You don’t ride him that much, he said, troubled. Because I can’t! I’ve been sick. I’m very sick. All right, all right, don’t get excited. She kept changing the horse’s name.

The other cops shrugged. It was midnight. A small crowd gathered in front of the modest rambler, drawn by squad cars and flashing lights. They were a feisty bunch, women in robes, men with cans of ...