"My name's Ava Grace, sheriff in these parts. I'll have to ask you to step back."
The man hesitated, conflicted, but eventually gave a nod and backed away.
The investigator was making his way to a halt, the police not far behind. Filling him in on the situation, he nodded his head and got to work.
"Can you tell me what happened?" I approached the young man, probably still in his early twenties.
The man shook violently, his eyes clouded, and his words slurred, "I was just doing my thing, you know, minding my own business. Then I suddenly look out my window, and I see a pair of legs sticking out on the side of the road. I swear, I thought it was just the alcohol talking, but I got out, you know, took a better look, and called you. I never touched the body, man; you have to believe me. It wasn't me."
He started crying, and I tried to calm him down.
"We'll need to bring you down to the station. Get your statement. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this."
Once the area was secured, the body was loaded up for inspection. The ninth murder this month.
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It was late, and frustration threatened to get the best of me. I had to figure this out before more people fell victim.
"Ava, what are you up to at this time of night? It's almost twelve." I rubbed my temples, looking up as Luke walked in.
"I'm sorry, honey." I stood up and moved around my desk and into his arms. My husband tipped my face to his, his brown eyes loving and warm.
"Is there anything I can help with?" He asked, looking up at the stack of papers and files sprawled across my desk.
I glanced up at him gratefully, placing a kiss on his lips and then going full detective mode.
"In the last month, there have been nine murders, all men, and all with similar injuries. According to the autopsy reports, they all had their necks broken, but not before getting a good beating. And then there's the burning factory, which we've confirmed was a temporary settlement for new children coming in."
"Something else that I've managed to trace together is that the victims were all men who had escaped justice. Rapists, sex traffickers, distributors, you name it. My guess is that he probably found a way to blackmail them into meeting and then kill them once they were isolated. My only question: Why? And if he's managed to kill all these dangerous people, how much more terrified do we need to be of him?"
YOU ARE READING
Her Captor, Her Savior
Romance"He says he's protecting me. But from what- or who?" When Evelyn wakes up in a strange bed with a stranger standing over her, she finds herself with a severe case of memory loss. This man, claiming he's her "Savior," seems too protective. Locked ins...
