17. The Pocatello police had found 17 other bodies in the waters of the Massacre Rocks State Park. 21 bodies in total so far. It was an outrageous number for a town this small. The captain stated that he had to send his crews back home. They had been working for days. It was taking a physical and an emotional toll on all of them. He trusted that his people wouldn’t leak something to the press, but the amount of bodies meant someone would find out eventually. There was no way to keep a lid on something this big, not for long anyways. Soon he was gonna have to tell the community that something was out there. Something was killing all of these people.

It couldn’t be just accidents. Preliminary reports on the status of each body said they had drowned a week or more from each other. A consistent body per week was what the captain hypothesized.

The body of Frederick Mondat had been found later than the Jacobsons and Blythe Dannelly. In reality however, the autopsy on Mondat’s body estimated that he had died before the other 3. Something about the Jacobsons and Dannelly was different. Their deaths showed some kind of escalation was happening. It broke a strict pattern that had been established. If Amicia wanted to find out what was out there, she’d have to focus on them first. After, she’d focus on the events that started all of this. 18 people had died before the pattern broke. That meant it had been around 4-5 months since the drownings started.

Amicia had been taken into another office with the captain. She believed that the office was his. She saw pictures of the captain as his younger self. There were a few portraits that hung on the wall. One of himself as a beat cop in a blue uniform. There were also pictures of him with a young girl of around 8 years old. Amicia recognized her as the deputy that had been forced to leave earlier during her conversation with the captain.

“Here it is.” the captain said. He held a box in his hands. He had brought in 2 more boxes just moments before. Each box held files about the victims. Amicia grabbed the box from him. She set it on the desk before opening its contents. She was shocked by the lack of papers inside the large box. She turned back to the captain. He had a downcast expression as if he was anticipating her question.

“We separated the boxes based on when we thought each victim died. We planned on filling up each one but a good number of them died without identification on them. We can dig the bodies up, but the coroner’s gonna need time to ID them. Hell, I need time. I’ve been running around without sleep for days now.” he explained.

Amicia shook her head. She pulled out a file from one of the boxes. A report from the coroner’s office. She looked over the contents. There wasn’t even a real name on the file. It simply said John Doe # 5. He was male, 5”11. Body found in deteriorated conditions. It was estimated that scavenger animals in the water had eaten pieces from him. Facial reconstruction might be possible, but the coroner noted something in the margins. Not with our budget was written in red ink. The coroner’s conclusion was that it seemed he drowned. The time of death was extrapolated based on decomposition. They noted to take this fact with a grain of salt due to the body’s condition and extenuating circumstances.

John Doe #5 had been one of the earliest victims.Yet there were still noticeable marks on his skin when he was found. The other newer bodies gave the coroner the confidence to determine that he had passed in the same way the others had. There were no other signs of foul play. There were no strangulation marks. There were no signs that he had broken anything prior to being in the river. The small fractures and tears on him could be explained by him hitting something as he floated in the waters. No, the only thing that would cause suspicion of foul play were the marks. On whatever was left of his skin, there were clear markers in the shape of an infant’s hand. Just like all the others.

Amicia set the files down. She had been reading for around 2 hours. It was getting harder and harder to process the information. The captain had sat there watching her as she read. He looked at her with equal parts hope and fear. Hope that she would announce that nothing was wrong. That she had seen this in other parts of the country and it was just some odd bacteria found in state parks. Fear that she would tell him it had all the signs of a dangerous and skilled killer. A killer that was still walking unhindered in his community.

She looked at the captain and said, “You need to call a press conference. We need to put a lockdown on the city until we have more information.”

The captain grimaced but nodded his head. He knew this was coming, but had hoped that the search and rescue crew would come up empty after the first 3 bodies.

“What do I tell them? That some crazy killer is going around town drowning people?” he asked with a bitter tone.

“Tell them that there have been additional bodies found in the water, but that we can’t release more information until their families have been notified. Tell them that Pocatello is under a curfew now. We don’t want the public anywhere near the waters. Anyone not law enforcement found will be detained for questioning.” Amicia answered. She started packing up her things. She took a few pictures of key files she believed would come in handy. It was time to go now. She needed to be fresh in the morning. Her head needed to be in the right mindset if she was to question the victim’s families.

The captain escorted her out. She had asked him to call a taxi service for her earlier. He was confused as to why the bureau hadn’t issued her a vehicle. She dodged his question by stating that she had come just to inquire about the situation. The bureau hadn’t considered this a full case until she heard him state the amount of victims. She reassured him that she’d be renting a vehicle that the bureau would compensate for.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She stood in the cold night air. The taxi had just arrived. The sight of it reminded her of something. She had left her luggage that contained all of her clothes in Landon’s car.

“Shit.” she whispered audibly. The captain heard her mutter. He looked at her with his eyebrow raised.

“Something wrong, Agent Hoschner?” he asked. Amicia took out her phone. She found Landon once again in her rideshare app. She sent him a text.

“Nothing, captain. Just a little logistical issue.” she said, slightly embarrassed at her mistake.

“One last thing, captain. Don’t tell anyone the FBI is here. I’ve found that the presence of an agent can make the people in the community a little antsy.” Amicia told him. She got in the waiting cab, making sure this time she had everything on her. The driver told her she should arrive before Landon did. She felt a pang of anxiety running through her. She had to make sure he didn’t snoop around her items. If Landon did, she would need to do something drastic. She hated the times when she needed to be drastic.

The ride to the hotel was peaceful. She could feel herself getting sleepier and sleepier. When they arrived, she promptly paid the driver. They left her standing in front of the hotel. When Landon arrived, he still had a boyish grin. He looked past her and into the hotel.

“Whew. The Hampton huh? Fancy.” he said. He had Amicia’s luggage in hand which she graceful took from him. A quick glance made it seem like it was untouched, but she’d need to do a more thorough check.

“Thank you so much Landon. Here, for making the trip.” she said. Amicia took a $100 note and placed it in his hand. His grin got even wider. He thanked her as she went inside the hotel. She didn’t know how much drivers were making these days, but Landon seemed pleased enough at her gesture. She went to the hotel concierge to ask for a room. The man at the counter was in his early 40s, thin, and had a widow's peak.

“Good evening. I’d like a room please.”

“Of course ma’am. Are you by yourself and how long will your stay be?”

“I am. I plan on being here oh, perhaps a week? Maybe longer if I enjoy the sights.”

“Wonderful. I have a king’s suite available for 150 a night. Are you part of our honor’s program?” he asked.

Amicia shook her head. As much as she’d like to take advantage of hotel discounts, it was probably a bad idea to link all of her hotel bookings in one account. It was probably an even worse idea than usual seeing as she was currently posing as an FBI agent while booking this hotel.

“I don’t. I’d appreciate some privacy during my stay. No need for cleaners or anything like that.”

“Of course ma’am. I’m sorry to say. We’ve had to implement a new policy due to trouble makers. We’ll need payment up front. If you decide to end your stay early, we’ll refund you at a prorated amount. Your total will be 1113 with tax. Will you be paying by check or by card?”

“By cash actually.” Amicia said. She took a dozen 100 dollar bills and placed them neatly in front of the man. His eyes went wide. The smile on his face took on a more suspicious quality.

“Please sign your name on the check-in sheet. I’ll be back with your key.” he said, walking to the back. Amicia had no doubt he’d also be scanning her money to see if they were counterfeit. It wasn’t often someone had that much cash on them, even if they were a tourist. She thought about it. Tourist. She wondered if the man at the desk knew anything about any of the tourists that had disappeared. Why else would a hotel need to issue a policy about paying up front? She’d have to ask him in the morning. Another thing she had to place on what seemed like her endless checklist.

The man came back with a more relaxed smile on his face. The money must’ve come back clean. He held a keycard in one hand and some cash in the other. He placed both in front of her while he glanced at the check-in sheet. Amicia finally noticed the name tag on his vest. Mortimer it read.

“Your key and change ma’am. I have you in room 7-B. I’ll make a note of your request for privacy. Breakfast starts at 6. Please enjoy your stay.” Mortimer said. He passed her the items and pointed her to the directions of the elevator. She went up as generic music piped in the elevator. She found her room and threw her luggage on the bed.

After looking at it, she noticed that the zipper of the luggage was just slightly off. Landon you little shit. She ripped it open, pouring out the contents. At the bottom below the clothes, there was a little compartment hidden in the seams. Her fingers found the envelope she stashed still there. She pulled it out, checking all of the contents. Nothing had been taken from the envelope. She triple checked the opening. No signs of the compartment being found. The files she had placed inside were untouched. She sighed in relief but promised to herself that she’d be more vigilant. If her files weren’t taken, what had been? Wouldn’t he know she’d have her passport and wallet with her if she’d just come off the plane?

It took her an hour to take an inventory of everything. She went over it in her head again and again. What did she bring? What wasn’t here? She was angry that she had let this happen. Angry at herself and at the boy. Finally after checking everything a third time, she realized what he had taken. A pair of her underwear. Fucking pervert she thought. She let out a sound of disgust.

She was equal parts relieved and outraged. She set her luggage aside after putting her envelope back in the hidden compartment. She finally let herself drop into the warm comfortable bed. After her hours of plane rides, car rides, and speaking to the police, she was ready to surrender to sweet sweet slumber. She felt sleep take her then. She dreamed of tiny hands taking her into dark waters.