Sherrif Roland Weis was having a horrible weekend. He sat in the little sheriff's department, staring at a picture of his wife. She had left him the day before, without notice. He had arrived home from a long twelve hour shift, to find her clothing, her mementos and herself gone. She was at her mom's according to the note, in Ohio. Her note said that she was leaving him because he worked to much and put the job before her. He knew it was more than that. They had been having problems for a few years now, and the complaints about his hours were only the tip of the iceberg.
He sat at his desk, with rolled up sleeves and a suit vest. His solid, forty something face had looked a decade older than he was, since he found the note. His salt and pepper hair had not been washed and he had a five o'clock shadow on his firm chin. His brown eyes were red from lack of sleep and crying.
The morning had been mercifully quiet. His deputies were out on patrol and had not reported any disturbances. One of them was out checking on the newest residents of Hemlock Grove, making sure their permits and such were all in order. He had trouble enough without having travelers in his town, but they were not doing anything illegal, that he knew of anyway.
A half eaten ham and cheese sandwich sat on his cluttered desk, next to a can of warm Coke. He had not had much of an appetite today. A full ashtray was next to it. Normally he was only a half a pack a day man, but he was already on his second pack of Marlboro lights.His depression and picture staring were interrupted by a chirp on his radio. He answered it.
"Sheriff Weis here."
"Deputy Rainford here. We've got trouble out on Warren Road. I just got a call from my brother Steve. He says he's found a body, about a quarter mile away from those new residents. A young woman, naked and pretty mangled. I'm going up there to check it out now. Just wanted to keep you informed."
The sheriff did not respond for a moment, and the reached for his hat. "I'll met you up there Stephanie. Give me about fifteen minutes." He did not really want to see a dead body, but it was better than staring at the picture of his beautiful wife and wishing that she still loved him.
Steve Rainford stood staring at the body he had found. She looked only about nineteen and probably had been beautiful, before whatever had happened to her happened. He could tell she had been blonde, but could not see her face. It was half hidden by a a bush, and he knew better than to move anything. The body was hog tied and had signs of burn wounds, lacerations and even some missing skin. All in all, her death must have been terrible.
He adjusted his flannel shirt uncomfortably, as he said a pray for her soul, and crossed himself. Hell, he might have even taught her, at some point. He was a biology teacher at Hemlock Grove High. Steve was a lean man, with muscles developed from hiking and running. He had long, brown hair, which hung loose around his shoulders. His blue eyes were filled with tears, as he waited for his sister to arrive. His walking stick was clenched in one hand and he wanted to beat whoever did this with it, despite the fact that he was a pacifist.
When he was done at the library, Shadrack decided to take a walk over to the dinner, to check on his mother and to have a milkshake. He left his motorbike in the parking lot and hoofed it along Main Street. Along the way, he passed a bookstore. He paused in front of the store window. Conrad Taylor's newest thriller, A Sensible Killing, was on display. It had a lurkid cover, with a half naked woman with yakuza tattoos, clutching a bloody dagger.
Stepping into the shop, he spotted the woman behind the desk. She was a short, fat lady, with a pretty smile.
"How can I help you?"