When Rob hit the deer, the first thing that went through his mind was relief that he wasn’t driving the new Mercedes that he would be picking up on Monday. His second thought was that he really needed to pull the carcass off the road. It would be dark soon, and he didn’t want anyone else having an accident. It was surprising how heavy it was. He tugged on the front legs, dragging it slowly across the blacktop, when an old pickup truck pulled up alongside his car. Another car was also approaching, a white Chevrolet, which had to stop as the road was blocked. 

The driver of the truck got out of his vehicle, swinging the door shut behind him. He was a lean, dark-haired man wearing a military-style jacket, with grey hairs in his mustache and tanned skin. “I think maybe you’d better head out and leave that to us,” he said. “You don’t want to ruin that nice suit, now do you?”
“I’m doing OK,” answered Rob. “It’s almost out of the way now.” “I don’t think you’re really getting the picture, are you? That wasn’t meant to be a suggestion. So why don’t you be a good boy and run along; we don’t want any trouble here.” 

The passenger also got out of the truck. He was a large man, at least three hundred pounds, with a shaved head and a tattoo on his neck. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “Run along, buddy; your pretty little wife will be worried about you.” 

The sun was setting as Rob pulled into the driveway. Red flames gleamed on the mailboxes lined up like sentinels, guarding the houses in this quiet street. He parked the car in the garage. As the automatic door closed, he glanced into the rearview mirror. For a second, a puzzled expression appeared on his face. That car driving past – surely that wasn’t the same white Chevy? He shrugged and turned off the engine. 

Mary was leaning in the doorway to the house. She was wearing the tight black skirt that Rob loved so much, the one that really showed off her still youthful figure. Her light brown hair cascaded wildly in waves, pulled behind her ears with carefully concealed clips. Her sweater was a deep reddish brown nubby cotton. 

“So where on earth have you been?” she said.  “You promised that you would be home early. You know we are going out for dinner tonight.” 
“I’m sorry, honey; had a strange thing happen on the way home. I hit a deer, and I was moving it out of the road when these two hillbillies appeared and basically ordered me to leave the scene. I’m pretty sure that they were planning to take the head.”
“Hmm, how ‘Deliverance’.”

“Yes, really. Now tell me again, where are we going tonight?”
“Oh, Rob, you are hopeless. You know that we are having dinner with Stephen and Megan. I think you forget these things deliberately.”
Rob grinned. He knew that she knew that he had been faking it all along. 
“Rob, just be pleasant tonight, please? They are nice people, and Meg is my oldest friend.”
“OK, OK. Who’s babysitting?”
“Alison; she’s already here. Go and get ready quickly, please.”

It was only a short drive to the Gunderson’s house, past the high school and down a quiet country lane. The house stood alone on a large plot of land. It was modern in style, stone and wood, slung low to the ground. 
“Hi Rob, hi Mary,” beamed Meg, as she took Rob’s jacket. “Wonderful to see you. Oh, thank you. That’s so nice of you to bring flowers.” 
“Hi Meg, where’s Steve?”
“He’ll be down in a second; he’s just putting Juniper to bed – ah, here he is.”
“Hello Mary, hi Rob.” Steve was much older than Meg. A tall, gray haired man who preferred to wear cardigans and slacks, he looked like a gentleman from an earlier time. Rob liked him, but couldn’t help needling him at times, as Steve had no sense of humor. This was a trait that he shared with his wife. Meg was a pixie of a woman, short and energetic, always problem solving. She was involved in so many different activities that Mary could never figure out how she kept track of them all. She supposed that only having one child made things easier. 

During dinner, the phone rang. Stephen went to the kitchen to get it, and came back with a puzzled expression on his face. 
“Who was on the phone, Steve?” asked Meg. 
“It’s odd – there was no one there when I picked up, but the caller ID showed Rob and Mary’s number.”
“How strange – perhaps it was Alison calling; maybe there is a problem. Do you think we should leave, Rob?” 
“Well, if there was really a problem, she wouldn’t hang up, would she?” he replied. “It’s more likely that one of the boys hit the speed dial button, and Alison caught them at it.”
“Yes, you’re probably right, but let’s not stay too late.”

“Thank you, Meg,” said Mary, stretching luxuriously. “That was a really lovely dinner. It’s so nice to get away from home for once; thank you so much for inviting us. The children really rule our lives these days.”
“You’re welcome, Mary dear. More cranberry juice?” 
“No, thank you. So tell me, are you planning to go back to work, now that Juniper will be in pre-school?”
“No, I don’t really need to, not now that Steve’s clean energy business is doing so well. I want to continue doing volunteer work, and I’m also thinking of running for the township council.”

Rob put the car into gear and backed down the long gravel driveway. 
Just before they reached the main road, Mary gasped in shock.  “Oh, look,,” she said. “Do you see that glow - is that a fire over there?”
Rob turned to look out of his driver's side window. “Looks like it – let me turn here; maybe we can get a better look.”
“My god, it’s a house!”

They pulled over and watched the house burn down. Sparks were shooting into the sky. As they watched, fire trucks arrived and battled gamely, but the blaze was too ferocious; soon the roof collapsed, and still the fire roared out of control. 
“We’d better get going, Rob; we’re going to be late. I promised to have Alison home by 10 p.m.”
“OK, let’s go.” He turned the car around and quickly drove back through the dark, tree-lined lanes to their quiet neighborhood. 

“Here we are,” said Rob. “Look – all the lights are out – isn’t that strange?” 
“That is odd,” replied Mary.  “Perhaps Alison fell asleep in front of the TV?”
“Well, perhaps; but why would she turn out all the lights in the first place?”
“I don’t know – I have a bad feeling, Rob.” 

They pulled into the garage and entered the house through the side door. Rob turned on the hallway light. Everything seemed normal, other than the fact that there was no sound and no one to meet them. Usually, Alison would come bouncing out when she heard the door opening, all smiles, telling them about the mischief that the boys had been up to that evening. Mary walked on ahead into the family room.