Friends With A Killer

Chapter 1

Alan opened the body bag and looked at the corpse. Her papers said that her name was Veronica Smith. She was skinny and in her mid-twenties, but it was the gaping hole in her throat that caught his attention. Her head was practically decapitated, the flesh torn away until her vertebrae were visible and they were only thing keeping her head from being completely separated from her body.

Who could have done this to a poor little thing like her?

Alan sighed and moved the corpse out of the bag. He quickly cleaned the body before he placed small towels over the dead girl's private areas. He washed her hair and neatly combed out any knots. He glanced back at the wound and groaned.

"Whoever did this to you is a real asshole," Alan muttered as he got out the embalming equipment. "Not only did they kill you, but they made my job more difficult."

"You're talking to bodies again," a voice said. Alan turned to Jenna as she entered the room, dressed in scrubs. She was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed with a smile that said she knew everything. "Well, at least we have a body to talk to."

"Hey, Jenna. I didn't think you'd show up," Alan said, turning back to the body.

"Can't I spend time with my brother?"

"I thought you had a date with Jim," Alan said, nonchalantly.

"I did, but I rescheduled. It's been a while since you and I have talked," she said, walking over to the table and looking at the corpse. "I saw this on the news and thought you might want help."

"You know I can't pay you, right? Any money made from this has to go to keeping this place afloat."

"I know," Jenna replied. "I just wanted to see if you need help."

"I don't, but since you're here, you can sew the severed arteries up so we can get her embalmed," Alan said, mixing the chemicals together in the machine. Jenna put on her rubber gloves and started her work.

The two worked in silence for a while before Jenna abruptly ran out of the room. Alan stopped his work and slowly followed her. He walked through the short hallway until he reached the restroom. The door was left open and he saw his sister with her head in the toilet, retching.

"You know, if you can't handle doing this, I can do it myself," Alan said, leaning against the door frame. Jenna lifted her head and looked into her brother's grey eyes as she wiped her mouth.

"No," she said. "It's morning sickness. I'll be fine."

Alan's jaw dropped. "Y-You're pregnant?"

"Yeah," Jenna said, smiling. "You're going to be an uncle."

"Does Jim know about this?" Alan asked. "He's the father, right?"

"Yeah, he knows," she laughed.

"How long . . . have you. . .?"

"About a month," Jenna replied. Alan crossed the tiny restroom and enveloped Jenna in a hug. She laughed and hugged him back. They separated for a moment and Alan looked down at his sister's stomach.

"I never knew you were pregnant," he stated. "No wonder you've been so bitchy."

"Shut up," Jenna scolded, slapping Alan. "I'm not bitchy."

"Okay, whatever you say. I just feel sorry for Jim."

"Don't feel sorry for him. He's been worse than I am. Speaking of which," Jenna said. "When are you going to find yourself someone to settle down with?"

Alan shrugged and stood up. "Let's get back to work."

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Kayden stared at the police investigators as he leaned against the wall of the building and lit up a cigarette. The investigators were still looking at the crime scene, trying to find any evidence he didn't leave.