The Doctor Of East Hadena [MXM] [SERIAL KILLER] ✓

35 | WEIRD

Dex leaves pretty quickly after that, and I go about my normal routine. I spend the day in a way better mood than I'm typically in, and I decide not to look into why. When I go to work that night, however, I'm met with the sight of yet another copycat victim. So, the good mood doesn't last forever, unfortunately.

This one is Roslyn Gaines. Likely the most high-profile victim yet. She was a beauty queen, earning the title of Ms. Hadena on multiple occasions. She was a model who also owned her own makeup brand, which was also quite popular. Saying she was successful would be an understatement, she was practically famous—at least locally—and now she's gone. Now she's been forced to leave it all behind. It's horrific, too.

Somehow, it's even worse than the mayor's daughter, which I didn't think was possible. She's in pieces, some of which are missing because it was such a mess. Her face has been destroyed, and it looks like acid damage. It seems as though it may have been done when she was alive, too, which only makes it all worse. The torture she suffered seems to have been increased tenfold, but none of this is what truly catches my attention.

No, the reason I pause in the doorway upon seeing her picture, the reason I repeat her name over and over in my mind, digging through my head for anything, is because I recognize her. I just have no idea how.

I didn't know of her before this happened. Well, I'd heard her name in passing, but I'd never paid much attention. I'd never seen a photo of her, either. I just don't keep up with that stuff.

So... why is she so familiar? She was only twenty years old, and she had an amazingly bright future. No doubt she'd have appeared on my radar soon, she had all the setup to be a real celebrity. That doesn't change the fact that I've never seen her in my life, though.

The autopsy takes a while, as per usual when it comes to the copycat's victims. Kristy is acting weird, for some reason, and I've noticed her mood has been quite all over the place as of late. It's hard to pinpoint when it started. Maybe a couple of months ago? Around when the copycat first became active? Is this getting to her that bad? I guess it is pretty rough to see people suffer this awful fate. Then again, towards the beginning, Kristy seemed almost excited about it. Her attitude about this has been pretty all over the place.

I don't know, but I do eventually reach the point where I'm curious enough to actually ask. So, right before I leave to go home, I stop by Kristy's desk. She glances up at me.

"Hey, uh..." This is weird, but I've also worked with her for around two years now. It's not like we're best friends, but her emotional state affects me and her work. So, if there's anything I can do to help with whatever's going on, I'll take it. "Is everything alright? You've been acting weird lately."

Hm. Maybe I shouldn't have been that honest. Well, too late now, and I watch the woman quirk an eyebrow at me. She was in the middle of organizing some files, but she put them down in favor of giving me her full, undivided attention.