"What time is it?" Linus moaned while driving all too slowly down the desolate highway on a day that was nearing noontime.

Fitzpatrick looked out at the passing farmland scenery and asked, "Does it really matter?"

Linus must have sighed at least three to four times since leaving the house. The man's entire body felt as if it were carrying a load of bricks tied to his heels. No matter what, he just couldn't get the fog out of his brain.

"It's hard to believe that this thing hiked almost three miles away just to eat more people."

Stirring awake from his dull stupor, Linus glanced over and grunted, "Huh?"

"I said, I can't believe the thing hiked three miles just to eat more people." Fitzpatrick replied a bit louder.

"Yeah," Linus sighed again."

"You gotta be kidding me." Alan griped.

"Whaddya mean?"

"What's with all the damn sighing? You sound like my wife whenever she wants sex from me?"

Linus shrugged and said, "We just wrapped up a five and a half month kidnapping investigation, and you're asking what's with all the sighing?"

"For Christ's sake," Alan grumbled, "it's not the first kidnapping we've ever covered."

Linus didn't bother to look over at his partner, instead, he gazed upwards into the grey, brooding sky. "What would make a person do all of that, Al?"

"Do what?"

"Kidnap, rape and kill. He even raped the guys, for God's sake." Linus shook his head in shame. "I'm sitting here trying to figure out what sort of twisted event in this man's life could have brought him to such a point."

"Who knows?" Alan groaned. "He obviously had some kind of sick fetish that needed to be fulfilled. You mentioned it yourself back at the TV station."

"And the smell," Linus lamented. "How can any normal human being tolerate having all those dead bodies in that house and not become sick themselves?"

"After a while, even the most perverted person becomes accustomed to his or hers perversion. The man was obviously tormented."

Bruin only scanned the grazing land that passed by at 33 mph.

"I wonder if Gloria saw—

"That's enough!" A frustrated Fitzpatrick hollered.

A momentary quiet took place inside the car before Linus again sighed and said, "I suppose you're gonna tell me that I'm feeling sorry for myself, right?"

"No, it's not that." Fitzpatrick huffed. "You're shitting bricks because after all these months someone or something else got that fucker before you could. We all wanted to plug a bullet in the guy, but we missed out."

Linus rolled his eyes in the other direction, hoping that he could possibly ignore his partner's rant, but it seemed that the more he tried to focus on other matters, Gloria's pale, terrified image would cross his path in stunning full color.

"Whaddya think?" Fitzpatrick looked over.

"Think about what?"

the fur. Do you believe that there could be a pack of wolves running around out

steering wheel tighter. "I can't see wolves tearing through a wall like

that could eat the way that fucker did last

had to sift through the dead bodies first before he could even place the image of an overgrown killer

Fitzpatrick sniggered. "I swear that Brice gets dumber by the

smirked before asking, "You

Alan tossed up his hands. "An Ivy league, smarty pants, know-it-all kid. He's just twenty years younger than you and I. The guy is creepy, if you ask

trying

"Nope, I like to play it like my wife;

while glancing down at the speedometer to notice for the very first time that he

"Damn kids are taking our jobs." Fitzpatrick

"Is that all you're

I get home in time this evening to watch

he restrained himself as a semi-truck roared past them on the other side of the road. The first sign of life ever since leaving

"I was thinking about calling Linda." Linus

It took a few moments before Fitzpatrick said anything. "It's a shame that you

say this, but I think you have

can handle O'Dea, in small

a drowning silence took place inside the cruiser. For a few moments Linus actually believed that

you catch the

one," Linus glanced strangely

"The black

"Oh yeah,

see you with a

Linus grinned...and drove

of a red and white brick house. Without uttering a single word, they climbed out of the vehicle and dragged themselves towards another squad car just a few feet

back into the holster inside the car. "Long time no see." He shook

"How are you,

"We got six dead bodies. A mother, father and their four daughters. The mother

"It even got the daughters, too?" Linus regrettably

and ten," Phelps chocked. "Something

"Who found them?" Linus asked while

She and the mother have coffee every morning. Can you imagine finding this, of

men looked over to a distant pine bush and watched as the loudly weeping grandmother was

should see the bedroom." Phelps murmured. "You can hardly take two steps without...it's like something from out of one

a quick peek inside, just to see what we're

"I heard you found your

what was left of him." Fitzpatrick snickered. "But, as it so happens, something else found

"And whatever found him made its way here." Phelps

Phelps' shoulder

and saying, "Sometimes, losing a nephew feels like losing your own son. This is

right after he got through with his last victim, something came up from out of his basement and tore him limb from limb,

doesn't believe it's a bear." Fitzpatrick added. "He says that the paw tracks are

"Come inside and take a look at this." Phelps said as he stepped away

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