Suicide Serial by Matthew Boyd

and the spatters we found that lead up to here, I’d say our perp murdered the victim and then threw the body out into the river, hoping to destroy the evidence.”
     
    Jake was let down. With a look of disappointment he said, “This doesn’t match our boy’s profile at all. He forces people to kill themselves and gets off on it, too. I remember him telling me that I would be the first person he had ever killed with his own hands.” Jake felt the rope burns on his neck with his fingertips and continued, “When he tried to kill me, he was frowning and looked angry. He walked away, leaving me swinging by the neck, and said it was no fun. This right here looks like amateur night. What makes us think he did this?”
     
    Mike reached down into his evidence basket and grabbed a plastic evidence baggie. Inside was another pawn, identical to the pieces found at the other crime scenes.
     
    “Any other evidence that might tell us who this guy is?” questioned Jake. He already knew the answer.
     
    “No.” Mike said, and shook his head, “Andrews tells me they have no witnesses so far other than you that can even give a description either. But if anything turns up, we’ll let you know man.”
     
    Dejected, Jake and Stacey left the techs to it. The two of them were walking in silence, scrambling their brains for answers. Everything about the suicides felt so random and unconnected. None of the victims knew each other, or even had any professional contact. Not a single one of them even attended the same church that Father Hodgkins presided over. It was like this guy was just randomly acting, the only real lead they had were the chess pieces and Jake’s description of the killer.
     
    One of the other investigators passed them a manila envelope containing vital information about the latest victim. Her name was Emma Fisher, an eighteen year old freshman at the nearby university. Her family lived in a city about two hours away and had yet to be notified of her untimely death. She did have a local address, though. She shared a room with another girl at the Zeta Tau sorority house. Jake stood beside the car for a moment, straightening the paperwork and feeding it back into the envelope. He took a deep breath and scanned the area around them, thinking.
     
    “You coming, partner?” Stacey questioned, opening the driver’s door and climbing in.
     
    “Yeah, Stace. C’mon, I want to talk to some of that girl’s friends and see what they can tell us.”
     

Chapter 8
     
     
     
     
     
    The Zeta Tau sorority house was well-known as one of the biggest party houses among the local college kids. Every single weekend without fail there was usually some big event or party there, but the girls almost always kept things under control and rarely the police had to be called out. The house was right across the street from the main campus and most of the dormitories were within easy walking distance.
     
    As Stacey pulled the car into a parking spot on the street beside the house, Jake was staring through the car window. He was still feeling pretty awful. The medication was holding back the pain and fever, but dulling all of his senses. Jake felt like he was in a weird dream, with the detail of everything turned down a notch or two, and his head felt like it was floating. Jake pinched himself and took in a deep breath to clear his mind. Both of them exited the car and shuffled up the stone pavers towards the front door. The heat was intense outside and the sunlight nearly blinded them as reflections on the mirrors and shiny surfaces of the cars parked in the driveway flashed into their eyes.
     
    The house was two stories tall, had an enormous front porch area with an old wooden swing, and big, hand-painted banners stretching all across the front of it advertising some sort of upcoming social event. Everything was quiet at the house. Jake could hear the doorbell ring on the inside as he pressed it.
     
    After a few more pushes of the