floor (left side of head) by an attacker leaning over her. The trajectory suggests the attacker was taller than Jet (Jet is 5 ft 3 in) and right‑handed, using downward strokes. No weapon has been recovered.
Further investigation reveals the side/back door was unlocked; numerous shoe impressions and casts were taken, suggesting the attacker entered here. The door is frequently used by the family, explaining why it may have been left unlocked. The timeline is narrowed: neighbors heard the dog screaming around 10:40 pm, and the doorbell camera shows Billy arriving at 11:05 pm; thus the assault occurred between roughly 10:40 and 11:00 pm.
During the walkthrough, Jet’s phone buzzes. Jack retrieves it and sees a call from Billy, indicating the phone was taken by the attacker. The detective announces the scene is now released and cleaners will be brought in, while acknowledging Jet is still inside. The chapter ends with the police preparing to vacate the scene and move the family back in.