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deal with a medical emergency on the narrow road climbing up the Wellesley Hills.
"Yeah, Willis, I'm tracking Officer Colby Willis. You're like the twelfth guy I've been transferred to. This
is a police investigation so I'd appreciate it if you fuckers at AT&T would do your fuckin civic duty! A
life, maybe two, hangs in the balance."
The veins on his forehead were raised and throbbing. Faust was fairly certain she'd be putting him in an
ambulance before the afternoon was out.
"Right, that's right, I want to know where her phone is pinging to. Give me a location. It hasn't," he seemed
to deflate right next to her. "She hasn't used the phone in two days," he hushed to Faust. "Yeah, I'll take the
last location."
Faust pulled the Crown Vic into the Castle's parking lot. She parked in a handicapped spot near the front
entrance. Police cruisers and unmarked vehicles filled the area. No other cars were allowed up. All the
staff on site would be staying for at least the next shift. The other shifts were on hold pending the
investigation of the scene and interviews.
"Shit!"
The Captain dropped the phone in his lap and buried his face in his hands. Faust was certain he was
crying. She felt very awkward but she needed to find out what he was so devastated about.
"Captain ..." She ventured.
He lifted his face wiping tears away. "Last ping was Berkeley Street, out of headquarters. Her phone is
probably in a parking lot. I've lost her Faust. She's probably gutted someplace and we'll find her body in
six months."
Faust didn't try to comfort him. There was no point. A dead cop, even Willis, was a stain on his record.
Willis would be the second Detective he lost to the Ripper. His career would always be coupled with
tragedy and failure.
A rap on the passenger window startled them both. The Captain scrubbed his face once more before
lowering the window.
"What have you got for me?"
The State Trooper standing next to the car snorted, "Nice hello. What am I, your gopher? Running
errands? Did you even bring me a friggin' coffee?"
"Next time and I'll bring you a donut too." The Captain sighed sounding worn out, "What details can you
share?"
"We got a croaked shrink. Gutted like your Ripper girl likes 'em. She was found in one of the unused cells
in their secure wing. She s been there for some time, seems they don t check all their cells at the end of
each day. Wanna take a walk with me and check it out?"
"No, but I will," the Captain looked very old as he answered.
Faust's phone rang before she could get out of the car. She waved the Captain on so she could take the
call.
"Faust, here," she greeted.
"Hola usted hottie es usted hambriento para el sexo."
"Who the shit is this?
Hey baby, you forgot me already. I m so disappointed. I thought I made a better impression than that.
Jessie?" Faust felt a rush of cold grip her heart. "Where's Colby?"
"What? Colby? You serious? I call and all you know to know is where s fuckin Colby ? Baby, I thought
you'd be happy to hear from me. What a letdown."
"Jessie," Faust said, "I need to know where both of you are. Tell me where you are."
"Safe. Colby and I are safe. And, we're going to stay safe. Everybody else is safe too. No more killings."
"But there s just been another killing," Faust worried about revealing too much of the ongoing
investigation but she needed to draw Jessie out.
"Right, I should correct myself. You guys haven't found all the bodies yet but there won't be any more
killings in your jurisdiction. There are several bodies you still need to find. One of the bodies is the killer
the Commonwealth Killer. That's what the others call him. He was quite famous in the circles he
traveled in. None of the others will take over his killing ground. It s mine now and they respect my right.
After all, I ve earned it. So, after you find all the bodies, the killing is over."
Faust was struggling to keep up with Jessie's revelation. "You mean there's a network of serial murderers
out there? Sounds a little grandiose, Jessie. Almost delusional."
"If it makes you happy to believe I'm just crazy then believe it. I'm not wasting my time trying to prove
something as transient as my sanity. Colby and I have other better things to do. Adios, Chica."
The line went dead. Faust sat looking at the phone. The passenger door swung open.
"We gotta get back to Southie! Marty's house is a four alarm fire."
The Captain landed in the seat like a ton of bricks. He looked at her with her phone in her hand. "What
was that about?"
Faust thought for a moment before answering, "Nothing. Just someone calling to say good bye.
END
*****
AUTHORS PROFILES
Phair is a part time writer and full time dreamer. She lives on the east coast of the US. The town is a
peninsula hanging into the icy Atlantic at the mouth of Boston Harbor. In the heat of summer, the ocean
provides cool breezes. But in the heart of winter, batters the coast with gales. It makes for a hearty New
England life which she share with three furry companions, Dakota and the brothers Cat; Calvin and
Hobbes.
Visit her website at http://www.phair1.com/
Anders writes when the muse bites (that bitch) and believes that a double cheeseburger is a food group,
along with dark chocolate bounty bars. Her interest in horror started with Poe and escalated out of
control over the next few decades from Sturgeon to Wagner to Barker to King to Rendell to Campbell.
She has read every story Lovecraft wrote at least twice. Other interests include Sci-Fi and gay erotica
(sparked off by the Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories she picked up one day at the UNSW on-campus
bookshop as a bored post-grad.)
Visit her website at http://betting-on-the-muse.com/
*****
Table of Contents
Book Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
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