Two Days Later

  Mable Park- Just inside the Castleton city limits

  Yanking his Ford heavy duty onto the right shoulder, Deputy Newsome climbs heavily down out of the pickup. As he passes by the front of the truck, he pats the sturdy grill guard. Nothing can accurately describe Dave's happiness when all of the department's trucks had been updated and fitted with the guards. He'd expected the tightwads at the top to balk at the added expense. Dave loves that damn grill guard. It's saved his ass more than a few times during a grueling chase. If this new case shapes up to be like most of the cases he's worked on lately, he'll be glad that grill guard is there again.

  Newsome heads for the middle of the park, where about a dozen officers, deputies, and emergency personnel are surveying the area for evidence or talking to witnesses of the gruesome discovery. Dave's stomach lurches once he is close enough to view the body.

  The woman is nude just like before, her face beaten and slashed beyond recognition. And once again, the victim's hair has been shaven. Not a single hair remains on her body. However, her positioning is slightly different than the last girl had been.

  The first victim had been found curled in a tight fetal position. This new victim's body is bent backward such that she can grip her own ankles. A piece of wire is wrapped around each hand, and the ankle held by said hand, keeping them together against the will of advanced rigor mortis.

  Dave blinks and steps closer, his brain not quite believing what he is seeing. Another girl, another murder. So close to the first? What monster has made its way to Castleton? And how do they send it back to the hell it came from?

  Dave covers his graying moustache with a large hand and glances up at the darkening sky. He considers the implications of a serial murderer running loose in Merrville County. Absolutely none of them good.

  "Oh god! Yeah, it's him. The sheriff was right. He's struck again," Newsome mutters to himself. "Oh man. We have got to catch this bastard."

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  At the sheriff's department, Sheriff Northrop agrees with all points of Dave's internal monologue. The aged sheriff paces back and forth in front of a large bulletin board. Dave watches him pace for a few silent moments before daring to speak.

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  "You said we may have a lead on this new victim, Sheriff?"

  "Yeah. Castleton police got a call two nights ago from a man named Michael Blaine. He claims his fiance went to the gym and then went missing. Fiance's name is Rose Perry. She works at one of the daycares in town. She'd promised to bring dinner. When no dinner arrived after about eight o'clock, Mike got suspicious. He called the gym...Janitor answers Rose's phone. Said she found it in the trash. She also claimed people accidentally toss stuff all the time and didn't take it seriously. Put Rose's phone in the lost and found and told Mike to come by in the morning. Mike drove by the gym and Rose's car wasn't there. Spent all night driving around and then went to the police. They said wait forty-eight hours. Which is pretty standard. Based on what forensics is already saying...Our girl's been dead close to forty-eight hours. It could be this Rose woman."

  "Pardon me, Sheriff. So...Are we checking out this Mike Blaine fella? Who's to say he isn't our guy?"

  Sheriff Northrop stares at the bulletin board, his brow creased. A photo of the first body is front and center on the board. Northrop studies the photo, his expression darkening even further. Someone's daughter. Someone's lover. Maybe this Mike guy's lover. He doesn't want to be the one to tell this man the wedding is off.

  "Dave...Because this is the second girl in less than a week. The feds are gonna be involved. As well as the Castleton police. Which means we're gonna be inundated with a lot of outside influence. So far, the feds have only assigned one agent. I've checked her out. She's real knowledgeable. And real professional."

  Sheriff Northrop whirls toward Dave with a fierce scowl. He wags a finger at Dave as if he is a small child. Dave's eyes widen and he comically points at his own chest.

  "What did I do--?"

  "Can it, Dave! Hear me out," Northrop growls through clenched teeth.

  The sheriff makes his way to his wooden desk and sits down. He reclines back in his chair, narrowed eyes fixed on Dave.

  "Keep it in your pants, Dave. I don't want you getting smart, getting fresh, or otherwise causing trouble. You go around pulling rank, and jurisdiction...Or swinging your--," the sheriff pauses as if the words he was going to utter are beneath him.

  Sheriff Northrop twists his mouth unfavorably and looks Dave up and down. Dave imagines melting into a puddle in his chair. If the sheriff thought any less of him, he'd probably be out of a job. Good thing retirement is around the corner. Just one murdering bastard to round up and Dave can start prepping for a life of ease and doing absolutely nothing.

  "You go swinging your junk around, and the feds are liable to do more than send one agent. We'll be swarmed with them. Right now, they're letting us handle this our way. Don't screw this up, Dave! Be a team player."

  "I'm always a team player, Sir," Dave replies in a firm no nonsense voice.

  "Yeah, a team from hell," Sheriff Northrop spits back, his eyes narrowing even more. "Once you get to Castleton, you'll be working with a... Detective James Mackey. Yeah, that's his name. He's not exactly a greenhorn, but he's fairly new to Castleton. He replaced Detective Farmer as lead detective, when Farmer moved upstate. From what I understand, Mackey's a wonderful detective. One of the brightest. He's helped catch some real bad guys over the years. Like I said, Dave...Just go with the flow."