Anica stared at the paper.
"How did I miss this?" She said aloud.
"Miss what?" Asked her roommate, Theodora.
"Apparently, there's a serial killer in Hannon, " Anica laid down the newspaper on the table. The obituaries were there on the page, "That's the fourth lady under the age of 35 to die in the last two weeks. It wasn't a car wreak because they would have put that in the newspaper, and it's a little odd that four women should all die in such a short time of natural causes."
"But what if they did all die of natural causes?" Theodora said.
"I'll have to find out," Anica stood up. She grabbed a jacket and went for the door.
"Shoes." Theodora stated.
Anica looked down at her bare feet.
"...so you think the police will mind?"
"You're going to the station? And yes."
"I'm not going in. I'm just going to stand across the street and see if it's a buzzing beehive."
"What's a buzzing beehive?" Skyler walked into the kitchen/front room.
"Good morning!" Anica smiled, " I'm just going to check out the police station."
"Oh are you onto a story?" Skyler rubbed her eyes.
"She thinks that there's a serial killer here in Hannon." Theodora stated.
"Scary. And your going out?" Skyler yawned.
"It's not like I'm going unarmed and I think I'll be decently safe at the police station."
"Be safe. Please." Skyler said.
"Aren't I always?" Anica flashed them a smile and went out the door. She was immediately greeted by the rain, so she pulled her hood up.
She looked briefly back at the house she shared with two other women and then continued down the road. She lived about two blocks from Main Street and the police station, so she might as well enjoy the walk.
Anica was halfway there when she realized that she still had forgotten her shoes. She shrugged and continued walking. She had remembered everything important like her note book, Pixie, and Bean.
Anica wasn't entirely sure that there was a serial killer but there was four dead young women and zero explaination. Plus the way to get the good stories was to jump the gun. Why wait for the police to make an announcement? Then everyone would be on her story.
There was the chance, it was a big chance, that there wasn't a serial killer. Which would be fine with Anica, but it would make a beautiful story.
If the police station was quite, Anica was going to go to the Morgue. Her buddy Mort would be able to tell what was up. Maybe she should just go to her first. Police chief Matthews didn't like her very much anyways. Not since she caught him cheating on his wife and published an article about it. His wife had since divorced him.
Anica was a journalist, but not the terrible kind. Yes, she had published an article about a cheating man, but not till after she had told his wife and after a very long very tearful conversation, and the subject of revenge had been brought up did Anica ask her permission to write an article. Which she had gotten. If she hadn't gotten permission then she would not have done it. Meanwhile the cheating man had no say in the matter because he was cheating. Chief Matthews was lucky that she hadn't sent in one of the pictures she had gotten.
Anica was constantly writing. Usually about people she met, sometimes about a new hip lemonade stand, then she also wrote about the things people tuned to tread lightly around, she wrote it but she put it in black and white with the plain truth out there for everyone to see. She prided herself on not being biased. She never entered anything to the news unless it was completely truthful and she had done all her research.
Anica walked past the police station. It did seem to be the normal amount of busy. She would have to go inside to get a better look. There was two black SUVs parked in the side parking lot, but those were only in cop shows right? She kept walking.
Anica pushed through the doors of the employee entrance of Hefferstien Funeral home. That was right next to the police station.
Bill Hefferstien had a side job as the Hannon police department coroner. The police loved it because it meant they didn't have to add onto the police department to make a coroner's office. Anica had written an article in Bill when she had first moved to Hannon which placed her in his good graces for the rest of eternity.
"Mort?" Anica called, "Where you at?"
"Back room." He called back.
Anica walked to the back room. It was the classic coroner's area. With the stainless steel doors of the body fridge and the tile floor.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Bill laughed, " You can smell a story a mile away, although you are a little late. I expected you after the third death."
"I was distracted with a different story, Anica shrugged, "so what's up Mort?"
Mort was Anica's loving nickname for the Mortuary turned Coroner.
Bill opened the door and pulled out a body.
"Her name was Deliah Jones. 27. She died of blood loss four days ago."Mort uncovered her head.
"Did you do that?" Anica pointed to Deliah's ears or the lack there of. They were cleanly cut off.
"No the killer did that."
"Tell me about it?" Anica felt a little bit sick thinking about the fact that there was indeed a serial killer in Hannon.
"There's been four deaths so far. Each with multiple stab wounds to the legs and the ears were cut cleanly off. They suffered a lot of blunt trauma when they were pushed out of a moving car. Each died of blood loss." Mort pointed at each thing as he went.
"I think I'm going to throw up." Anica said.
"The bucket's over there." Mort pointed. "Can't have you compromising the body."
"Bill Hefferstien?" Someone called out.
Bill looked at Anica, "you really shouldn't be here."
"This I know." Anica stage whispered, " but I can't leave when they are coming through the only exit! Did you know you were going to have visitors?"
"Matthews told me some Feds would show up to look at the bodies sometime..." Mort shrugged, "Go put on my extra lab coat. Quickly."
Anica did it while Mort yelled for them to come to the back room.
