It's Happening Again

                   It’s Happening Again


     “There is one good thing about what happened here about
twenty-seven years ago,” says Brenda Stocks as she spoke
into a microphone in front of an old, converted barn. “At
least no teenagers, preteens, or children were killed here
by that crazy madwoman.

     “Only those in their early twenties were killed by that
woman,” continues Brenda. “When she was finally stopped,
there had been thirty that had been killed over a six-month
killing spree. And those are the ones that the cops know
about. Who knows how many more of them that there may be
buried in this old, converted barn?”

     Brenda steps to her side so that her camerawoman, Monic
Jasper, can get a good look at what she is now pointing at.
“Why did she kill all those young women? Because she wanted
to be young again herself. And she wanted to stay young
forever. That’s why she killed them.”

     “Why am I here doing this story?” asks Brenda. “It’s
because Dr. Stephanie Colbert has been released from her
mental institution after twenty-seven years.”

     “Stephanie should have been executed for what she had
done or sent to prison for the rest of her life,” continues
Brenda. “Instead, she pleaded Temporary Insanity and she got
sent to a mental institution.”

     Brenda smiles. “Stephanie probably would have been
better off if she had gone to prison. With good behavior,
she most likely would have gotten release long before now.”

     Looking at the large group of people who have gathered
there behind Monic, Brenda gestures to Monic to slowly pan
around them. “Some think that Stephanie will be returning
here to start her killing spree all over again. And I am one
of them. After all, this is still her property.”

     It looks like I’m not the only one who thinks she is
coming back here. I’m just wondering how many of you are
here to kill her before she starts killing again, thought
Brenda as she continues to look at all the others there.

     Just then a man pushes his way through that crowd of
watchers. He comes up to Brenda and takes her microphone
from her. “I am Detective Roger Paul. And we have been using
the lighthouse about a mile away to watch for Stephanie,”
says Roger as he points in the direction of that lighthouse.

     “The lighthouse may not be operational anymore. But we
can still use it to see Stephanie if she comes back here.
And that is what we have been doing. In fact, we have just
seen her. She will probably be here any minute now.”

     A few minutes later a very loud horn comes blaring from
behind the crowd of others there. That horn is coming from a
car pushing its way through that crowd. Already knocking
some of them out of its way as it continues through it. “I
think that our resident crazy is home.”

     Brenda turns the volume up on her microphone to turn it
into a megaphone. “Everyone, get out of her way. It looks
like she’s starting her killing spree already. Only this
time she doesn’t care who she kills.”

     The crowd parts to let Stephanie pass. They all start
complaining about her being there. And why she shouldn’t be.
Stephanie gets out of her car and grabs the microphone from
Brenda. “I’m not going to kill anyone.”

     “As for why I’m here, this is still my property. And I
want you all out of here,” says Stephanie.

     “It has only been a month,” says Brenda. “And Stephanie
has already killed seven young adults.”

     Brenda places her hands on his desk and leans in until
she’s face to face with Roger. “You have been put in charge
of Stephanie. Keeping her from killing again. Yet, that is
what she has been doing. What are you going to do about
these latest killings?”

     “What killings are you talking about?” Roger asks. “We
have been watching her twenty-four/seven. And we haven’t
seen any killings.”

     “Stephanie hasn’t even been going to that old-converted
barn of hers,” continues Roger. “She hasn’t left her house
since she returned.”

     Brenda straightens up and takes a few deep breaths to
calm down. “I don’t know how she’s doing it. But I’m getting
some good info that she is at it again. And I want to know
what you are going to do about it.”

     Roger enters the interrogation room where Stephanie is
at. Stephanie shakes her handcuffed hands at him as he
enters. “What I am I doing here?”

     “Let me guess,” continues Stephanie angrily. “There has
been a killing. And I did it of course.”

     “There have been seven in the last month,” says Roger.
“And your name has come up as to being the one who probably
killed them.”

     Stephanie looks at Roger with anger written all over
her face. “I didn’t kill them. And you should know. You or
one of your cop buddies have been watching me around the
clock ever since I returned here.”

     “I don’t know how you are doing it either,” says Roger.
“But there is some evidence that says you are doing it.”

     “What evidence?” Stephanie asks. “There can’t be any
evidence because I haven’t been doing it.”

     Roger hands a piece of paper to Stephanie. She reads
it. “It's a search warrant to search your property. That
includes your house, this old-converted barn, and all your
land. Especially, any place a body may be buried.”

     “We might as well start with this old-converted barn,”
says Roger. “After all, that is where you killed all of your
victims twenty-seven years ago.”

     After Roger enters that converted barn, six more police
officers join him. Once inside they split up to search what
is left of it. It doesn’t take them long before Officer
Walter Younger calls him over to a spot of loose dirt. They
start digging as soon as everyone is there. And in no time
at all, a body of a young female is found.

     Brenda continues taking pictures. “I have a feeling
that you are going to find six more females like this one.”

     Stephanie looks at the body they have unearthed. “I
didn’t do that. I’m being framed. Someone else killed her
and planted it here.”

     “Who would frame you?” Roger asks.

     “I don’t know,” answers Stephanie. “Probably someone in
this town that doesn’t want me here.”

     Roger smiles. “I can understand someone is framing you.
But I don’t think that anyone here would kill to do it.”

     “You are under arrest for the murder of this woman,”
says Roger. “And anyone else we may find here.” Roger grabs
Stephanie and she pulls away as he turns her around to cuff
her. After she falls, a gun pops out of her handbag.

     “She has a gun,” shouts Walter. And before Roger can
stop them all six police officers there pull out their guns
and fire at Stephanie.

     Brenda goes to check Stephanie. “I don’t know which
bullet killed her. But at least one of them has.”

     “It looks like you are going to get your story after
all,” says Roger as he walks out of that old-converted barn
with Brenda. Roger and Brenda stop just before leaving to
look at the seven dead females on the ground behind them.

     “I guess I will,” says Brenda. “There’s only one slight
problem with that. Stephanie was right. She was framed for
these seven killings.”

     Roger stops and looks at Brenda with a shocked look on
his face. “How do you know that?”

     “Because I’m the one who framed her,” answers Brenda.
“I’m also the one who put that gun in her purse. The way
that everyone feels about her, I knew if she had a gun that
someone would shoot her. Of course, I was kind of surprised
when everyone did it. Except for you.”

     Pulling his gun, Roger points it at Brenda. “You are
under arrest for the deaths of eight women.”

     Brenda smiles. “Maybe you can arrest me for the seven
females that I have killed. But you can’t for Stephanie.
Your other police officers did that.”

     “You can arrest me,” says Brenda as she holds out her
hands. “But it’s not going to do you any good.”

     “Haven’t you noticed that in the last five years since
I came back here, that I haven’t aged one bit?” asks Brenda.
“There’s a very good reason why I haven’t done it.”

     Roger looks her over. “I have noticed. But I just
figure you are one of those people who don’t age quickly.”

     “That’s not the reason why,” says Brenda. “You can
arrest me, and I can be convicted of killing those seven
females from nearby cities. But you can’t execute me for
doing it because I’m already dead. I have been for the past
twenty-seven years.”


                     Word Count = 1,471