Ok, just hit the 40,000 word barrier. I’m at 40,004. Here’s a morsel of insanity:
“Diane Cross, died in 2005, supposedly cremated in Hoquiam. Brittany Landers, died of pneumonia in 2003, also in Hoquiam and cremated. Shelly Roper, died in 2002 of a drug overdose in Aberdeen, but she was buried in Tacoma”, the lead forensic investigator for the state read during the teleconference with the Aberdeen Police and the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Department.
“We have already requested an exhumation in Pierce County”, said the detective from the State Patrol.
Sheriff Bowden was a little out of his element during the teleconference. He would have preferred that everything come down to his facility to get everything out on the table. He had tried to ask a question earlier in the meeting, but it seemed that his microphone wasn’t turned on. He rapped on the mic and tried again, “Sheriff Bowden here!”, he yelled into the microphone.
“Yes Sheriff, thanks for joining us”, the detective said.
“All this flash and hoopla is fine for TV, but when are we going to have a real time sit down to put a plan of action together?”, the Sheriff asked.
“Uh, this is it, we’re all here”, said the Aberdeen Police Chief, “What would you suggest happen next?”
“I just feel pretty far out of the loop over here. I tried to bring in some persons of interest based on the evidence, but that turned out to be a dud. Now, your lab techs have identified three victims and we still don’t have anyone to chase down. All my theories have been ignored heretofore and I’m just drifting!”, Bowden vented.
The detective from the state patrol could been seen looking at people in the room at his location that weren’t on camera, trying to keep a straight face. “Sheriff Bowden, we can rule out the meth fueled bikini suicide pact at this juncture. It now appears that all these women were dead before anything happened that would have gotten their remains up in the woods. There also seems to be a pattern of time distribution that leads me to think that there is someone acting on a schedule that we haven’t discerned yet.”
“Someone, or something?”, Bowden asked all four people on his computer monitor.
The other men just shook their heads at the implication. Then the Police Chief from Aberdeen spoke up, “Bobby, please don’t start the Sasquatch hunt again. We don’t need all those nuts to descend on the Harbor again like they did in ‘85!”
“Well Jeff, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I was way off base on the bikini suicides, and I admit that the alligator man in Long Beach is a construct, but Sasquatch is rooted in local history and even prehistory! Sasquatch is real!”, the Sheriff ranted.
“Haven’t found any non-human DNA, sir”, the forensic investigator countered.
“You wouldn’t be able to tell! The Sasquatch probably shares almost all our DNA and what it doesn’t you wouldn’t be looking for. Open your minds gentlemen!”, Bowden continued.
The detective in the offices of the State Patrol made a motion with his hand that Bowden didn’t notice. The sheriff could still see and hear the other three men, but his microphone was shut down again, not that it mattered much. The meeting wrapped up with everyone agreeing to meet at the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s headquarters in the morning. It made the Sheriff feel like he had really made a difference. When his computer screen went black, the Sheriff called deputy Denton on the intercom.
“Hey Denton! Come in here! We’re back on the hunt!”, Bowden shouted at his deputy.
Denton got out from behind his desk and walked over to the Sheriff’s office and tried the door, which was locked. “Sheriff! Unlock the door.”
Bowden got up and opened the door for Denton, “Sorry about that, I forgot that I locked the door. I didn’t want to be interrupted during the telemeeting thing.”
“Not a problem, sir. What are we hunting for?”
“Oh, this is big. Bigger than in ‘85. You weren’t here then, but we almost hunted him down. We’re back on the trail of The Sasquatch!”
OMG. That is a killer last line.