Friday, February 2, 2007

"The Se7enth" -The Grifter

It is with a heavy heart that I am before you today. I will not waste this time with shallow remarks or empty words. I am here simply to enlighten you and impart my feelings. May these words take flight on swift wings to find those who have gone before us. What leads have we got so far? We have a young woman working concessions placing John Doe and the victim at the theater the she went missing. Anything else? Um…yah, traffic division got a match on a vehicle believed to be John Doe’s. They’re running the VIN to see who the registered owner is. Good. So young and full of life; that is how I would describe her. She was a good student; never got into trouble. She had exemplary attendance and was well liked by the faculty as well as her peers. I could go so far as to say she was a model student. We will all miss her terribly. How’s by you, anything? Yah, tox report was negative on the last girl. There weren’t any drugs or alcohol in her system. They found small trace amounts of ephedrine in her though. How’s that? Mom said she used to get head aches a lot; real bad ones. Lab says that’s pretty normal for a kid with an academic record like this one had. A shame really, all those book smarts with no common sense. I’m afraid it’s common place for kids her age. On top of the world one minute, then buried six feet under it the next. Our families would go camping a lot. There was this old tire swing near the river where we camped. We would all go there in the heat of the day and spend hours playing in the water and swinging across in the tire. Once, she was so determined to be the first to the swing that she fell down and twisted her ankle. I carried her the rest of the way. It was later, under that very tree that we shared our first kiss. How ‘bout the family? We interviewed Mom and Dad first. Standard questions: Did she have any enemies, anyone with a grudge, a jealous ex? Anything pan out? Nah, nothing. This kid was so clean, she squeaked when she walked. We interviewed the boyfriend later that day. He said he never heard her mention her date. We asked if he thought she might be cheating on him. What did he say? Typical answer: No way she’d ever do that, blah, blah, blah. Either way, they all came up clean. Damn, still no leads. Well, at least nothing to really go on. We still have time. That is until the next victim. We can’t assume anything just yet; not with out proof. We pray, almighty God that you take this child, into your arms and give her peace and eternal rest. May you make your peace and grace and mercy shine down upon those who mourn. For it is written that blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. It is with these words that we commit your child to the ages, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Amen. *phone rings* Detective Hughes...I see...very good, thanks. What’s up? They’re laying our young friend to rest as we speak. What?! How...why? Because a grieving family needs closure. That’s nuts, just nuts. Be that as it may, grief will do as it wants to do, regardless of the circumstances. I suppose...do you think we’ll find her body? Hope so. That casket can’t stay empty forever. Wouldn’t be the first time. True, but it won’t be the last time. Detectives? You got a package on your desk. Who’s it from? Some guy named John. Who?! *enters office* It’s a box...should we open it? I fear we may have to. *opens small box* What is it, Hughes? ...closure.

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