Bloody Skeleton Series #1 The Monster in the neighborhood

11-Hunters

They'd written some of the weird things they thought about Jerry.

He was bald even though he was technically younger than Mikey's dad. He had a really deep, criminal-like voice even though he was slim, and he was really strong too—Mikey insisted they added that. The grip on his arm had been made of iron.

Jerry didn't have outside lights, probably to hide his illegal activities, and he might have done something horrible to Sugar and Old Man Jones.

'I don't get it,' Ned said, 'you kind of need three to be a serial killer.'

Jake looked up. 'Really?'

They were still in Ned's room, sitting in a circle on the carpet, with Ned's note opened in the middle.

'Yeah, I think my mom said that one time. Three makes a serial killer.'

'But he's only gotten Old Man Jones and Sugar...' Mikey sighed. 'So, just a random criminal then.'

'That's not the point Mikey. The point is that he's about to become a serial killer, but because he isn't one yet, we can't find a pattern. I mean, what does Old Man Jones and sugar have in common?'

Jake raised his hand eagerly. 'I know! Sugar was technically his cat.'

'Really?' Ned asked, surprised.

Harry nodded. 'Yeah, she was registered with him, but he didn't keep her and allowed her wander. He didn't like putting a collar on her either.'

'So, maybe Jerry just has a thing against Old Man Jones?' Ned suggested.

'Like a revenge story?' Mikey didn't think that was believable.

Ned shrugged. 'Nothing else has happened.'

'Actually...' Harry said, 'my dad was talking about how they'd been getting reports of missing pets in some parts of town.'

They all gawked at him.

'Since when?' Ned asked.

'I don't know, but he told my mom that the reports were happening more often these days.'

Mikey wanted to smile brightly at the terrible news of missing pets. 'By "these days", you mean around the time after Jerry moved in.'

Harry nodded. 'Before, it just happened once or twice a year, and usually the pet was at the shelter.'

'No way,' Jake whispered. 'I can't believe we have actual leads on a crime.'

'I know.' Ned was very excited, they all were. 'If we can get enough evidence, I'm sure we can show it to Mr Redham and get Jerry arrested. We can be like a group of detectives.'

Ned looked at everybody, smiling.