Chapter Two

Jennifer Hooksville sighed, bending down to pick up the signature card. She knew what it said without having to read it. Though she hoped she was wrong, her partner’s stony silence after she had read the card confirmed it.

‘AA,’ Jennifer stated.

‘Third one this month,’ Tim said in agreement.

‘I don’t get it,’ Jennifer crossed her arms. ‘Three murders. Totally different locations and MO- all proudly sponsored by AA, whatever that is,’

‘Still, we do have something to go on,’ Tim reminded her.

Jennifer nodded. ‘Whoever this prick is, he picks on single, defenceless women. Plucking them at their most vunerable time – when they just come out of a relationship, which means the killer had to somehow have been involved with his victims to know that kind of thing,’

Tim looked at the body of the twenty – three year – old woman and shook his head sadly. ‘What a waste,’

The woman was beautiful, with long red hair which may once have been vibrant and alive, but was now dull and limp. He could imagine her lips, once a healthy pale pink shimmer, now a bland cross between grey and ice – blue. The woman’s face was angular, with high cheekbones and a deathly- pale complexion, once probably supporting a healthy glow.

‘I want him,’ Jennifer announced, tearing Tim’s eyes away from the lifeless body. ‘I want this son of a bitch. And I want him yesterday.’

Hopefield was a very small town. Not much happened here, nothing much of excitement, anyway. But when it did it was big news. And the people involved…they were even bigger news.

Jennifer was the first female officer to have ever worked at the Hopefield police station. That just went to prove how old – fashioned Hopefield, and the people in it, were. As such, the news of the third murder this month, unknown to the public that they were mysteriously linked in some way, was almost like a gold minefield to persons in the media industry.

Like always, the media was divided in the way that it portrayed Jennifer’s perona; to some, she was like any other high – profile police officer working on a high – profile case. To others, she was the police officer that hadn’t stopped the murders from happening. In that sense, it was a real good thing that the public didn’t know about the undoubtable connection between the murders.

Jennifer walked into her living room at about one o’clock the next morning, after having finally being run out of police station at eleven – thirty that night (but not before smugling some files and records out), with a large carton of Cookies & Cream ice- cream. She turned on the overhead light and lowered herself to the floor infront of her lounge, resting her tub of comfort food on the coffee table.

Jennifer let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed her head in her hands. Fellow officers had commented that Jennifer may be letting her emotions run wild as a result of the murders- there was some truth in that. It bothered her that there were killers out there on the loose…and, yes, she did happen to notice that the women been targeted where attractive, young and single. But it wasn’t herself that she worried about.

It was her daughter, Amy. Amy was twenty – one years old, and at the moment, she was safely attending a Writer’s Festival in Byron Bay. But she was due back in a few days, and Jennifer was worried that her judgement might become clouded over with her constant worry over her daughter’s safety.

Jennifer opened her briefcase and pulled out the bundle of files she’d obtained during the past month. This case was turning into a nightmare. There was talke about increased security, and families planning ‘extensive holidays’ as far away from Hopetown as they could. Jennifer couldn’t blame them, really. She’d probably be doing the same thing with Amy if she didn’t have to stick it out.

At the moment, they were no suspects, no evidence, besides the signature cards – it felt like they were beating against a brick wall. There were no enemies and no witnesses. No reported threats, no apparent strange behaviour. All the police had to go on was the fact that the women were single but, strangly enough, they hadn’t been able to contact any of the ex significant others or their new play – mates.

Jennifer had never considered herself religious, but for the past few weeks, she’d prayed. Prayed for a lead, prayed for hope of any kind, but most of all, had prayed for an end.

She was jolted from her thoughts suddenly. She turned towards the direction of the noise, to make sure she’d heard what she thought she’d heard.

She had.

The phone was ringing.

‘Hello?’ Jennifer asked, expecting her partner.

‘Hello, Ms Hooksville. How are you coping? We’re not making things too difficult for you, I hope,’

Jennifer froze, her free hand digging into her jeans pocket for her mobile. ‘Who is this?’

A dry, throaty laugh came over the handset. ‘My name doesn’t really mean anything. The only thing you need to know is that there’ll be more,’

A lump rose in Jennifer’s throat. She clutched her mobile, her hands beginning to sweat. ‘More bodies?’ she trembled.

‘Very good, you’re up-to-speed,’ the voice, which could be distinguished as female, praised.

‘Why?’ Jennifer demanded, texting an SMS to Tim. ‘Why are you doing this?’

The woman laughed once again. ‘You don’t catch on, do you?’

There was silence as the woman cackled to herslef for a while. Jennifer sent the message to Tim, asking him to come to her place.

‘Well, why don’t you tell me what I’m missing,’ Jennifer suggested.

‘We’re licensed to kill,’ the woman said gleefully.

By the time Tim arrived at her house, fear had resided itself firmly in Jennifer’s stomach- though she’d never admit to it, or show it.

‘It was a woman,’ Jennifer repeated.

‘Which is uncommon,’ Tim noted.

‘Traditionally it is, but women killers are increasing by the numbers. Just look at the rise over years. A woman who kills is far more believeable now then, say, in Jack the Ripper’s day and age,’ Jennifer pointed out.

‘So what exactly did she say?’ her partner asked, ignoring her comment.

‘That they were licensed to kill,’ Jennifer said, a small chill creeping up her spine as she remember the woman’s mocking tone and cold laught. ‘I can only imagine that she was refering to AA,’

Ingenious, girlfriend, Jennifer scolded hershelf. Try to keep it professional, huh? She straightened up.

‘What contact us so soon?’ she mused outloud. ‘What’s the point? Do they want us to know who they are? If so, why?’

Tim shrugged. ‘Have you got a taping of the phone call?’

Jennifer nodded, standing up and walking over to the coffee table. ‘I auTimatically tape all of my phone calls…just in case,’

She took the tape out of the recorder hooked up to the phone and pressed it into Tim’s hands. As she did, Tim wrapped his fingers around her wrist. ‘Jen…’

Jennifer bit her lip and looked into Tim’s eyes. The couple had been secretly seeing each other for the past few months, and just the previous week, Tim had asked Jennifer to move in with him.

‘Tim, it’s hardly the time to talk about this,’ Jennifer said, attempting to free her wrist.

Tim looked at her seriously. ‘I’m worried about you,’ he blurted. ‘This is the first high – profile case you’ve been assigned to, and it’s getting dangerous,’ he reached into his back jeans pocket and produced some crumpled up notes, as if that were proof.

‘Why didn’t you tell me about these?’

Every day since the first murder a month ago, Jennifer had been receiving threatening notes which, though she should have known better, she’d dismissed as empty threats. She hadn’t told anyone because she was afraid they would suspend her, arguing that the case was getting too personal. Jennifer knew that Tim was upset that she hadn’t confided in him, but suspected that he would become too overprotective. As it was, it seemed as if she was right.

‘Tim, I’m a big girl. I can look after myself.’

‘And Amy?’ Tim pressed.

The sound of Amy’s name in connection with the case before them sent a chill down Jennifer’s spine.

‘We’ll be fine,’ Jennifer insisted curtly.

‘An extra bit of protection wouldn’t hurt, particularly for when Amy does come back,’ Tim persisted.

‘No, Tim,’ Jennifer repeated. ‘We’ll be fine. Besides, this thing will be all over by the time Amy gets back.’

Jennifer crossed her fingers behind her back.

After Tim had left, Jennifer sat on the lounge in the dark. She was so confused…about everything - Tim, Amy, the case…What she needed was a drink; something to help her relax, loosen up…give her a new perspective on things.

Jennifer fumbled around for the light switch for the lamp resting on the coffee table. The room lit up brightly, illuminating the mess she had made when looking through the case files. Closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands, Jennifer’s thoughts unwillingly focused on the mess with Tim.

After the divorce with Amy’s father three years ago, Jennifer had felt incredibly lonely. Not to mention unattractive and overworked. That had been the reason she and Jensen had divorced- he’d often complained that she was too wrapped up in her career, and wasn’t focusing on her family enough. Like he could really talk. He was a journalist, always running around trying to find a story…sometimes without coming home for weeks, proclaiming that he’d finally found the story of his career, only to come back later with disheartened spirits and very little temperment. It wasn’t like he had worried about his family during those times, but apparently it was OK for him to lash out at Jennifer for the very same reasons.

But still, that was just like a man, wasn’t it? Jennifer smirked. They were all hypocrites.

What hurt even more was the reality that Jennifer had loved Jensen. She never wanted to admit it; had never told him. The couple had been childhood sweethearts, Jensen had always been Mr Romantic. He had been the hottest guy in school, and for some strange reason, he had choosen Jennifer, the bespecticled straight A girl who’d never had a boyfriend in her entire life, to spend the rest of his life with, having proposed to her on the night of their Year 12 graduation.

Maybe that had been their problem – the reason why the love and passion that had once overfilled their relationship had dissolved into resentment, under – appreciation and constant bickering. If they weren’t fighting about one thing, it was another – anything from money to something as little as taking the rubbish out. Jennifer had been the one that had done all the housework when they moved in together, and a year later when Amy had come along…things hadn’t exactly become any easier.

Jennifer sighed as she pushed herself off the lounge and slumped over to the fridge. When the couple had moved here, they had hoped for something no short of a miracle…some way to save their marriage, if only for Amy’s sake. But when it had crumbled, Jennifer had thrown herself into her work and her duties as a parent. So much so that she began to feel as if she were loosing her own identity.

Then she’d noticed Tim. He had noticed her long before, of course, but up until that fateful day in the lunch room when their eyes and wandered and locked onto one another’s, she’d hardly been aware of anyone’s existance. Well, apart from Amy’s and the dentist.

Taking a swig of the light beer she held in her hand, Jennifer grinned as she remembered what their relationship had felt like in the beginning. Well, at first it hadn’t even been a real relationship – it was ‘just sex’, as someone in a movie once so delicately put it. And, boy, it had been really good sex.

But then Tim had gone and complicated everything by asking her out. Jennifer’s mother had always told her that men were nothing but trouble, and it was then that Jennifer had finally began to see the truth to the statement.

So Tim and Jennifer had gone on a date – and, God help her, Jennifer felt something that she’d never wanted to feel again, or at least for a very long time. Attraction. Attraction that went beyond the physicals. Attraction that just, God damn it, just wouldn’t go away!

And now here she was. Drinking beer, trying to work through some rather complex feelings for a man in the middle of a very disturbing case that was hitting to close to home for Jennifer’s liking. A place where she never wanted to be.

Damn, life was complicated. Too damn complicated for it’s own good.