Valerie Strode: Homicide Detective

Chapter 1: Victim #2

Valerie looked down at her silver-plated watch to check the time as she stepped out of the dark SUV, and into the even darker street on western Lewistown. It was 1:18 a.m., and already the night was starting to turn into a wild one.

Val was no stranger to the dangers of her city, after all she'd been one of its best homicide detectives for the past 12 years, but every time she got a call like this one, it still gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Evening, Detective!" a deep, husky voice called out to greet her as she closed the door of her vehicle.

A short, stocky male with a dark-colored hat and matching jacket hurried toward her and reached out to shake her hand.

"Evening, Officer Neilson," Valerie replied, as she reached out and gave the man's hand a firm shake.

She recognized him from the local police department. He had been on the force longer than most of the other district officers, and she had run into him from time to time while investigating different homicide cases.

As they both began walking toward the crime scene, Valerie could feel her stomach beginning to turn. This call was not one of her usual, run-of-the-mill homicide calls. Over the past few months, she had been beginning to suspect that a serial killer was on the prowl in her town. This particular call tonight had all but confirmed her grim suspicions.

Val took in a deep breath to try and calm the sick feeling growing in the depths of her belly. As she took in the cool, October night air, she could feel her heart rate beginning to accelerate. The blue and red lights from the police cruisers grew brighter against the dark night sky, as the two of them approached the gruesome crime scene.

"I've been on the force now for almost 15 years, Detective, and I've never seen anything like this before. I thought this kind of stuff only happened in the movies," officer Nelson said with a frown.

His face seemed to be stuck in a slight cringe, and even in the dull night moonlight, she could see that his skin was also somewhat pale.

"You should have seen the one a few weeks ago, Officer. I'm almost certain the two murders are connected," Val commented, as Officer Neilson pulled back the yellow tape and motioned for her to proceed.

"What do we have, Sheriff?" asked Val, as she knelt down next to the Sheriff Calhoun to get a closer look at the body. He had a blank stare on his face, and she could tell he was a bit flustered by what he was seeing.

"Young Caucasian female, early to mid-twenties, no ID," Sheriff Calhoun replied as he looked over at Val.

Val braced herself as she pulled back the white sheet that was covering the body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but when she finally opened them, she almost instantly felt the urge to vomit. What she saw beneath the sheet confirmed her suspicions, and Valerie was now 100% sure there was a serial killer in their midst...