The Martyring by Thomas Sullivan

Author:Thomas Sullivan [Sullivan, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror
Publisher: Crossroad Press

TWENTY-ONE

Skelote counted frogs splattered on the highway and tried to remember what his daddy used to say: "They aren't really splattered, they're just. . ." The frogs took a beating every night on this road. It was the same road where Paul Johnson had been found with his head sawn off, upstaging the frogs. They aren't really splattered, they're just . . .

He was on his way back from Cicadia. Two brutal murders in separate parts of the county were on his mind. The second one had brought representatives from every police department in Marlo to Cicadia, Skelote inclusive. The sheriff's department had jurisdiction, but Cicadia had found the body. Crimes always got assigned to towns, or they got ignored. Nobody counted dead frogs splattered on a highway. They aren't really splattered, they're just sleeping inside out. That was what his daddy used to say.

So, Cicadia and Palm Hollow had a little panic going, and the other departments in the county knew there was a repeater loose and had come to learn what there was to learn, which wasn't much. Old white men were sleeping inside out in Marlo County.

Skelote thought he had a head start on it, but the phone was already ringing off the hook when he got back to Padobar. There were the garrulous types wanting a readiness report, the fearful types reporting shadows, and The Pearl Acres Trailer Park Citizens Crime Watch Committee. Alma Pendergast on Third Street saw a suspicious-looking man buy a new hacksaw blade at Durham's Hardware. Skelote assured her the killer would only use old, rusty hacksaw blades.

Then there was Chief Wagner.

"'Lo, Jack? Harry. What are we doing about these homicides?"

"Nothing."

"Oh. Well, why aren't we?"

"They're not our homicides."

"I'm getting calls, Jack. Our citizens are frightened. They're asking me to do something."

"Go ahead and do something."

"What?"

"Damned if I know."

"Are you going to do something?"

"Not a thing'

"Jeez, Jack. . . "

It ended like that. Not being the drum major could be nice, Lieutenant Skelote thought.

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