The Super Killer

Ch.2

Heather stood alone in the women's restroom staring into the mirror. There were dark circles under each of her honey-brown eyes, and more than one grey hair hiding in the black strands that fell from her head and stopped at the top of her ear. Heather's cell phone buzzed in her back pocket. She dried her hands on her denim pants and answered the call from her husband. She said, "Hi, honey. Is everything okay?"

His response was quick and sharp. "Are you joking? Someone's killing all the superheroes, and you're asking me if everything's okay?"

Heather grinned and turned her back to the mirror. "Why is that worrying you? We're not superheroes."

"Don't play coy. You broke the story. Your face is on every television."

"I know! Isn't it great!"

"No, it's scary."

"Kevin, love, it's okay. They don't care about us. We're props to them. Besides, it's probably a crazy superhero gone rogue—again."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"Asking 'What if you're wrong?' is a really funny way of saying I'm right."

He sighed, conceded. "This feels different."

Heather agreed. "This does feel different, I'll give you that. Kind of eerie, but I'll be okay. I'm staying in the office for the rest of the day fielding calls and writing follow-up articles. I'm not going anywhere, promise."

"Okay, I trust you'll do the right thing. Just remember to take your medicine if you start to feel anxious. Do you want me to save you some dinner?"

"No, it's going to be a very late night. I'll fend for myself, but thank you. And please remember to add vegetables to whatever you order for the girls." A sly smile stretched across her face as she whispered, "Hey, want to hear something that only a few people know? The feds are on the case. The head of the SCU was at the crime scene. How good is this for me!" Heather took a step toward the door to leave the bathroom but stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her boss. "I have to go. Love you."

Mrs. Stone stood in the doorway with her arms folded. The lean muscle on her forearms flexed as she asked, "Having a nice chat?"

Heather looked at the ground to hide that she was lying. "I was just discussing dinner with Kevin."

Mrs. Stone shook her head in disbelief. "If you didn't just break the superhero story, I'd fire you for lying to me. Now, get in my office. I have a message from the president, and it concerns you."