Detective Mackey weaves carefully through the steady stream of traffic. All semblance of playfulness and joy has gone from his youthful visage. A third murder. Yet another young life snuffed out. If what Mackey fears is true, the Aquarius Killer's reign must be brought to a swift end. If that end requires a hail of bullets, fired at close range, so be it. Not the justice the law prescribes, but the justice this creep deserves.

  Pressing down on the brake pedal, Mackey brings his Crown Vic to a halt inches from the crosswalk. A young woman and her partner grin and offer the detective a small wave as they hurry across the street. James nods politely and then moves on ahead.

  Deputy Newsome is already at the scene. Or he should be by now. James had insisted Dave go ahead of him. He'd needed time to process all of the information bouncing around in his brain. Unfortunately, Mackey is feeling no more enlightened than he did over twenty minutes ago. There is definitely something about this case he is overlooking.

  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

  Detective Mackey pulls his Crown Victoria directly behind Dave's Ford pickup. Carefully shutting the door, he draws his trench coat tighter around his body. The light sprinkle of rain, which has been steadily falling all day has yet to let up. Mackey makes his way to where Deputies Newsome and Chastain, and the sheriff, are discussing their next course of action.

  Despite the light drizzle, there is not an umbrella in sight. The mood is very grim and somber. Across the crime scene, uniforms cling to all shapes and sizes of bodies. Many faces wear some variation of disbelief or disgust. In the back of an ambulance, a mother consoles her small daughter. Mackey's best guess is that the crying girl is one of the three children who discovered the female corpse.

  The newest victim's body is still being photographed. Deputies from the Merrville Sheriff's Department, as well as local police officers, surround the perimeter--keeping back the curious public. Dave's face is a mask of horror, his eyes straying to the body every few seconds. Mackey approaches the gruesome scene with some reluctance. He'd been warned that this scene was a bad one. How bad, had been an understatement.

  The young woman is naked, as per the killer's M.O. Also like the two women before her, she is cleanly shaven from head to toe. What makes this victim different is her positioning, which varies by the level of its vulgarity. The victim is positioned as if in the throes of passionate coitus--or self pleasuring. Her back is arched, one hand pressed against her right breast. The hand is glued to her bosom by a clear adhesive or epoxy. Her left hand is pressed against her crotch and also glued in place. While her face shows the usual signs of battering, her lips have been forcefully turned upward--to simulate an expression of ecstasy.

  "The killer is escalating," Mackey mutters to himself. "Or is he? And if so...Why?"

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Slowly approaching the body, Mackey kneels when he is less than a foot away. Studying every visible inch of exposed flesh on the victim, Mackey finds what he is looking for.

  "Dave! Come here!" Mackey yells to be heard.

  Deputy Newsome politely excuses himself from the sheriff and Deputy Chastain's company. He makes his way over to Detective Mackey and also kneels beside the body.

  Dave's stomach lurches as an unnatural urge to stroke the victim's cheek enters his mind. She cannot feel his consoling touch. She will never again know the familiar closeness of a lover's caress. Pushing aside his dark thoughts, Dave meets James' unwavering gaze.

  "I'm no coroner and no expert," Detective Mackey says. "But unless I'm going blind... There's no missing tattoo, Dave. No tattoo, and no missing patches of skin. The tattoos may be a clue, but I don't think they're central to the killer's motives. It's like I was saying before. It's something else. Something deeper."

  "You say that like you have some idea what that something is," Dave replies.

  "I have a theory. More than one, in fact. But that's all they are. Theories," Mackey admits.

  "Well, theories are all we've got, James. I'd like to hear them," Dave says with absolute sincerity.

  Detective Mackey takes a moment to compose his thoughts. He turns so that he is completely facing Dave. Both men continue to kneel beside the victim's body, eyeing each other intently.

  "The stone Bertram discovered in Rose Perry's stomach. The stone with the sign of Aquarius...Everything points to the sick bastard being an arrogant narcissistic son of a bitch. Aquarians are widely considered to be some of the most volatile personalities...In regards to the zodiac. They're considered more likely to go against societal norms. They hate rigidity. Even the idea of authority," James pauses and glances uneasily around. "The killer believes he is special. He believes he has been chosen for a task. With these acts of reclamation, he's attempting to negate the other signs of the zodiac. Whatever has made him feel weak...By killing these women, he believes he is made strong again. Stronger than even the forces which ordained his birth. He is remaking these women over in his own image. His own sick version of what he'd call artistic design."

  Dave's eyes widen and his mustache quivers with intense fear and disgust. He keeps his voice low, addressing only Detective Mackey.

  "You can't know that!" Dave says.

  "No. You're right. I can't. But everything adds up," James says.

  "So...What does that mean? Why did he wait so long between the second girl and this one? Is there some significance?"

  "I'm not sure," Mackey confesses. "But think about everything surrounding Rose Perry's abduction, and the discovery of her body. Water's Gym, the teal stone with the engraving, Aquarius the waterbearer...He wanted us to know these things. Even Rose's name could be a clue. Flowers need water to grow and stay alive. Why was there no stone in Bridget's stomach? Because he didn't need it. Where are bridges often built, Dave?"

  Deep furrows appear in Dave's brow and he utters a low gasp.

  "Oh god...Over water. Or well...,"

  "Don't second-guess yourself, Dave. You're right," Mackey says. "He knew we'd connect the dots after Rose was found. Whatever prompted him to kill again, we'll discover the connection soon enough. Problem is...I'm absolutely certain the killer isn't finished. The zodiac is composed of twelve different signs. I fear he has at least that many murders already planned."

  "Twelve murders?" Dave says in disbelief.

  "Twelve," Mackey reiterates, nodding solemnly.