The Season of Antlers

11

//SLIGHT NSFW//

"How did he even get the girls, if he had no contact with them?" I ask myself, tapping my pen against my desk. I stare, and stare at the paper. The Hobbs case is still open, and the question is how he was able to lure in his victims, and why them. Why kill innocent girls?

I read it over and over again, but can't find anything. "They were girls in town," I close my eyes. "Noticeably Abigail's age, and had similar features. Either he was killing them to prepare for perfectly killing Abigail or..." Biting down on my tongue, I read the third paragraph of the file. 

Squinting my eyes as I read, the tapping of my pen comes to a stop. Abigail Hobbs went on frequent hunting trips at the time of the murders, but the location of their hunting locations have not been revealed by any evidence in the home or cabin, or the daughter. I look away from the computer screen, and down at the box of evidence beside my feet. 

I reach down to search through the box, pictures and victim info. Looking through one more time, a small bag of dark brown hair catches my eye. The label reads: Five inch strand of Abigail Hobb's Hair. I hold the bag as I lean down to grab the context sheet to the piece of hair. The loc was found in the second victims hair. Abigail and the second girl never had physical contact besides greeting at Church. 

"Do you know how to skin, and gut a deer?" I asked, passing the hot cup of coffee to Abigail. Her hands in her lap, and her eyes on the table, I expected a delayed answer. 

"Yes. My dad taught me." Her voice was monotone, dark brown hair covered most of her face. The fourth victim was gutted like a deer.

 I nodded. "Okay, now, Abigail, had your father ever have you talk to girls you didn't know? invite them hunting, or to hang out?" I slightly fidgeted with the pen in my hand, glancing over at the one way mirror to the right of me. 

Her eyebrows furrow. "He, made me talk to a few girls at the different campus's I was visiting. But I never hung out with them." Once again I nodded, and wrote down her words. 

"I'm going to ask another question, is that okay with you, Abigail?" She looks up at me, her eyes accompanied with dark circles. I could see her chewing on the inside of her cheek, bouncing her leg.

"Yeah." She mutters.

"Did you know what your father was doing?" I noticed her eyes got glossier.

"No." Her lower lip quivered. 

"Okay, then. That's all I came to ask." I stand up, closing the file. I put it under my arm, and gesture for Abigail to stand up. But instead, she just looks up at me.

"Am I in trouble?" She looked drained and sad.

"No, honey, you're not." I reassured her.