Reunion A Tale of a Serial Killer, a Dog Named Oprah and a High School Reunion

Rigor mortis had started. The partially stiffened body was pushed out the door into the night rain. Daybreak and ultimate discovery were hours away. …

Cook County was located in the northwest corner of the state. This was the Midwest, the Corn Belt, noted for fields of corn with some dairy cows thrown in, not dead girls along the highway. It was supposed to be a quiet farming community. Rosie wondered when the last homicide might have been. After all, she came here to get away from big city crime, drugs, and gangs, and so far except for one thing, separate from police work, she was pleased. …

"Looks like she was killed and her body dumped along the road. There are marks on both wrists like she'd been tied up. She really must have struggled because the rope or whatever held her really cut into her wrists. No identification on her, in fact, all her pockets were empty. She was about eighteen I'd guess and good looking, kind of boyish face with very short hair. Oh yeah, she wasn't dressed for rainy weather, no jacket just a light shirt. And we had rain on and off all night." …

Pete hung up the phone and looked over at Joe. "Well, that was the coroner. She was bound at the wrists and ankles and sexually molested a lot, looks like over a couple days and it was painful, almost like torture. Then she was suffocated. That's all he has now but he will keep us posted and send a complete report right away with a follow up to fill in any missing things, like blood tests for drugs. That's all he had. Guess we should call the Chief, huh?" Joe remarked, "Torture! What are we dealing with?" "Don't know." Pete replied as he started to dial the Chief's number. …

The occasional crackle of thunder and flash of lighting were the only interruptions to the rain on the rooftop and the rhythmic beat of the wipers. The visibility at times was less than one hundred feet. Who would be out on a night like this? Almost no one, the driver certainly wouldn't be out if there weren't a very important delivery to make. The vehicle turned off the highway and onto a dirt road. It moved at a snail's pace. The speedometer bounced around the ten MPH mark. After awhile the automatic shift was slipped from drive into neutral. The momentum of the vehicle carried it forward for a few seconds and then it came to a stop. As it stopped, simultaneously the headlights were turned off and the shift lever was put in the park position. All was still. Because of the cornfields on both sides of the road, no lights or houses could be seen. With the dashboard lights out there was total darkness. "Is this the best spot ever', thought the driver, pausing a moment to relish in the serenity. With that, the motorist reached over and opened the passenger door. The interior light bulb had been removed so the vehicle remained in total darkness. With one big push, the body in the passenger seat tumbled out onto the shoulder of the road and rolled six feet into the ditch. A grin crossed the murderer's face, as the door was pulled closed. Delivery completed. The killer cherished the moment, "another one gone. I did it!' …

"Time to get back, have a nice hot shower, and watch some TV.' Already forgotten were the events of the last four days including tonight, just like they never occurred. Sleep was restless, as it had been on many occasions. Dreams were not of the girl tonight; she had been quickly forgotten. This was of a time long ago. That same recurring nightmare … Pat pleading … then blood everywhere. I hate this place … Why am I tied down…Help me… Help. …

That evening Joe spent his time driving the highways of Cook County trying to piece together the clues of Carol Burroughs' murder. Many miles away, a girl lay helpless. "Eemmm, emmmm," she murmured. With a gag in her mouth and her feet and arms tied it was the best she could do. She had just woken up and was trying to figure out how she ended up like this. She was gr