A Deadly Sorority (Book #1 Sorority Horrors)

|-21-|

The door creaked open while I sat in the rickety old chair. I turned my head, glancing over my shoulder to see who was joining me in the dreary, gloomy interrogation room.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a tall man. Shifting my head, Detective Johnson came into view. I breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped inside, joining me in the cramped and stuffy room. His face was creased with an unmistakable look of concern.

Glancing down, his attire took me by surprise. It was unusual to see him dressed casually; he was sporting a black Nike sweatsuit today. I had grown accustomed to seeing him in sharp suits whenever we met. The shock must have been evident on my face.

"You'll have to excuse my less-than-professional attire," he announced with a slight laugh, his words echoing in the small room. "When I was notified about what happened to you, I got here as soon as possible." He explained. "I was babysitting my grandkids and had to leave them with my wife, who was still sound asleep. She was a little grumpy when I had to wake her up." He gave a friendly laugh.

"No problem," I replied, annoyed that he was providing explanations instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of why the Crimson Lake Killer was targeting me. My life was on the line, and I wanted answers as to why the sadistic killer had me on his list. My patience was growing thinner by the minute.

He pulled out a chair across from me and gazed into my eyes with a serious intensity.

Before he could speak, I asked. "Can you please explain to me why the Crimson Lake Killer is after me?!"My voice a mix of urgency and disbelief. "I could've been killed tonight!" I exclaimed.

He dropped his head, eyes gazing at the floor, and a heavy silence hung between us.

"Did you get a clear view of him?" He asked, lifting his gaze and breaking the silence.

I shook my head, "No. But who else could it be?"

"It's possible it's just a break-in gone wrong." Detective Johnson suggested with a shrug.

"Just a break-in?!"

"The Crimson Lake Killer is methodical, almost predatory in his approach. He lies and waits, studying his victims, much like a predator in the wild. To date, he hasn't resorted to break-ins. That's not to say it won't or can't happen, but it's unlikely- seems out of character based on the information we have on him."

I buried my face in my hands, feeling overwhelmed.

Detective Johnson's voice softened, "I wish I had more concrete answers for you, but we're still in the midst of our investigation."

Frustrated, I sighed heavily, "Well, should I just pack up and move back to Arizona?"

A somber look wove across his face, "You should do whatever makes you feel safest."

A tear slid down my cheek. My emotions, a bottle of anger, sadness, and frustration, brew a storm of chaos within.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear," He began, furrowing his brows, "But we've discovered that the pig's blood on your car was indeed a gruesome  act committed by the Crimson Lake Killer."

I gasped, and a shiver of fear trickled down my spine as the news echoed in my ears and sank into my consciousness

He cleared his throat once more and continued, "This technique is a new one for him, discovered when we analyzed the blood from his last victim. It's a particularly disturbing development." He paused, clearing his throat again, visibly disturbed by the revelation.

Horrified, a well of disgust surged within me, "That's beyond twisted!"

Detective Johnson nodded, agreeing, "Yes, it's deeply troubling."