The Scottsville Vampire Invasion

Chapter 5

"MIA from the Morgue!  

"It's been two and half weeks since the murder and disappearance of Jenn Hunter's body and, from what we are hearing on the street, the police department is no closer to solving this mystery. The police are particularly stumped by the disappearance of the body. As one officer joked, 'This has been the strangest missing body since Jesus.'  

"Confidence in the ability of the Sheriff is waning from inside and outside the police department. The mother of the victim has complained openly over Sheriff Taylor's lack of response. One police officer, who wants to remain anonymous, has said that the Sheriff seems to have completely given up on the case. 'He's just going through the motions.' This is the latest mishap of Sheriff Taylor's tenure in office." 

I shake my head. Just wait Glenn. You might think that I'm in over my head but I got it figured out. Dr. Albert is our guy. He was the only one at the mortuary that night. I still have no idea how he staged Jenn's disappearance, but I know he did it. The department has been following him for the last two weeks, and I'm just waiting for him to slip up. Once he does, I'm going to nail his ass, bring him to justice and then sit back and laugh while you back pedal in your crappy paper. 

My thoughts get interrupted by my wife dropping three pancakes on my plate. It's 

early on Sunday morning before church. My wife, tall with deep, round brown eyes and beautiful dark hair, moves over to my two daughters, putting breakfast on their plates. Hanging on her ears are a new pair of diamond studded earrings. She sees me studying them and snaps, "They were on sale."  

"That's great Emily, but how much did they cost?" 

Emily drops the plate on the table and takes a step backward, crosses her arms and says, "Do we need to have this conversation every single time I go to the store?" 

My two daughters, Sarah and Kate's, forks fall out of their hands and they look at both of us. I grit my teeth and say, "Why don't we have this conversation later?" 

"No, I would like to have it now," she says, her usual olive skin turning red. 

"Not in front of the girls."  

Just as she is going say something, my cell phone goes off, "Chief, I got some real bad news." Great, every time Josh says that, it really is bad news. I grip the table to anchor myself and ask, "What is it?"  

"We got another one?"  

"Another one what?" 

"A body, next to the dumpster behind the bowling alley." 

"Who is it?"  

"Don't have an ID yet, but you should get down here now." 

I put my paper down and chug the rest of my coffee. Sounds like I'm going to be working in the dumpster, so I run upstairs and change into my uniform. I put my hand in my pocket and take out a plastic bag that holds my pills. I'm starting to run low. I stick my hand in it and pop two pills in my mouth. As I step out of the closet, I keep my head down and count the remaining pills.  

"Is that your medicine?" Sarah says from outside the door. She followed me upstairs. 

I freeze. Stumbling for words I get out, "My back is hurting. I just need something for the pain." 

"You take a lot of medicine." 

I feel the blood rush to my head over the embarrassment of being caught. I get down on my knee so I'm eye level to her. "Sometimes my back hurts. Can you do something for me? Can you keep this a secret?"