Olympia Part Two
Sarah awoke to the loud ringing of her blackberry. She had dozed off in front of a movie, snuggling with her boyfriend on the couch.
She quickly reached for her pocked and groaned as she saw the message.
“Ugh, I’m sorry, honey. I’ve got to go back to the office,” Sarah said.
“You just put in a hard day’s work,” Brad said. “Why do you think they want you back?”
“They probably spotted another one. I hate to say this but I don’t know when I’ll be back.” She leaned over and gave Brad a quick smooch on the lips before getting on her jacket and heading for the door.
“I love you,” he murmured, still full of sleepiness himself.
“I love you too,” she said as she exited the apartment.
~
“We’ve got two killings in two weeks at the Sunset Grove retirement community in Central Florida. Both have the same M.O: multiple stab wounds in the torso area,” explained the team leader, Erin Hodgkin. “Both victims were female and over the age of 70, but otherwise unconnected socially. Given their physical similarities,” she continued as she showed the team some grisly slides of the victims, “we believe this is the work of a serial killer.”
“The killer is probably killing people who are similar to someone they know – someone important to them,” speculated Samantha Reed, the team’s resident girl genius. “Perhaps a grandparent. We should start the search by identifying people who were raised by their grandparents or by elderly foster parents.”
“I’ll get right on that,” said Gillian “Rocky Road” Smith, the team’s computer expert, whose nickname was from her favorite flavor of ice cream.
“We’re all going to be heading out to Florida on our private plane tonight,” Erin concluded. “Based on the timetable of the suspect, we are looking at another victim within the next 24 hours.”
~
“Queen to c5, checkmate!” Samantha shrieked. “I can’t believe you thought that the Hampe-Allgaier Gambit was going to work,” she said, gloating over her chess victory.
“I’ve had success with the H.A.G. plan before,” replied Sarah with a sly grin. “I’m just not concentrating right now.”
“What’s on your mind?” Samantha asked, as she fiddled with her long, slightly greasy mousey brown tresses.
“I’m just thinking about the case, to be honest,” Sarah said. “What kind of a serial killer targets old ladies?”
“One that’s going to get caught,” Samantha assured her. “That’s what we do. We catch the bastards. Our department has apprehended 97% of all suspects we targeted in the past year.”
“I know, I know,” Sarah said. “I just have a bad feeling about this, for some reason.”
~
The first thing Sarah noticed upon getting out of the plane was the heavy, hot air. The tropical humidity was almost overpowering.
“Central Florida on a hot summer night,” Erin said, sighing as she ran her fingers through her close cropped, dark hair. “We better get used to it.”
“We are we headed first?” Sarah asked.
“Middleton county Sheriff’s office. We’ll set up there, then hit the first crime scene.”
“It’s past 3 AM,” replied Sarah, who had been sleepy since before the plan took off.
“This killer waited almost exactly 168 hours between his first two kills,” Samantha reminded her. “So, it’s extremely likely he’ll wait a similar margin before killing again.”
“Exactly,” Erin said. “We have less than 18 hours to try to save someone’s life.”
“Why don’t we just quarantine everyone?” Sarah asked. “Both women were killed in their dwellings, alone. If we got everyone into a centralized area…”
“That could work. Obviously this killer doesn’t want to risk any witnesses. If everyone was being watched by someone who was awake…” Samantha began, as the three got into their police escort vehicle.
“No, it’s too risky. If this guy has a compulsion to kill, and we knock him out of his comfort zone, he’ll just leave this area and we’ll never catch him. It’s best that he doesn’t even know we are onto him,” Erin said.
“But how is that possible? It would be too suspicious if he was just wandering around uninvited. He must be someone that the community knows and trusts. If that’s the case, they’ll know we are here very soon,” Sarah countered.
“That’s exactly why we can’t afford to sleep on the job this time,” Erin said. “We have to do this tonight. I want to identify the suspect and have him in custody before he even knows we’re here.”
Sarah gritted her teeth and nodded. During their last mission, they had caught up to a suspect too late: he had already killed the hostage. Post mortem analysis indicated that she had been killed less than 30 minutes after they arrived. If they had only been a little faster, that little girl might still be alive…It was because of that case, she was sure, that Erin was pushing them this hard.
“We need to go to Sunset Grove now. A murder is going to take place within a matter of hours.” Erin said as soon as they arrived at the small police headquarters.
“You’re too late,” the police radio buzzed. “Another killing has just been called in.”
~
The police car ground to a halt in front of the iron gates of the Sunset Grove complex. Sarah, thinking quickly, shouted to the security guard operating the gate.
“Is there any other way to enter this complex other than this gate?”
“No ma’am,” the short, stocky guard grunted out in a thick Southern drawl.
“And has anybody left in the past half an hour?” Sarah continued. The guard shook his head.
“That means either the killer scaled this 14 foot fence…” Samantha began.
“Or, he’s still here,” Erin finished.
~
“I’ll take you to the crime scene,” Ruth Howell, the administrator of the community mumbled. “I’m the one that called in.”
“What exactly happened?” Erin asked.
“Well, I got a call from Police Chief Simpson letting me know you were on your way. I went to bed – I figured I needed a nap if I was going to stay up this late. My granddaughter, who lives with me, decided to stay up and play some video games. A while later, I got a call from Ethyl Crumtree, but there was no answer when I picked up. So I walked over to her place and she was laying…like this.”
The crime scene was a mess. Mrs. Crumtree, a woman in her 70s, was face down in a pool of blood. The same pattern of stab wounds confirmed that this was indeed the same killer.
“Damn,” Erin spat, as she chewed her upper lip. “I can’t believe we didn’t make it in time. I really though we were going to catch this guy.”
“Should we continue to operate as to avoid detection?” Samantha asked.
“No. The suspect is going to know we are here in the morning. What’s more important is making sure he doesn’t get away. We have to quarantine this whole community. Nobody comes in and nobody leaves,” Erin said.
“Should we set things up now?” Sarah asked.
“No point. We know the killer’s routine, one a week. We might as well get some sleep. We’ve missed our chance to save a life,” Erin bemoaned.
~
“Gillian, please tell me you have something good for us,” Erin shouted into her cell phone.
“I ran through the parameters you suggested, but only two men registered. One of them was a janitor who wasn’t working last night as has an alibi. The other is the security guard. And I know it isn’t him because I checked the digital record of the security camera, and he was in his little booth near the gate all night,” Gillian explained via speakerphone.
“How difficult would it be to replicate part of the film, or to change the time stamp of the data and re-use the files from another night? In other words, Gillian, is it possible he wasn’t really there?” Erin asked.
“That’s certainly a possibility. But if that’s what he’s been doing, he’s learned it in secret. There’s nothing on his background that would indicate he has any computer or tech training. And usually people who have that kind of background have jobs in the field of their expertise. Why would he be working as a security guard if he had the skills to pull something like that off?” Gillian replied.
“What about an accomplice? Maybe he had a friend edit the tape so that he wouldn’t get caught.” Sarah offered.
“It’s possible. In any case, if he’s not the killer, he probably has seen the person who is,” Gillian said.
“We’ll bring him in for questioning,” Erin said.
~
“So, Jeff, do you like your job?” Sarah asked the guard in sterile interrogation room.
“I suppose,” he replied with his thick southern twang.
“Do you ever have conflicts with the residents?” Sarah continued.
“Not to my knowledge,” he replied after a little hesitation.
“But you did know the three women who lost their lives, correct?” Sarah countered.
“I know them, sure. But I don’t get especially friendly with anybody. I do my job and I go home. I keep to myself mostly,” he mumbled.
“You fit the description of who we are looking for. Most of the residents are too old to be physically capable of pulling something like this off. It is in your interest if you let us know of anything suspicious you’ve noticed around the complex,” Sarah said with a hint of menace of her voice.
“I swear, I ain’t seen nothing, and I don’t got nothing to do with this,” he replied.
~
“This isn’t working,” Samantha complained behind the one way glass a few hours later. “We aren’t getting anywhere with him.”
“He’s either a really good liar or he’s telling the truth,” Erin said through gritted teeth. “Sarah’s on her game. She would be cracking him by now if he had something to hide.”
Suddenly, the door to the observation room burst open. “We just found another body,” a police officer shouted at them. “Time of death is within the past 30 minutes. That means the guard is innocent.”
~
Sarah cradled her head in her hands when she heard the news. How could things have gone so wrong in this case? Two women were dead since they arrived. The killer seems to have accelerated his pattern, likely because of the police presence. And their profile wasn’t helping. The two men that fit it had alibis. She had looked into the guard’s eyes, and he seemed innocent of any complicity…
A thought slowly drifted through Sarah’s mind. If she couldn’t solve this case on her own, perhaps she had some friends that could help…
Sarah pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed the numbers. If help was to get here, it needed to be as soon as possible.
~
“So explain this again,” Erin said to Sarah.
“We know the trend: the suspect has been killing arrivals to the community in reverse chronological order so far. In other words, the most recent person to move here was the most recent to die. Then the next most recent, and so on. We can’t take a risk of letting people leave: the suspect will go dark and we will lose our only chance to catch him. So our next best bet is to know who the next victim will be – and who better to have as our next victim…” Sarah explained.
“Than an undercover agent?” Erin asked. “But why not one of us?”
“I’m sure none of us are capable of disguising ourselves that effectively,” Sarah said, coughing a bit as she did so, and blushing slightly. “That’s why I’m asking two of my friends to come along, they might be able to help,” Sarah replied.
“But they could be placing their lives in grave jeopardy. I can’t allow that, Sarah. Besides, what about the rule: nobody comes or goes,” Erin said.
“Actually, that could work in our favor. If we have someone move in, despite the chaos, despite the rules, someone who can leave whenever she wants…that will probably aggravate the suspect, throw them off their game, maybe even force them to make a mistake. Think about it: the killer always goes after the most recent community member. There’s got to be a reason for that…it must represent something important to him,” Samantha interjected. “Having a new arrival who breaks all the rules would be a tempting target.”
“Samantha, you like this idea?” Erin said incredulously.
“No, I hate it,” Samantha said. “There’s never a good time to play with other people’s lives. But at this point, it’s the only strategy we’ve got. And if we don’t figure out some way to catch this guy, and fast, it’s every single community member here who’s lives are in jeopardy. We can’t keep people here forever. At this point, we have to try something, or we have to let them go,” Samantha argued.
Erin sighed loudly. “You’re right, of course. Ok, Sarah, I’ll sign off…but you’re got to have them under constant surveillance and supervision. If something goes wrong, it’s our careers that are on the line.
~
When Jessica and Crystal arrived at the airport, Sarah greeted them with tearful embraces.
“It’s been far too long,” Sarah said as she held her two closet friends.
“I know…I’m just glad that I can help you in this time,” Jessica said. “I certainly don’t see much excitement in my job as a therapist.”
“Do you think mine is half this crazy?” Crystal asked. “Fashion design, could they make the next crime drama about it? Haha.”
“You know, you don’t have to do this as a favor to me. I know I’m asking you to put your lives in jeopardy. You can walk away right now and I won’ think anything of it,” Sarah said.
“We understand the risks. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have come. There are lives on the line and we’ll help in any way we can,” Jessica insisted.
“Speaking of that, what exactly is the game plan?” Crystal asked. Sarah simply smiled in reply.
~
“So, you’ll be living here,” Sarah said, gesturing to the empty housing unit. “Pretending you are part of the community.”
“Aren’t I a little young for this community?” Crystal asked.
“Yes, even as Sheryl you are a bit young for a retirement home,” Sarah said. “That’s why you will be posing as Jessica, or rather as Dorothy’s daughter. You’re much stronger in disguise, and so you will be used primarily to protect Dorothy. I can’t have a clean conscience and allow Jessica to stay here by herself…”
“The goal would be, then, to seamlessly blend in with the community?” Jessica asked.
“No, actually – I want you to interact and be friendly, but don’t worry about being a little strange. We think the suspect is targeting people based on their lack of ties with the community. Being a newbie and slightly weird will probably ensure you are a target,” Sarah explained.
“How long will this last?” Crystal said.
“I don’t know. The timetable for the murders has accelerated recently, but there’s no telling, to be honest. It could be as short as a few hours, or it could be as long as several weeks,” Sarah replied with a sigh.
“Several weeks?”
“Yes,” Sarah said. “I’m sorry, but we’ve got to do whatever it takes to stop the killings.”
“Alright,” Jessica said with a sigh. “I guess I better get changed.”
Jessica stripped off her youthful looking attire, leaving her in a white bra and panties. She covered those up with a control top girdle from her purse, and pulled an old fashioned looking, big billowy dress. After she put on a pearl necklace, a pair of frumpy clogs, and a gray cardigan, she was ready.
She pulled a vial out of her purse, uncorked it, and quickly chugged down the glowing blue goo inside. Her frame instantly began to ripple, expanding and thickening into the body of a large, mature crooner. Her hair rapidly began to become wispy and white, as Jessica restyled it into a more conservative bun hairdo. Her small shoulders expanded and raised themselves, giving her a hunchbacked look. Her tiny breasts blossomed into a large, bountiful bosom, which then started to sag and deflate, growing to rest upon her large, newly formed potbelly. The fabric of her cardigan stretched itself to accommodate the new shape of her mature, matronly, plumper figure.
Crows feet and lines etched themselves into her face and her thighs thickened. Blue lines sprouted up all over her skin, which was becoming more leathery and more translucent. Even her eyes seemed to lose their youthful sparkle. They were framed by harsh looking eyebrows and a somewhat larger nose. The young girl in her early 20s was now in her 70s.
“Your potion is much more efficient than the last time I saw you,” Samantha remarked.
“Just because I graduated from Olympia doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped learning things,” Dorothy replied in her austere, cold, aged voice.
“I’ll go ahead and get the paperwork through for you,” Samantha said. “Welcome to Sunset Grove, Dorothy.”
~
“What seems to be the problem, Ma’am?” asked one of the two electricians at the front door.
“It’s my TV. It hasn’t been turning on properly. I was hoping you could fix it,” Dorothy croaked out.
“We’ll see what we can do,” replied his partner. As the entered the room, they spotted Crystal, who was wearing a short skirt and a tube top because of the famous Florida summer heat.
“Well, well, what have we here?” Asked the first electrician as he gestured towards Crystal.
“I’m Crystal, Dorothy’s granddaughter, here on a visit,” she replied.
“Well, aren’t you just gorgeous,” the man said as he looked her up and down.
“C’mon Joe,” her partner said with a worried tone. “You remember the trouble you got into last time. Let’s just do the job and get on our way, ok?”
“Mitch, are you telling me that’s not the finest piece of ass that you’ve seen in a month?” Joe asked.
“Not my type, and besides, we don’t want to get in trouble, ok?” Mitch replied, sounding even more nervous.
“Nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting,” Joe said, ignoring his partner. “I’m sure Crystal here would love to get to know me better.”
“I’ll pass,” Crystal said, not bothering to hide the disgust in her voice.
“Why you little…” Joe began angrily.
“Ahem. Excuse me gentlemen. I believe I have a television in need of repair?” Dorothy chimed in, eager to diffuse the situation.
“We’ll get to you, lady,” Joe shouted. “Right now I’m having a word with your granddaughter.”
“Why don’t you just get to work,” Crystal insisted. “That is what the association pays you for, isn’t it?”
“Sure, but come on,” Mitch whined. “Since the lockdown three weeks ago, I haven’t seen a woman of your…stature. Can’t a man in need enjoy himself a little…maybe have a little fun?”
“What you are in need of are some manners.” Crystal scolded.
“I’ll teach you manners, you little bitch,” Joe bellowed.
“Joe, don’t!” Mitch shouted. Joe ignored him, balling his fists and moving towards Crystal with a menacing posture.
Dorothy hobbled her way between them, but Joe merely pushed her out of the way. Dorothy staggered back and yelled, barely catching the arm of a sofa to keep from falling. Mitch reached out to hold his partner back, and the two struggled for a moment.
That was all the delay Crystal needed. She quickly reached into her purse and found a vial of red glowing liquid. She tore off the seal and downed it as fast as possible, a few drops missing her mouth and landing on her chin and dribbling down her neck towards her bust.
Joe pushed his partner to the ground and resumed his march towards Crystal, but stopped as soon as he noticed her changes. Crystal’s body was getting taller and larger. Her tiny, lithe frame was expanding, becoming much bigger. Her toothpick arms expanded, gaining a layer of flab over a strong coating of firm muscle. Her face became tanned and lined, approaching a more middle aged look. Her breasts expanded, pressing against her tiny tube top until it resembled nothing more than an ill fitting bra. They held in her chest with a comic absurdity, far, far too small for her newly enlarged torpedo breasts. They sagged, but only slightly, a sign of a woman who was wearing her years well.
“What the hell!?” Joe shouted, and ran out of the apartment in horror. His partner Mitch remained behind.
“How’d you do that? You’re gorgeous, Crystal!” he exclaimed, looking as giddy as a schoolchild.
“It’s nice of you to say so, and you can call me Sheryl,” she replied.
“No time for pleasantries,” Dorothy said. “That scoundrel partner of yours must be the killer!”
“No, he was with me during the most recent killing. Joe’s a creep, but he’d never do something like that,” Mitch said.
“Well, then who is it?” Jessica said. “It’s been three weeks, I think Joe isn’t alone in feeling a little tired of all of this,” Dorothy said with exasperation.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. Dorothy hobbled towards it and was greeted by Ethyl Crumtree, the administrator of the community.
“Hello, Dorothy, is it? I wanted to ask if you could look after my granddaughter, Suzie, for a little bit? I just need an occasional evening to rest and I don’t trust her alone with a killer on the loose,” Ethyl said in her warbling voice.
“Sure, bring her on over,” Dorothy replied in her own equally aged tone.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Mitch said as soon as Dorothy had shut the door. He was already curled up on Sheryl’s lap, his head resting on her massive breasts while she stroked the back of his neck like a kitten.
“And why not?” Dorothy asked.
“She always does that with the new entrants. Makes them look after her granddaughter. She’s a menace. Always misbehaving, causing mischief. I don’t know how if she’s just shaken up from the death of her parents, but…” Mitch said, his voice trailing off.
“I’m sure I can handle a teenage girl,” Dorothy said as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Seriously, she’s a menace,” Mitch mumbled as Sheryl pressed an arm up his shirt and gently dragged her fingers across his chest. She placed her other hand around his neck and pushed his face against her breasts, practically smothering him.
Suzie looked around 15 years old, but dressed and wore her hair in a way that indicative of a much younger girl. She had purple suspenders, red tennis shoes, and pigtails held in place by butterfly fasteners shaped like little butterflies. Her body was thin but her face was puffy and round, with apple cheeks and a double chin.
“So, do you have an Xbox or a PS3?” Suzie asked in a demanding voice at the door.
“No, my dear, I’m afraid not,” Dorothy replied.
“Well, at least a Wii, right?” Suzie said, her hands now on her hips.
“Sadly, our television doesn’t even work, no video game systems here,” Dorothy said with a sigh.
Suzie froze for a moment, eyeing Dorothy up and down. Finally, she responded. “Ugh, lame, lame, lame. This is going to be one boring evening.”
“Your grandmother asked me to look after you because she fears for your safety. There is a killer on the loose, you know,” Dorothy said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. She only kills old ladies. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Suzie said as she walked inside.
“She?” Dorothy asked. “What makes you think the killer is a woman?”
Suzie’s eyes lit up. “Well, alright. It’s probably a he. If it was a woman, it would certainly add some spice to this dreary community, don’t you think? Everyone is so traditional around here.”
“I suppose so,” Dorothy agreed, but was eager to prove her wrong.
“Do we have anything to eat? Why don’t we order a pizza?” Suzie suggested.
“Not a bad idea,” Dorothy responded.
~
When the pizza delivery guy reached the door, Dorothy reached into her purse and found that she had misplaced her wallet.
“Sheryl, do you have any money?” She croaked out.
“No, sorry,” she replied. She had her hands full trying to stop Suzie from making a mess. She had opened the refrigerator and was trying to throw eggs everywhere.
“Oh dear,” she said to the man holding the extra large pizza pie. “Well, young man, maybe there is something else you can accept as payment?” She cooed.
“You mean…like a gift card or a coupon?” He said, acting a little nervous all of the sudden.
“Well, I don’t have any of those either. How about something a little more…personal?” she said, grabbing and lifting her breasts and licking her wrinkly lips.
“Uh…” the man grunted in reply, sweat making its way down his face.
“Come on, give Dorothy a nice kiss,” she said leaning into him and tonguing his ear. She ground her body and her cardigan up against his, and she could feel him start to get hard under his clothes.
“Uh, ok, you can have the pizza for free!” he said, now clearly embarrassed. “Go ahead, take it!” he shouted, placed the pizza in her hands, and ran off.
“If I was only forty years younger,” she said, more to herself than to anyone else.
“Lucky Sarah was able to get that man through the quarantine,” Dorothy said as she lifted up the lid and smelled the pizza. “Delicious.”
~
“Have you made any progress?” Dorothy asked Sarah on her cell phone. “Now would be a good time to wrap this case up. I’ve been taking care of Suzie for hours and I’m pretty sick of it.”
“Actually, yes, and it is funny that you mention Suzie. Her grandmother, Mrs. Crumtree…well, we’ve found some bloody scarves and other clothes in her attic,” Sarah replied.
“Wait, so you think it’s her?” Dorothy asked, shocked.
“Yeah. Those wounds were pretty shallow, so they could have been made by a weaker person like an old woman. Plus, she was one of the few people who knew we were coming. She killed someone the night we arrived, just a short while before we got there. And she was the one that found the body, that’s always suspicious,” said Sarah.
“Well you better find her. Does Mrs. Crumtree have a cell phone?” Dorothy asked.
“No, you’re the only one that…oh my God.” Sarah began. “If she said she got a call, it must have been on a land line. So she couldn’t have made and answered the call. She’d have to be in two places at once. And the only other person who knew for sure we were coming who we haven’t investigated is Suzie. The blood at her house…” Sarah said frantically.
“You don’t think,” Dorothy began, her voice sounding terribly frightened.
“Drop the cell phone,” Suzie said, the cheery and youthful tone gone from her voice. “Now.”
Dorothy complied and slowly turned around. Suzie had a knife to Sheryl’s throat.
“You never let me play. You never let me have fun,” Suzie said. “You’re all alike. All you old ladies. You’re dried out, pathetic scum. You all deserve to die,” Suzie growled.
“I should have known,” Dorothy said. “How else did you know the killer was a woman?”
“I’ll let your friend here go. You’re the one that really needs to die,” Suzie said, looking right at Dorothy. “But she looks like a fighter. I’m not interested in putting her down, but I’ll do it if I have to.”
“Sheryl, go. Get out of here and save yourself,” Dorothy said.
“I’m not leaving you,” Sheryl said back.
A loud noise startled all three of them, and all eyes turned to the front of the living unit. Sarah had kicked the door down, and her sidearm was drawn.
“Suzie, you don’t have to do this. I know you’re taking out your anger over your parent’s death. We knew what to look for the moment we landed. We just didn’t…recognize the possibility that the killer might be a teenage girl,” Sarah said quickly.
“You know nothing!” Suzie shouted, tightening her grip on Sheryl’s neck. “You have no idea how awful it has been since they left me. I’ve had to live among the living dead.”
“You don’t want to kill them. Dorothy isn’t an old woman. That’s just a disguise,” Sarah said. “Her real name is Jessica. How long has it been since you took a potion?”
“I had been meaning to take one a few moments ago,” Dorothy said. “So I’ll change back soon. Suzie, please, listen to reason. I saw the shock in your eye when I knew what your video game systems where, when I used a cell phone, when I didn’t hesitate to order a pizza. You know I’m not like the others, I’m not one of them.”
Suzie froze, her eyes wide. She saw the years start to peel away from Dorothy, her disguise reversing itself before her eyes.
Sheryl saw her chance. With one swift motion, she elbowed Suzie with one hand and grabbed at the knife with the other.
The weapon dropped the floor as Suzie fell backwards in shock. Sarah dove towards her, and handcuffs were ready before Suzie had even hit the ground.
~
“Congratulations, Sarah.” Erin raised a glass of mock Champaign apple juice as the FBI team flew back on their private plane. “I’m very impressed.”
“How did you know it was her so quickly?” Samantha asked.
“We should have trusted the profile all along. We knew who to look for. We just didn’t trust our instincts,” Sarah said. “I’m just glad my friends are alright.”
“It’s just strange that we didn’t notice the pattern of people all dying when they agreed to babysit Suzie,” Samantha added. “But Mrs. Crumtree was a bit scatterbrained. It’s not surprising, therefore, that she wouldn’t suspect her own granddaughter.”
“Since you were the one to bring her down, we figured you’d do the exit interview,” Erin said. “Make sure there aren’t any other bodies in other towns. Since these are old people that were targeted…well, some people might not have even suspected anything. A less lethal weapon, like an empty syringe, might not have left anyone the wiser. And who’s to say that wasn’t what she was using earlier? She wanted attention, that much was obvious. A safe kill might not have satisfied her,” Erin said.
“I hope she’ll agree to talk,” Sarah replied.
“She’ll talk. It will just kill her to be all alone, unnoticed,” Erin replied.
~
“They won’t believe me,” Suzie whined, her hands cuffed to the table of her interrogation room. “They won’t believe that your friend is a witch.”
“Of course not,” Sarah replied. “They probably think it is a part of your mental illness. You couldn’t have been trapped by an actual old woman, since you despised them so much. It must not have been a real old woman, a young girl with magic powers.”
“But you know the truth,” Suzie said. “You weren’t surprised when you saw it. Neither was your other friend, Sheryl. I’m guessing all three of you can do it, that’s how you all know each other.”
“I can tell you more about it, if you’ll agree to disclose if you have any other killings. We know of four. Is that it?” Sarah asked.
Suzie sat in silence, looking contemplative. She chewed her lover lip as she let her head lean low near the desk, so her fingers could pick at and play with her pigtails.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Suzie asked at last.
“Yes, I have a boyfriend,” Sarah replied.
“Bring him tomorrow, and cut the cameras to this room, and I’ll talk,” Suzie said.
“Why do you want to see him?” Sarah asked.
“I think we both know why,” Suzie said, her voice barely above a whisper.
~
“Brad, are you sure you are comfortable with this?” Sarah asked, feeling nervous. She hadn’t yet told him about her power to disguise, and she hated to reveal it in front of a murderer. But she had her orders from her FBI team leader to get the information by any means necessary.
“I’m sure, babe,” Bad said. “Why are you so worried? She’s just a kid.”
“I’m not worried about her, ok? I’m worried about you and me. She may ask me to do something,” Sarah said nervously.
“Ask you to do what?” Brad asked.
“Well…” Sarah steeled herself. “She may ask me to disguise myself as an old woman.”
“What’s so scary about that?” Brad asked.
“Well, my disguise is really, really, um…accurate.” Sarah stammered.
“I don’t see why you are so worried about. It’s a disguise. You’re still really you underneath,” he said.
“Well, just promise me you won’t freak out,” she said.
“I promise,” Brad replied, and they kissed.
~
“So, Brad, have you known her long?” Suzie asked the next day, after she had been assured that the cameras were off.
“Six months,” Brad answered.
“And have you thought of marriage?” She asked.
“We’ve…talked about it a bit,” Brad answered nervously.
“Are you aware that your Sarah has a secret?” Suzie asked.
“If you are referring to her old lady disguise, she shared that with me last night,” Brad answered.
“Oh really? Did she actually show it to you?” Suzie asked, her voice sounding annoyed.
“No…” Brad answered.
“Well, then, I think a demonstration is in order, wouldn’t you say, Sarah?” Suzie asked triumphantly.
“Come on Suzie, we don’t need to do this,” Sarah begged.
“He needs to see what he’s getting into. Who you really are.” Suzie said, grinning.
“This is who I really am,” she assured Brad as she started to get out her disguise clothes. “Please, remember that,” she added.
She put on a tattered shawl and a black cardigan. She put on her signature ill fitting, dark, sack T shirt over some sweat pants. Gnarled looking leather shoes and some frayed gloves finished the outfit nicely. She reached under her shirt and removed her bra, much to Brad’s surprise. Sarah pulled out her dark green potion and quickly gulped it down. Suzie’s eyes sparkled, sure that Brad would freak out.
Her body slowly changed, growing larger and flabbier. Her T shirt didn’t grow with her body, so it soon stretched out and showed off all of her flabby glory.
Sarah’s breasts, no bra-less, grew large, heavy, saggy, and quite visible under her ill fitting tight shirt. Her hair became greasy, poorly cut, and partly obscured her rapidly wrinkling face. Sarah’s skin became sallow, full of sweat broken veins. Her face grew heavy jowls, forehead lines that indicated a woman who often frowned, and cold, deep set blue eyes.
Sarah’s nose was thin and sharp, slightly down turned and hooked at the tip, giving her a slightly sinister look. She sported a slight double chin and large circles under her eyes. Her tummy spilled over with rolls and her legs were tree trunks.
“Sarah?” Brad said, sounded startled.
“It’s Mildred now, sweet cakes,” she replied in her new old lady voice.
“Now you see,” Suzie said. “Now you see everything.”
“Wow. I never thought…just wow,” Brad said. “How did you learn how to do that?”
“It’s a long story,” Mildred said at last.
“Why don’t you give your girlfriend a kiss?” Suzie taunted.
“Not a bad idea, youngin’. Why not?” Mildred asked.
“Are you sure that’s ok? I mean, right in front of a suspect?” Brad hedged.
“The cameras are off,” Suzie reminded him. “Unless you are sick to your stomach, disgusted?”
“No, I’m not…” Brad said. “In fact…It’s kind of exciting. You have the power to become your antithesis. It’s almost literary,” he mused.
“What?” Suzie said angrily.
“That’s right, my Brad boy, I know you’d like me,” Mildred said. “Why not give me a kiss, like she said?” Brad leaned in and pressed his face against her wrinkled, leathery skin and kissed. Mildred rubbed her cardigan against his skin and cackled a little.
“I can’t believe this. I wanted to destroy you!” Suzie screamed. “I wanted you to be as miserable as I am.”
“Well, now. You’ve lost, again, honey bunny. Learn to accept it with dignity,” Mildred replied. “Now I believe you owe us some information.”
“Never!” Suzie shouted. “I’ll never cooperate with you!”
“Oh yeah?” Mildred asked. “Well, how would you like it if we did some more kissing?” Mildred reached out and grabbed Brad by the ears, pulling him into another embrace. She pulled his hands towards her large, fallen, bra-less breasts, and Suzie yelled in protest.
“Fine, fine. I’ll talk. Wow, you are gross! I’ve never kissed anyone else, I swear,” Suzie said.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Brad asked.
“Who cares,” Mildred replied. “Let’s get out of here! I want to take you home and get busy.”
“Yes ma’am!” Brad said, and the left the interrogation room without looking back.
Sarah awoke to the loud ringing of her blackberry. She had dozed off in front of a movie, snuggling with her boyfriend on the couch.
She quickly reached for her pocked and groaned as she saw the message.
“Ugh, I’m sorry, honey. I’ve got to go back to the office,” Sarah said.
“You just put in a hard day’s work,” Brad said. “Why do you think they want you back?”
“They probably spotted another one. I hate to say this but I don’t know when I’ll be back.” She leaned over and gave Brad a quick smooch on the lips before getting on her jacket and heading for the door.
“I love you,” he murmured, still full of sleepiness himself.
“I love you too,” she said as she exited the apartment.
~
“We’ve got two killings in two weeks at the Sunset Grove retirement community in Central Florida. Both have the same M.O: multiple stab wounds in the torso area,” explained the team leader, Erin Hodgkin. “Both victims were female and over the age of 70, but otherwise unconnected socially. Given their physical similarities,” she continued as she showed the team some grisly slides of the victims, “we believe this is the work of a serial killer.”
“The killer is probably killing people who are similar to someone they know – someone important to them,” speculated Samantha Reed, the team’s resident girl genius. “Perhaps a grandparent. We should start the search by identifying people who were raised by their grandparents or by elderly foster parents.”
“I’ll get right on that,” said Gillian “Rocky Road” Smith, the team’s computer expert, whose nickname was from her favorite flavor of ice cream.
“We’re all going to be heading out to Florida on our private plane tonight,” Erin concluded. “Based on the timetable of the suspect, we are looking at another victim within the next 24 hours.”
~
“Queen to c5, checkmate!” Samantha shrieked. “I can’t believe you thought that the Hampe-Allgaier Gambit was going to work,” she said, gloating over her chess victory.
“I’ve had success with the H.A.G. plan before,” replied Sarah with a sly grin. “I’m just not concentrating right now.”
“What’s on your mind?” Samantha asked, as she fiddled with her long, slightly greasy mousey brown tresses.
“I’m just thinking about the case, to be honest,” Sarah said. “What kind of a serial killer targets old ladies?”
“One that’s going to get caught,” Samantha assured her. “That’s what we do. We catch the bastards. Our department has apprehended 97% of all suspects we targeted in the past year.”
“I know, I know,” Sarah said. “I just have a bad feeling about this, for some reason.”
~
The first thing Sarah noticed upon getting out of the plane was the heavy, hot air. The tropical humidity was almost overpowering.
“Central Florida on a hot summer night,” Erin said, sighing as she ran her fingers through her close cropped, dark hair. “We better get used to it.”
“We are we headed first?” Sarah asked.
“Middleton county Sheriff’s office. We’ll set up there, then hit the first crime scene.”
“It’s past 3 AM,” replied Sarah, who had been sleepy since before the plan took off.
“This killer waited almost exactly 168 hours between his first two kills,” Samantha reminded her. “So, it’s extremely likely he’ll wait a similar margin before killing again.”
“Exactly,” Erin said. “We have less than 18 hours to try to save someone’s life.”
“Why don’t we just quarantine everyone?” Sarah asked. “Both women were killed in their dwellings, alone. If we got everyone into a centralized area…”
“That could work. Obviously this killer doesn’t want to risk any witnesses. If everyone was being watched by someone who was awake…” Samantha began, as the three got into their police escort vehicle.
“No, it’s too risky. If this guy has a compulsion to kill, and we knock him out of his comfort zone, he’ll just leave this area and we’ll never catch him. It’s best that he doesn’t even know we are onto him,” Erin said.
“But how is that possible? It would be too suspicious if he was just wandering around uninvited. He must be someone that the community knows and trusts. If that’s the case, they’ll know we are here very soon,” Sarah countered.
“That’s exactly why we can’t afford to sleep on the job this time,” Erin said. “We have to do this tonight. I want to identify the suspect and have him in custody before he even knows we’re here.”
Sarah gritted her teeth and nodded. During their last mission, they had caught up to a suspect too late: he had already killed the hostage. Post mortem analysis indicated that she had been killed less than 30 minutes after they arrived. If they had only been a little faster, that little girl might still be alive…It was because of that case, she was sure, that Erin was pushing them this hard.
“We need to go to Sunset Grove now. A murder is going to take place within a matter of hours.” Erin said as soon as they arrived at the small police headquarters.
“You’re too late,” the police radio buzzed. “Another killing has just been called in.”
~
The police car ground to a halt in front of the iron gates of the Sunset Grove complex. Sarah, thinking quickly, shouted to the security guard operating the gate.
“Is there any other way to enter this complex other than this gate?”
“No ma’am,” the short, stocky guard grunted out in a thick Southern drawl.
“And has anybody left in the past half an hour?” Sarah continued. The guard shook his head.
“That means either the killer scaled this 14 foot fence…” Samantha began.
“Or, he’s still here,” Erin finished.
~
“I’ll take you to the crime scene,” Ruth Howell, the administrator of the community mumbled. “I’m the one that called in.”
“What exactly happened?” Erin asked.
“Well, I got a call from Police Chief Simpson letting me know you were on your way. I went to bed – I figured I needed a nap if I was going to stay up this late. My granddaughter, who lives with me, decided to stay up and play some video games. A while later, I got a call from Ethyl Crumtree, but there was no answer when I picked up. So I walked over to her place and she was laying…like this.”
The crime scene was a mess. Mrs. Crumtree, a woman in her 70s, was face down in a pool of blood. The same pattern of stab wounds confirmed that this was indeed the same killer.
“Damn,” Erin spat, as she chewed her upper lip. “I can’t believe we didn’t make it in time. I really though we were going to catch this guy.”
“Should we continue to operate as to avoid detection?” Samantha asked.
“No. The suspect is going to know we are here in the morning. What’s more important is making sure he doesn’t get away. We have to quarantine this whole community. Nobody comes in and nobody leaves,” Erin said.
“Should we set things up now?” Sarah asked.
“No point. We know the killer’s routine, one a week. We might as well get some sleep. We’ve missed our chance to save a life,” Erin bemoaned.
~
“Gillian, please tell me you have something good for us,” Erin shouted into her cell phone.
“I ran through the parameters you suggested, but only two men registered. One of them was a janitor who wasn’t working last night as has an alibi. The other is the security guard. And I know it isn’t him because I checked the digital record of the security camera, and he was in his little booth near the gate all night,” Gillian explained via speakerphone.
“How difficult would it be to replicate part of the film, or to change the time stamp of the data and re-use the files from another night? In other words, Gillian, is it possible he wasn’t really there?” Erin asked.
“That’s certainly a possibility. But if that’s what he’s been doing, he’s learned it in secret. There’s nothing on his background that would indicate he has any computer or tech training. And usually people who have that kind of background have jobs in the field of their expertise. Why would he be working as a security guard if he had the skills to pull something like that off?” Gillian replied.
“What about an accomplice? Maybe he had a friend edit the tape so that he wouldn’t get caught.” Sarah offered.
“It’s possible. In any case, if he’s not the killer, he probably has seen the person who is,” Gillian said.
“We’ll bring him in for questioning,” Erin said.
~
“So, Jeff, do you like your job?” Sarah asked the guard in sterile interrogation room.
“I suppose,” he replied with his thick southern twang.
“Do you ever have conflicts with the residents?” Sarah continued.
“Not to my knowledge,” he replied after a little hesitation.
“But you did know the three women who lost their lives, correct?” Sarah countered.
“I know them, sure. But I don’t get especially friendly with anybody. I do my job and I go home. I keep to myself mostly,” he mumbled.
“You fit the description of who we are looking for. Most of the residents are too old to be physically capable of pulling something like this off. It is in your interest if you let us know of anything suspicious you’ve noticed around the complex,” Sarah said with a hint of menace of her voice.
“I swear, I ain’t seen nothing, and I don’t got nothing to do with this,” he replied.
~
“This isn’t working,” Samantha complained behind the one way glass a few hours later. “We aren’t getting anywhere with him.”
“He’s either a really good liar or he’s telling the truth,” Erin said through gritted teeth. “Sarah’s on her game. She would be cracking him by now if he had something to hide.”
Suddenly, the door to the observation room burst open. “We just found another body,” a police officer shouted at them. “Time of death is within the past 30 minutes. That means the guard is innocent.”
~
Sarah cradled her head in her hands when she heard the news. How could things have gone so wrong in this case? Two women were dead since they arrived. The killer seems to have accelerated his pattern, likely because of the police presence. And their profile wasn’t helping. The two men that fit it had alibis. She had looked into the guard’s eyes, and he seemed innocent of any complicity…
A thought slowly drifted through Sarah’s mind. If she couldn’t solve this case on her own, perhaps she had some friends that could help…
Sarah pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed the numbers. If help was to get here, it needed to be as soon as possible.
~
“So explain this again,” Erin said to Sarah.
“We know the trend: the suspect has been killing arrivals to the community in reverse chronological order so far. In other words, the most recent person to move here was the most recent to die. Then the next most recent, and so on. We can’t take a risk of letting people leave: the suspect will go dark and we will lose our only chance to catch him. So our next best bet is to know who the next victim will be – and who better to have as our next victim…” Sarah explained.
“Than an undercover agent?” Erin asked. “But why not one of us?”
“I’m sure none of us are capable of disguising ourselves that effectively,” Sarah said, coughing a bit as she did so, and blushing slightly. “That’s why I’m asking two of my friends to come along, they might be able to help,” Sarah replied.
“But they could be placing their lives in grave jeopardy. I can’t allow that, Sarah. Besides, what about the rule: nobody comes or goes,” Erin said.
“Actually, that could work in our favor. If we have someone move in, despite the chaos, despite the rules, someone who can leave whenever she wants…that will probably aggravate the suspect, throw them off their game, maybe even force them to make a mistake. Think about it: the killer always goes after the most recent community member. There’s got to be a reason for that…it must represent something important to him,” Samantha interjected. “Having a new arrival who breaks all the rules would be a tempting target.”
“Samantha, you like this idea?” Erin said incredulously.
“No, I hate it,” Samantha said. “There’s never a good time to play with other people’s lives. But at this point, it’s the only strategy we’ve got. And if we don’t figure out some way to catch this guy, and fast, it’s every single community member here who’s lives are in jeopardy. We can’t keep people here forever. At this point, we have to try something, or we have to let them go,” Samantha argued.
Erin sighed loudly. “You’re right, of course. Ok, Sarah, I’ll sign off…but you’re got to have them under constant surveillance and supervision. If something goes wrong, it’s our careers that are on the line.
~
When Jessica and Crystal arrived at the airport, Sarah greeted them with tearful embraces.
“It’s been far too long,” Sarah said as she held her two closet friends.
“I know…I’m just glad that I can help you in this time,” Jessica said. “I certainly don’t see much excitement in my job as a therapist.”
“Do you think mine is half this crazy?” Crystal asked. “Fashion design, could they make the next crime drama about it? Haha.”
“You know, you don’t have to do this as a favor to me. I know I’m asking you to put your lives in jeopardy. You can walk away right now and I won’ think anything of it,” Sarah said.
“We understand the risks. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have come. There are lives on the line and we’ll help in any way we can,” Jessica insisted.
“Speaking of that, what exactly is the game plan?” Crystal asked. Sarah simply smiled in reply.
~
“So, you’ll be living here,” Sarah said, gesturing to the empty housing unit. “Pretending you are part of the community.”
“Aren’t I a little young for this community?” Crystal asked.
“Yes, even as Sheryl you are a bit young for a retirement home,” Sarah said. “That’s why you will be posing as Jessica, or rather as Dorothy’s daughter. You’re much stronger in disguise, and so you will be used primarily to protect Dorothy. I can’t have a clean conscience and allow Jessica to stay here by herself…”
“The goal would be, then, to seamlessly blend in with the community?” Jessica asked.
“No, actually – I want you to interact and be friendly, but don’t worry about being a little strange. We think the suspect is targeting people based on their lack of ties with the community. Being a newbie and slightly weird will probably ensure you are a target,” Sarah explained.
“How long will this last?” Crystal said.
“I don’t know. The timetable for the murders has accelerated recently, but there’s no telling, to be honest. It could be as short as a few hours, or it could be as long as several weeks,” Sarah replied with a sigh.
“Several weeks?”
“Yes,” Sarah said. “I’m sorry, but we’ve got to do whatever it takes to stop the killings.”
“Alright,” Jessica said with a sigh. “I guess I better get changed.”
Jessica stripped off her youthful looking attire, leaving her in a white bra and panties. She covered those up with a control top girdle from her purse, and pulled an old fashioned looking, big billowy dress. After she put on a pearl necklace, a pair of frumpy clogs, and a gray cardigan, she was ready.
She pulled a vial out of her purse, uncorked it, and quickly chugged down the glowing blue goo inside. Her frame instantly began to ripple, expanding and thickening into the body of a large, mature crooner. Her hair rapidly began to become wispy and white, as Jessica restyled it into a more conservative bun hairdo. Her small shoulders expanded and raised themselves, giving her a hunchbacked look. Her tiny breasts blossomed into a large, bountiful bosom, which then started to sag and deflate, growing to rest upon her large, newly formed potbelly. The fabric of her cardigan stretched itself to accommodate the new shape of her mature, matronly, plumper figure.
Crows feet and lines etched themselves into her face and her thighs thickened. Blue lines sprouted up all over her skin, which was becoming more leathery and more translucent. Even her eyes seemed to lose their youthful sparkle. They were framed by harsh looking eyebrows and a somewhat larger nose. The young girl in her early 20s was now in her 70s.
“Your potion is much more efficient than the last time I saw you,” Samantha remarked.
“Just because I graduated from Olympia doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped learning things,” Dorothy replied in her austere, cold, aged voice.
“I’ll go ahead and get the paperwork through for you,” Samantha said. “Welcome to Sunset Grove, Dorothy.”
~
“What seems to be the problem, Ma’am?” asked one of the two electricians at the front door.
“It’s my TV. It hasn’t been turning on properly. I was hoping you could fix it,” Dorothy croaked out.
“We’ll see what we can do,” replied his partner. As the entered the room, they spotted Crystal, who was wearing a short skirt and a tube top because of the famous Florida summer heat.
“Well, well, what have we here?” Asked the first electrician as he gestured towards Crystal.
“I’m Crystal, Dorothy’s granddaughter, here on a visit,” she replied.
“Well, aren’t you just gorgeous,” the man said as he looked her up and down.
“C’mon Joe,” her partner said with a worried tone. “You remember the trouble you got into last time. Let’s just do the job and get on our way, ok?”
“Mitch, are you telling me that’s not the finest piece of ass that you’ve seen in a month?” Joe asked.
“Not my type, and besides, we don’t want to get in trouble, ok?” Mitch replied, sounding even more nervous.
“Nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting,” Joe said, ignoring his partner. “I’m sure Crystal here would love to get to know me better.”
“I’ll pass,” Crystal said, not bothering to hide the disgust in her voice.
“Why you little…” Joe began angrily.
“Ahem. Excuse me gentlemen. I believe I have a television in need of repair?” Dorothy chimed in, eager to diffuse the situation.
“We’ll get to you, lady,” Joe shouted. “Right now I’m having a word with your granddaughter.”
“Why don’t you just get to work,” Crystal insisted. “That is what the association pays you for, isn’t it?”
“Sure, but come on,” Mitch whined. “Since the lockdown three weeks ago, I haven’t seen a woman of your…stature. Can’t a man in need enjoy himself a little…maybe have a little fun?”
“What you are in need of are some manners.” Crystal scolded.
“I’ll teach you manners, you little bitch,” Joe bellowed.
“Joe, don’t!” Mitch shouted. Joe ignored him, balling his fists and moving towards Crystal with a menacing posture.
Dorothy hobbled her way between them, but Joe merely pushed her out of the way. Dorothy staggered back and yelled, barely catching the arm of a sofa to keep from falling. Mitch reached out to hold his partner back, and the two struggled for a moment.
That was all the delay Crystal needed. She quickly reached into her purse and found a vial of red glowing liquid. She tore off the seal and downed it as fast as possible, a few drops missing her mouth and landing on her chin and dribbling down her neck towards her bust.
Joe pushed his partner to the ground and resumed his march towards Crystal, but stopped as soon as he noticed her changes. Crystal’s body was getting taller and larger. Her tiny, lithe frame was expanding, becoming much bigger. Her toothpick arms expanded, gaining a layer of flab over a strong coating of firm muscle. Her face became tanned and lined, approaching a more middle aged look. Her breasts expanded, pressing against her tiny tube top until it resembled nothing more than an ill fitting bra. They held in her chest with a comic absurdity, far, far too small for her newly enlarged torpedo breasts. They sagged, but only slightly, a sign of a woman who was wearing her years well.
“What the hell!?” Joe shouted, and ran out of the apartment in horror. His partner Mitch remained behind.
“How’d you do that? You’re gorgeous, Crystal!” he exclaimed, looking as giddy as a schoolchild.
“It’s nice of you to say so, and you can call me Sheryl,” she replied.
“No time for pleasantries,” Dorothy said. “That scoundrel partner of yours must be the killer!”
“No, he was with me during the most recent killing. Joe’s a creep, but he’d never do something like that,” Mitch said.
“Well, then who is it?” Jessica said. “It’s been three weeks, I think Joe isn’t alone in feeling a little tired of all of this,” Dorothy said with exasperation.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. Dorothy hobbled towards it and was greeted by Ethyl Crumtree, the administrator of the community.
“Hello, Dorothy, is it? I wanted to ask if you could look after my granddaughter, Suzie, for a little bit? I just need an occasional evening to rest and I don’t trust her alone with a killer on the loose,” Ethyl said in her warbling voice.
“Sure, bring her on over,” Dorothy replied in her own equally aged tone.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Mitch said as soon as Dorothy had shut the door. He was already curled up on Sheryl’s lap, his head resting on her massive breasts while she stroked the back of his neck like a kitten.
“And why not?” Dorothy asked.
“She always does that with the new entrants. Makes them look after her granddaughter. She’s a menace. Always misbehaving, causing mischief. I don’t know how if she’s just shaken up from the death of her parents, but…” Mitch said, his voice trailing off.
“I’m sure I can handle a teenage girl,” Dorothy said as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Seriously, she’s a menace,” Mitch mumbled as Sheryl pressed an arm up his shirt and gently dragged her fingers across his chest. She placed her other hand around his neck and pushed his face against her breasts, practically smothering him.
Suzie looked around 15 years old, but dressed and wore her hair in a way that indicative of a much younger girl. She had purple suspenders, red tennis shoes, and pigtails held in place by butterfly fasteners shaped like little butterflies. Her body was thin but her face was puffy and round, with apple cheeks and a double chin.
“So, do you have an Xbox or a PS3?” Suzie asked in a demanding voice at the door.
“No, my dear, I’m afraid not,” Dorothy replied.
“Well, at least a Wii, right?” Suzie said, her hands now on her hips.
“Sadly, our television doesn’t even work, no video game systems here,” Dorothy said with a sigh.
Suzie froze for a moment, eyeing Dorothy up and down. Finally, she responded. “Ugh, lame, lame, lame. This is going to be one boring evening.”
“Your grandmother asked me to look after you because she fears for your safety. There is a killer on the loose, you know,” Dorothy said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. She only kills old ladies. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Suzie said as she walked inside.
“She?” Dorothy asked. “What makes you think the killer is a woman?”
Suzie’s eyes lit up. “Well, alright. It’s probably a he. If it was a woman, it would certainly add some spice to this dreary community, don’t you think? Everyone is so traditional around here.”
“I suppose so,” Dorothy agreed, but was eager to prove her wrong.
“Do we have anything to eat? Why don’t we order a pizza?” Suzie suggested.
“Not a bad idea,” Dorothy responded.
~
When the pizza delivery guy reached the door, Dorothy reached into her purse and found that she had misplaced her wallet.
“Sheryl, do you have any money?” She croaked out.
“No, sorry,” she replied. She had her hands full trying to stop Suzie from making a mess. She had opened the refrigerator and was trying to throw eggs everywhere.
“Oh dear,” she said to the man holding the extra large pizza pie. “Well, young man, maybe there is something else you can accept as payment?” She cooed.
“You mean…like a gift card or a coupon?” He said, acting a little nervous all of the sudden.
“Well, I don’t have any of those either. How about something a little more…personal?” she said, grabbing and lifting her breasts and licking her wrinkly lips.
“Uh…” the man grunted in reply, sweat making its way down his face.
“Come on, give Dorothy a nice kiss,” she said leaning into him and tonguing his ear. She ground her body and her cardigan up against his, and she could feel him start to get hard under his clothes.
“Uh, ok, you can have the pizza for free!” he said, now clearly embarrassed. “Go ahead, take it!” he shouted, placed the pizza in her hands, and ran off.
“If I was only forty years younger,” she said, more to herself than to anyone else.
“Lucky Sarah was able to get that man through the quarantine,” Dorothy said as she lifted up the lid and smelled the pizza. “Delicious.”
~
“Have you made any progress?” Dorothy asked Sarah on her cell phone. “Now would be a good time to wrap this case up. I’ve been taking care of Suzie for hours and I’m pretty sick of it.”
“Actually, yes, and it is funny that you mention Suzie. Her grandmother, Mrs. Crumtree…well, we’ve found some bloody scarves and other clothes in her attic,” Sarah replied.
“Wait, so you think it’s her?” Dorothy asked, shocked.
“Yeah. Those wounds were pretty shallow, so they could have been made by a weaker person like an old woman. Plus, she was one of the few people who knew we were coming. She killed someone the night we arrived, just a short while before we got there. And she was the one that found the body, that’s always suspicious,” said Sarah.
“Well you better find her. Does Mrs. Crumtree have a cell phone?” Dorothy asked.
“No, you’re the only one that…oh my God.” Sarah began. “If she said she got a call, it must have been on a land line. So she couldn’t have made and answered the call. She’d have to be in two places at once. And the only other person who knew for sure we were coming who we haven’t investigated is Suzie. The blood at her house…” Sarah said frantically.
“You don’t think,” Dorothy began, her voice sounding terribly frightened.
“Drop the cell phone,” Suzie said, the cheery and youthful tone gone from her voice. “Now.”
Dorothy complied and slowly turned around. Suzie had a knife to Sheryl’s throat.
“You never let me play. You never let me have fun,” Suzie said. “You’re all alike. All you old ladies. You’re dried out, pathetic scum. You all deserve to die,” Suzie growled.
“I should have known,” Dorothy said. “How else did you know the killer was a woman?”
“I’ll let your friend here go. You’re the one that really needs to die,” Suzie said, looking right at Dorothy. “But she looks like a fighter. I’m not interested in putting her down, but I’ll do it if I have to.”
“Sheryl, go. Get out of here and save yourself,” Dorothy said.
“I’m not leaving you,” Sheryl said back.
A loud noise startled all three of them, and all eyes turned to the front of the living unit. Sarah had kicked the door down, and her sidearm was drawn.
“Suzie, you don’t have to do this. I know you’re taking out your anger over your parent’s death. We knew what to look for the moment we landed. We just didn’t…recognize the possibility that the killer might be a teenage girl,” Sarah said quickly.
“You know nothing!” Suzie shouted, tightening her grip on Sheryl’s neck. “You have no idea how awful it has been since they left me. I’ve had to live among the living dead.”
“You don’t want to kill them. Dorothy isn’t an old woman. That’s just a disguise,” Sarah said. “Her real name is Jessica. How long has it been since you took a potion?”
“I had been meaning to take one a few moments ago,” Dorothy said. “So I’ll change back soon. Suzie, please, listen to reason. I saw the shock in your eye when I knew what your video game systems where, when I used a cell phone, when I didn’t hesitate to order a pizza. You know I’m not like the others, I’m not one of them.”
Suzie froze, her eyes wide. She saw the years start to peel away from Dorothy, her disguise reversing itself before her eyes.
Sheryl saw her chance. With one swift motion, she elbowed Suzie with one hand and grabbed at the knife with the other.
The weapon dropped the floor as Suzie fell backwards in shock. Sarah dove towards her, and handcuffs were ready before Suzie had even hit the ground.
~
“Congratulations, Sarah.” Erin raised a glass of mock Champaign apple juice as the FBI team flew back on their private plane. “I’m very impressed.”
“How did you know it was her so quickly?” Samantha asked.
“We should have trusted the profile all along. We knew who to look for. We just didn’t trust our instincts,” Sarah said. “I’m just glad my friends are alright.”
“It’s just strange that we didn’t notice the pattern of people all dying when they agreed to babysit Suzie,” Samantha added. “But Mrs. Crumtree was a bit scatterbrained. It’s not surprising, therefore, that she wouldn’t suspect her own granddaughter.”
“Since you were the one to bring her down, we figured you’d do the exit interview,” Erin said. “Make sure there aren’t any other bodies in other towns. Since these are old people that were targeted…well, some people might not have even suspected anything. A less lethal weapon, like an empty syringe, might not have left anyone the wiser. And who’s to say that wasn’t what she was using earlier? She wanted attention, that much was obvious. A safe kill might not have satisfied her,” Erin said.
“I hope she’ll agree to talk,” Sarah replied.
“She’ll talk. It will just kill her to be all alone, unnoticed,” Erin replied.
~
“They won’t believe me,” Suzie whined, her hands cuffed to the table of her interrogation room. “They won’t believe that your friend is a witch.”
“Of course not,” Sarah replied. “They probably think it is a part of your mental illness. You couldn’t have been trapped by an actual old woman, since you despised them so much. It must not have been a real old woman, a young girl with magic powers.”
“But you know the truth,” Suzie said. “You weren’t surprised when you saw it. Neither was your other friend, Sheryl. I’m guessing all three of you can do it, that’s how you all know each other.”
“I can tell you more about it, if you’ll agree to disclose if you have any other killings. We know of four. Is that it?” Sarah asked.
Suzie sat in silence, looking contemplative. She chewed her lover lip as she let her head lean low near the desk, so her fingers could pick at and play with her pigtails.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Suzie asked at last.
“Yes, I have a boyfriend,” Sarah replied.
“Bring him tomorrow, and cut the cameras to this room, and I’ll talk,” Suzie said.
“Why do you want to see him?” Sarah asked.
“I think we both know why,” Suzie said, her voice barely above a whisper.
~
“Brad, are you sure you are comfortable with this?” Sarah asked, feeling nervous. She hadn’t yet told him about her power to disguise, and she hated to reveal it in front of a murderer. But she had her orders from her FBI team leader to get the information by any means necessary.
“I’m sure, babe,” Bad said. “Why are you so worried? She’s just a kid.”
“I’m not worried about her, ok? I’m worried about you and me. She may ask me to do something,” Sarah said nervously.
“Ask you to do what?” Brad asked.
“Well…” Sarah steeled herself. “She may ask me to disguise myself as an old woman.”
“What’s so scary about that?” Brad asked.
“Well, my disguise is really, really, um…accurate.” Sarah stammered.
“I don’t see why you are so worried about. It’s a disguise. You’re still really you underneath,” he said.
“Well, just promise me you won’t freak out,” she said.
“I promise,” Brad replied, and they kissed.
~
“So, Brad, have you known her long?” Suzie asked the next day, after she had been assured that the cameras were off.
“Six months,” Brad answered.
“And have you thought of marriage?” She asked.
“We’ve…talked about it a bit,” Brad answered nervously.
“Are you aware that your Sarah has a secret?” Suzie asked.
“If you are referring to her old lady disguise, she shared that with me last night,” Brad answered.
“Oh really? Did she actually show it to you?” Suzie asked, her voice sounding annoyed.
“No…” Brad answered.
“Well, then, I think a demonstration is in order, wouldn’t you say, Sarah?” Suzie asked triumphantly.
“Come on Suzie, we don’t need to do this,” Sarah begged.
“He needs to see what he’s getting into. Who you really are.” Suzie said, grinning.
“This is who I really am,” she assured Brad as she started to get out her disguise clothes. “Please, remember that,” she added.
She put on a tattered shawl and a black cardigan. She put on her signature ill fitting, dark, sack T shirt over some sweat pants. Gnarled looking leather shoes and some frayed gloves finished the outfit nicely. She reached under her shirt and removed her bra, much to Brad’s surprise. Sarah pulled out her dark green potion and quickly gulped it down. Suzie’s eyes sparkled, sure that Brad would freak out.
Her body slowly changed, growing larger and flabbier. Her T shirt didn’t grow with her body, so it soon stretched out and showed off all of her flabby glory.
Sarah’s breasts, no bra-less, grew large, heavy, saggy, and quite visible under her ill fitting tight shirt. Her hair became greasy, poorly cut, and partly obscured her rapidly wrinkling face. Sarah’s skin became sallow, full of sweat broken veins. Her face grew heavy jowls, forehead lines that indicated a woman who often frowned, and cold, deep set blue eyes.
Sarah’s nose was thin and sharp, slightly down turned and hooked at the tip, giving her a slightly sinister look. She sported a slight double chin and large circles under her eyes. Her tummy spilled over with rolls and her legs were tree trunks.
“Sarah?” Brad said, sounded startled.
“It’s Mildred now, sweet cakes,” she replied in her new old lady voice.
“Now you see,” Suzie said. “Now you see everything.”
“Wow. I never thought…just wow,” Brad said. “How did you learn how to do that?”
“It’s a long story,” Mildred said at last.
“Why don’t you give your girlfriend a kiss?” Suzie taunted.
“Not a bad idea, youngin’. Why not?” Mildred asked.
“Are you sure that’s ok? I mean, right in front of a suspect?” Brad hedged.
“The cameras are off,” Suzie reminded him. “Unless you are sick to your stomach, disgusted?”
“No, I’m not…” Brad said. “In fact…It’s kind of exciting. You have the power to become your antithesis. It’s almost literary,” he mused.
“What?” Suzie said angrily.
“That’s right, my Brad boy, I know you’d like me,” Mildred said. “Why not give me a kiss, like she said?” Brad leaned in and pressed his face against her wrinkled, leathery skin and kissed. Mildred rubbed her cardigan against his skin and cackled a little.
“I can’t believe this. I wanted to destroy you!” Suzie screamed. “I wanted you to be as miserable as I am.”
“Well, now. You’ve lost, again, honey bunny. Learn to accept it with dignity,” Mildred replied. “Now I believe you owe us some information.”
“Never!” Suzie shouted. “I’ll never cooperate with you!”
“Oh yeah?” Mildred asked. “Well, how would you like it if we did some more kissing?” Mildred reached out and grabbed Brad by the ears, pulling him into another embrace. She pulled his hands towards her large, fallen, bra-less breasts, and Suzie yelled in protest.
“Fine, fine. I’ll talk. Wow, you are gross! I’ve never kissed anyone else, I swear,” Suzie said.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Brad asked.
“Who cares,” Mildred replied. “Let’s get out of here! I want to take you home and get busy.”
“Yes ma’am!” Brad said, and the left the interrogation room without looking back.