by Rachel Fahnel

Created on: June 15, 2009

"Oh my God!" The scream was the first indication that anything was amiss on the warm riverside beach.

A few people looked and one, a tall man in his forties, stood up and jogged over to where the young woman was standing, staring down at the sand and repeating shrilly, "Oh my God! oh my God!"

"Son of a-"

Partially buried in the sand, covered to the waist with a beach towel, lay a young woman, She was topless and her neck was twisted unnaturally.

"I'm a police officer, ma'am, please, step over here," the man took hold of the woman's shoulder and gently towed her away from the body in the sand.

He led her over to the towel he had been sitting on with his wife and handed her, shaking, to the plump woman on the towel while he grabbed is cell phone and made a call.

*

An hour later the beach was twice as packed, but now most of the patrons wore uniforms and rubber gloves. The police officer's wife was still caring for the young woman who had discovered the body, and the woman was now sitting in the sand with her forehead on her knees, rocking back and forth.

"I've never seen a body before," she managed when the police officer had asked her how she was feeling.

"You'll be fine, ma'am," he assured.

"So much for the day off," he muttered to one of the other officers when he was out of her earshot.

"I know. Third one in the last month. I was sure we had him." Pauly Borth shook his head. Then he looked the other man up and down. "Love the trunks."

Liam Whomes gave him a dirty look.

"What's her name again?" Pauly jerked a nod in the young woman's direction.

"Jill Jasper. Katy said she's all shook up, hasn't stopped muttering."

"You suppose she knows something?"

"I don't know. I do believe her on never seeing a body before, unless she's an awfully good actress."

A red faced young uniformed officer jogged up to them. "So far all we're getting is, nobody saw nothing." He swiped an arm across his forehead. "Warm today."

*

Somewhere in the crowd, a man watched the young woman on the towel. He wished that fat old woman would move. He didn't have a problem with her. That young thing, though. She found Annia way to fast. She had to know something.

The police were working their way closer to him. They were searching people's pockets, and once they searched his he was done for. He was carrying a small flattened round. When he squeezed it, it would fire a bullet the same as any gun. He worked closer to the young woman. Move, he ordered the older woman silently.

She moved.

He squeezed the trigger.

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