Roses Are Red [SAMPLE]

Sample: First 2000 Words

I

"Investigators confirm that the body found in Kern River earlier this week does in fact belong to missing Bakersfield mom Sadie Stomiwanty," the news reporter announced over the static taxi radio.

"Not another one," I mumbled, opening my window as we exited off the highway. I wasn't sure if the ripe body odor was coming from the cab driver, my brother, or both but it was a breath of fresh air to have wind smack my face at thirty-five miles per hour.

Hoping he would join my open-windows bandwagon, I looked over at Monty, who had the same stoic look on his face that he'd had the entire taxi ride. He didn't look back at me, he didn't look out the window, he barely even blinked; all he did was stare at the driver's license sitting in a plexi-glass pocket. I didn't know why my brother was staring so hard for so long; it wasn't like he had laser-beam eyes that could melt the plexi-glass dividing us from our driver, nor was Guillermo's license photo getting any younger the longer he looked at it. Given how annoyed he was yesterday about being forced to go to camp, I expected him to have a sour look on his face because of that ... or at least because of the eye-watering stench that'd filled up the cab. But Monty's disengagement from his surroundings was something I was used to, so it didn't bother me.

"Her cause of death is unknown but is believed to be linked to multiple other deaths in California," the news reporter continued. "Investigators are still trying to figure out how Stomiwanty's body ended up in the river."

"What a shame," I said as Monty slouched down further in his seat.

"Did you know her?" Guillermo asked. He'd also picked up on the fact that Monty had checked out, so I appreciated him conversing with me every once in a while because it kept the ride from being a total snooze fest.

"No, but a lot of people have been found dead in areas around our hometown, so it kind of feels like I did ... if that makes sense," I said as my attention shifted towards the scenery transitioning from mostly concrete to mostly woodland outside. I didn't want to tell him that one of those people had been my own foster mother. Guillermo was a nice enough guy, but I didn't think Monty would appreciate me talking about Cien with some stranger we'd just met, especially since his emotional wound from losing her was still scabbing.

"So there's a serial killer on the loose in the state of California?" Guillermo asked. "I thought we'd move past that kind of stuff in this country."

"It's not necessarily a serial killer," I said. "There's a theory that there's some kind of virus going around that scientists haven't been able to trace yet."

"Then how does that explain the body in the river?"

"Scientists think the virus might be making people do things they wouldn't normally do, like run off into the woods by themselves."

"And you believe that?"

I could see Guillermo eyeing me in the rearview mirror, and I knew what he wanted me to say, but why couldn't I believe that? There was no evidence of foul play, no persons of interest, no suspects in custody ... unless concrete proof smacked me offside the head, there was no reason for me to believe this was a murder case. And no one could change my mind otherwise.

"Yes and no. I think it's probably a virus, but I think it's like when a really sick dog digs a hole to lie in and die. In this case, the hole was the river."

"I don't know, something sounds fishy about the whole virus theory," Guillermo said. "Maybe these scientists are in on the whole thing and are just trying to cover up whatever it is."

"Maybe ..." And maybe pigs would fly, a cow would actually jump over the moon, and my friends wouldn't give me flack for showing up at camp later than I said I would.