The Triangle Murders

"Are we dealing with a serial killer?"

The Triangle Murders

Chapter One

Gramps reached as far as he could, but it wasn't enough. Bobby slipped beneath the dark, cold waters of Miller's Lake. He let out a whimper, then disappeared.

Gramps jumped, but the cold water seized his ageing body and took him down too.

The old man followed his grandson in death to the bottom of Miller's Lake, lifeless, and pale.

Their bodies floated to the surface a few days later. Bobby came up first near an old cottonwood tree.

Gramps wasn't too far away, just slightly south.

The coroner met the sheriff as he was walking toward the scene.

“It's old man Malone and his grandson Bobby,” said the coroner.

The sheriff, looking down at the dusty old trail, kicked a silvery stone.

“Bobby? Hmm, that's too bad, he was a good one.”

Looking at the coroner, he rubbed his chin,

“How many does that make?”

The coroner looked at his hand and counted out five.

“As of Saturday, sheriff, it looks like five.

“Geez, five... five in one week. Ain't never seen anything like this before, damn it.”

The coroner looked at the sheriff.

“All boys too, sheriff.”

“Yeah,” replied the sheriff.

The coroner hesitated a moment then replied,

“You don't think...well, you know?”

The sheriff scratched his head, and answered before the coroner could finish his statement.

“I don't know, I mean, the boy's ages, aren't they all about eight? The similarities do seem to be there."

He looked up and spoke secretively,

"Is it even remotely possible these are accidents, as they appear to be?”

Across a green pasture the Channel Four News truck came to a stop.

A dozen or so reporters shouted questions that jumbled together into an unintelligible slur of voices.

A young, blonde, female reporter pushed herself forward and shouted,

“Hey Sheriff, do you think we're dealing with a serial killer?"

She looked up, catching the Sheriff's attention, and continued,

"Is it true, there were two this time?.”

The sheriff looked at the young woman. He felt an immediate attraction .

His face burned as if it were on fire. He was hoping she hadn't noticed.

He shook his head, and pointed to the group of reporters,

“You people...” he sneered, “Always trying to sensationalize things."

He stepped back and looked at the reporters and addressed them as a group.

" From what we can gather, they all appear to be accidents.

Those are the facts as we know them so far."

Motioning with his hand as if trying to swat away a hoard of menacing flies, he commented,

"Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do.”

The young woman grabbed the sheriff's sleeve and insistently replied,

“Sheriff, you haven't exactly answered my question. Do we have a serial killer?”

The sheriff jerked loose from the reporters grip and stared into her blue eyes, fire shot from his gaze,

“Lady,” he said sternly, “don't ever do that again.”

“OK, gees Mr.” she replied, “but... would you, I mean...well, have dinner with me later tonight?”

He froze and gazed at her.

"What?"

"Dinner," she repeated, "with me...tonight...whatta' ya' say?"

Her boldness caught him off guard, and had him curious as well, but not so much as to cause him to lose his focus on the situation at hand.

“No, Lady.” he said. “I have more important things to do.”

She looked at him and smirked,

“You mean like trying to solve these murders?”

She looked at the sheriff's name tag,

“Tom Howard, aye.”

Sheriff Tom looked at her and mumbled,

“ I told you already, they aren't murders.”

The young reporter pressed on,

“Look...uh...Tom," she said cautiously,

"maybe we could sorta' work together, you and me.”

“You,” Tom laughed, pointing to her press pass.

“You're a reporter, stick to reporting, and leave the investigation to me.”

“So...you admit it,” she snapped back at the sherriff, “you are investigating these cases as more than just accidents."

Pointing to herself she remarked,

"Just so you know sheriff, my major in college was crime scene investigation. I know a thing or two about this stuff."

She started to reach out and grab Sheriff Tom by his sleeve again, but quickly withdrew, remembering his stern warning from before.

"Come on sheriff," she whined, "let me help, there's something about this that reeks something awful. Please, oh please, let me help," she pleaded.

"I'll even buy you dinner, if you don't mind Dairy Queen food."

Rubbing her stomach, she smiled,

"I'm sadly addicted, I'm afraid, to the Dairy Queen.”

Sheriff Tom turned and took another long look at her.

“So...,” he replied, “why didn't you go into law enforcement, with all that education you have?”

“My parents.” she answered, “They wanted me to be a reporter like them. They threatened to shut me off if I didn't."

She laughed and said,

"I sneaked in enough CSI classes to get a major out of it anyway."

Looking at Tom, she smiled,

"It's amazing, really. My parents never found out."

She held out her hand and introduced herself.

“I'm Kat, by the way, short for Katherine."

She shrugged her shoulders and giggled,

"Never did care much for Katherine.”

“Well Kat," replied Tom, "its like I said before, these are accidents.”

“Are you so sure Tom?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Things just don't add up. Think about it, five boys, all the same age, and all apparently made to look like accidents."

She looked at him seriously,

"Even you have some doubts, teeny tiny ones.”

“Well,” said Tom, “until somebody shows me something different, they're accidents.”

“Exactly my point Tom!” she exclaimed.

“If we compare notes maybe we could come up with something that might explain this as anything but coincidental.”

“What do you expect to find?” asked Tom, “We have no witnesses, no evidence, no clues of any kind, nada, nothing.”

She sighed. She knew the sheriff was right, but if the two of them worked together maybe, she thought, they could piece together a formula that worked.

“OK, maybe you're right. I didn't say it would be easy, but what harm could it do to look a little deeper. We could scratch just under the surface a bit.”

He snarled,

“Darn it, you're not going to give up, are you?"

“Alright," he said, pointing to her, "Bring your notes and anything else you might have. Meet me at Jo’s Pub at eight.”

“Great,” she said bouncing up and down like a little girl.

“You won't be sorry, I promise. This is gonna be great.”

She paused and rubbed her head,

“Hey, what about the Dairy Queen, we could meet there.”

“I said Jo's,” replied Tom.

“But...but, the Dairy Queen,” she pleaded.

“OK,” smiled Tom, “The Dairy Queen at eight."

He scratched his head,

"Gees, you are a persistent little pest.”

“Yep,” she smiled, “that's why I'm such a good reporter.”

Author's Note

A mysterious coincidence.

Reviews

[alanwgraham]

Well done M, a great start to the mystery. Your dialogue is very natural and flows along believably. The relationship between the reporter and the Sherriff adds interest to your intro. My only complaint is - what happens next?
Post the rest as it comes please.
All the best,
Alan