“The body was found down by the river.” Said Detective James, the best detective the town had ever seen. She was always a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. Always smiling and greeting everyone cheerfully. You would never guess what her line of work was. She seemed too fragile to handle such gory murders. “With no hands or feet. It will be almost impossible to identify the body.”

“We could always use the teeth.” The other detective said. Detective Jones always loved to point out what James had missed. He was always bitter towards her because she replaced him as number one detective.

“Not if they were ripped out. This one seems like a professional. There’s not a single fingerprint or footprint.”

“Well then, how are we supposed to solve this one?” Jones asked puzzled.

“We are not solving anything. I work alone.” James had been on her own ever since her parents died when she was fifteen. She liked it better that way. It was easier and there was no one to get in her way.

After her parents died, she lived with her grandmother. The little old woman had alzheimer’s and was never really there. A couple years later the poor disease killed her. After that James went on to college in Ohio and graduated from Ohio Northern University with a bachelor’s in criminal justice. After five years in Ohio, she moved to the middle of nowhere town that she’s in now. She had only been there for six months and the place already felt like home.

She lived in a small apartment above a pawn shop. She was friends with the owners and would regularly invite them to dinner. Now she was almost certain that Mary Collins, the wife of 

one of the owners, was the body found near the river. Mary had gone missing a few days ago and George had been worried ever since. James was heartbroken that she would have to tell him the news. Mary had been like a mother figure to her much unlike her own mother. But, who would kill the nicest woman in town in the sickest way possible? Only a truly messed up person would commit a truly messed up crime. She was almost terrified to find out who it was. The person was obviously skilled they knew to cut off the hands and remove their teeth. Making identification almost nearly impossible. The only way James even knew it was Mary was by the butterfly tattoo on the torso. The town was small, so everyone knew of Mary’s butterfly obsession. The pawn shop was covered in them and she even kept some in a cage right near the front door. If the killer really didn’t want the body to be identified, then they would have burned off the tattoo. So, why didn’t they? Why not just burn the whole body? What does Mary’s death symbolize?

“George Collins, you are under arrest for the death of Mary Collins. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” James hated saying this. She knew George would never kill Mary. But, sometimes it’s the person that you would least expect.

“What? Mary’s dead? I would never kill her!” George exclaimed. He broke down into sobs after hearing about the death of his wife which only made arresting him even harder.

“Okay, George. There are several witnesses who say that they saw you and Mary arguing in the pawn shop the day before she disappeared.” The happy-go-lucky girl had disappeared and now James had a stone cold look on her face. George was almost terrified. He had never seen this side of her before.

“I would never kill my wife.” George sobbed. “If I had known that was the last time I was ever going to see her, then I would have never let her leave. We were arguing because she 

wanted to go on a date night, but I had already made plans with the guys. Then, she said that I always chose them over her and stormed out of the shop. I didn’t see her that night or at all the next day. That’s when I filed the police report. I was at the shop all night you can check the cameras. Just please don’t arrest me. I didn’t kill her. I swear!”

“Alright, George. I believe you.” She uncuffs him from the table and escorts him out. There really was no evidence that linked George to the murder. “Stay strong.” She tells him and squeezes his shoulder before watching him turn and walk out the door.

So, if not George, then who? There were no fingerprints, no footprints, and no DNA of any kind. And she obviously didn’t commit suicide. She couldn’t let this case go cold. The murder was too gruesome and too well planned to just allow the killer to be on the loose.

“Anyone with any information is asked to call the police department. George Collins is offering a $10,000 reward.” James turned to see Sheriff Dean talking to the local news. When that segment aired, the lines would be clogged with people just trying to get money.

James was sitting criss-cross on her couch in sweatpants when the segment finally aired. She hoped someone would come forward with real information. At some point, she must’ve fell asleep because when she woke up her phone was ringing like crazy.

“Hello?” She asked. Why would someone be calling her so early?

“James, get down here now!” Detective Thornton sounded frantic.

When she arrived at the scene of the crime, she was shocked. There was a body in the forest with no hands or feet. The murders had to be connected. Maybe there was a serial killer. Upon closer examination, James realized that the body belonged to Detective Jones. She didn’t know how she could tell, but she definitely knew it was him. She could just hear his snarky voice 

asking her how she was so sure that it was him. For a second, she was almost relieved that she wouldn’t have to work with him anymore. She would no longer have to hear his complaints. She could finally do her job in peace. She almost wished that it had been her that killed them. Oh wait. It was.

She had killed him and Mary. And now she had to leave before anyone found out. Claim that she found a new job in a new town. Just like she had been doing for years. Her killing spree first started with her parents. They always neglected her and were horrible parents. So, she had to get rid of them. Then, her poor grandmother. Her time was coming soon anyways. She just sped it up.

As a child, serial killers always fascinated her. Their way of thinking was complex and intrigued her. She always watched documentaries. Making notes of what they did wrong and how they got caught. She would fix their mistakes. She vowed to become the perfect serial killer and she was. Who would think that a detective was a murderer? But, how long could she truly get away with this? Only time would tell.