Dumping Grounds (Joshua Stokes Mysteries Book 1) by Lila Beckham Page A

heads off, Hook,” Joshua said, “And then they cut their udders off and gouged out their vaginas, the same as with these women here.
    I don’t know exactly what they do to the men that are being mutilated over in George County, or even if it’s the same ones doing it; I ain’t seen no pictures of them yet.”
    “Why ain’t this crap making the news then? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
    “Cause we have to keep things under wraps. People will freak out if they know about this stuff. If the public panics, we will have more than we can handle. By keeping it on the down low, we can investigate it better.
    What boys were you referring to?”
    “They were from over there on Box Road. Lived way in the back where they subdivided Boots Foster’s old homestead. Those younguns was always a coming through them woods towards my house. They was trying to get my boys to hang out with em, but I told mine if I caught em off with them boys, I’d beat the hide off em. Didn’t like their looks at all; I could tell something wouldn’t right about them two.”
    “Do they still live back there?” Stokes asked, hoping that they did.
    “You know, I don’t know if they do or not Joshua. I put them as far from my mind as I could, once they quit coming around the house, which now that I think about it, was right after my goats were killed.
    I was just glad they weren’t coming around anymore, if you know what I mean.”
    “You don’t remember what their names were, do you?” Joshua asked.
    “Their last name was Dixon, I think, but I’m not sure.”
    “I think I know who you’re talking about; those two have always been into something. I was called to the school once because they had put a dead field rat into the science teacher’s desk. I even heard they would bury kittens up to their neck and then run over them with a lawnmower. Now that’s perverted. That right there will tell you those boy's ain’t right in the head!”
    “They’d be in their twenties by now, same as my boys,” James offered.
    “Yeah, I know. I will look into them. I’m glad I run into you this morning,” Stokes said, lighting another cigarette. He held the pack out toward James, offering him another.
    “Well, I’m glad I could help, if that is what you want to call it,” James replied, shaking his head and taking the cigarette Stokes was offering.
    They sat there and talked a few more minutes, enjoying the camaraderie before Joshua drove James back to the barbershop so he could get his pickup.
    As Joshua drove out of the parking lot onto Moffett Road, a black Ford Mustang, that seemed to appear out of nowhere, broadsided his truck!
    James Fortner had seen it all. Watched in horror as the Mustang hit then flipped over Stokes patrol car. It then flipped several more times, before sliding on its roof about two hundred feet past the barbershop.
    James jumped out of his truck and ran across the parking lot toward Stokes’ vehicle, hoping his friend was all right, but before he reached him, he could see Joshua’s upper body hanging out the driver’s window, blood pooling on the ground beneath him.
    James was stunned into silence, immobilized from the shock of what had just happened; and it happened so fast, so unexpected.
    James had witnessed countless fights and injuries in his lifetime, but he had never witnessed anything like this happen to someone he was so close to.

8
fortunate one
    “ It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one y’all ,” the singer sung, and Emma thought it quite profound. Especially at this time, with her being as unfortunate as she was, but she would take profoundness anytime over the surreal, unrealistic way she had been feeling. At least this profoundness was something that was solid and real, something she could grasp and take a hold of, feel, recognize.
    Listening to the music, Emma began to wonder about their music choices. They listened to music day and night; music seemed to fuel them. Most