The Tic-Tac-Toe Killer

Blood Letter

Shocked, they both stared at the letter before them.

Jenn didn't want to touch it anymore, let alone be holding it.

He was taunting them.

"What's it say?" Sally inquired

Jenn and Hunter remained speechless.

Sally achknowledged this, and walked forward to read the letter herself. She took it from Jenn's hand.

She screamed.

The letter fluttered to the floor. Jenn nealt down to retrieve it, but Hunter bet her to it.

Written in blood, on the letter, was a poem:

Tic-Tac- Toe

Give me high

Give me low

Give me three in a row

1 down

8 to go.......

There was no signature at the end. Why would there be? Why would the killer reveal himself so easily?

Jenn and Hunter exchanged a quick glance. This was more serious than they could of imagined. Hunter shouted orders at his team then went to his office, the letter firmly gripped in his fist.

Jenn entered his office. He was rummaging through some draws, causing paper to fly everywhere. Patiently, Jenn stood at the door, waiting for him to finish. Finally, he emerged, a large bottle of whisky and a glass in his hands.

 "Wheres the letter?" Jenn asked. Hunter looked up from pouring himself a drink to answer her.

 "I sent it down to the lab, for the boys to deal with" He took a long swig from the drink he just poured.

 "Is that really such a good idea?" Jenn pointed at the drink in Hunter's hand

 "It is to me" He replied "You want one?"

"No. I've got more important things to do. Like trying to make a start on the case" Jenn replied, turning around and heading for the door. Hunter reached out and grabbed her shoulder, making her turn back around.

"What?" Jenn scowled at Hunter.

"I'll come with you-" He began, but she cut him off

"No. You stay here. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself" she informed him, trying to prove her independence. With that, she turned on her heel and walked out, leaving Hunter alone in his office.

"So, no clue to who the body is then? Nobody even sounded close?" Jenn persisted, trying to get the most out of the people at the crime lab.

"Sorry, Jenn, but we already said, nobody fitting her description has gone or been reported missing within the past few months. Sorry." Derek, head of the department, told her. Jenn sighed and thanked him anyway for trying. She was getting nowhere.

 There were no finger prints on the letter, no ID on the body, there was nothing that could even begin to lead them to the killer. Jenn walked back over to her desk. She slumped into her chair, and began massaging her temples with her fingers. Think Jenn, think, she thought. The message on the letter was memorized, but what did it mean? Jenn ripped off a sheet of note paper and quickly scribbled down the poem.

She stared at it, searching for sense in a nonsense poem. Her eyes were drawn to the last section. 1 down, 8 to go. Was this poet trying to tell us that he had been the one who murdered the mystery woman? That she was dead, and 8 more had to suffer the same fate. Her mind still spinning, Jenn drew a sketch of the table found on the woman's face. It was Tic-Tac-Toe.