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A week later, Dr. Harrison called with his findings. “Sheriff Riley we have the DNA results back on the floating Jane Doe and the sample Ms. Michelle Guilliot provided. They are a match.”
Damn, Sheriff Riley thought to himself. Michelle had decided four days ago to stay over at Cajun Cabins. She wanted to be here when the DNA results came back, and he dreaded breaking the news to her. He assumed that she was just an overwrought sister, but now he had to confirm her suspicions.
He hoped that by identifying one of the victims it may help to find the monster killing these women.
***
MICHELLE WAS SURPRISED to see Sheriff Riley this early in the morning, “Sheriff Riley I wasn’t expecting you. Come on in. I just put a pot of coffee on and was going to work a bit.”
“Michelle, why don’t you sit down? We need to talk.”
Michelle felt an overwhelming sense of dread come over her, “It’s about Caroline isn’t it?”
He took Michelle’s hand in his, “I am so sorry. Dr. Harrison confirmed that your sister was the unidentified victim.”
Michelle felt as if her world was coming to an end. She had feared this day would come, but now that it was here she didn’t know how to handle the news. She felt Sheriff Riley’s strong arms pull her into him, but it didn’t register. “Why? Why her?” She asked repeatedly through the sobs that racked her body.
“We are doing our best to capture this guy.”
Grief stricken, “Nobody wanted to listen to me when she disappeared. Maybe if they had, she would still be alive.”
***
SHERIFF RILEY WONDERED the same thing. If the New Orleans detectives had looked into this missing person report would they have discovered that several other women may have disappeared as well? There was only one way to confirm his suspicions and that was to go to New Orleans and talk to some of the “workers”. They may have noticed a significant amount of their friends vanishing. These girls usually formed a tight bond on the streets, knowing they were the only ones who would band together in a difficult situation.
“I know you don’t like to think about what your sister did for a living, but did she talk about a particular friend that may be able to answer some questions.”
“I already asked those girls questions and they told me everything they knew.”
Sheriff Riley looked into her eyes, “You asked about Caroline’s disappearance. I plan on finding out if they were concerned about any others.”
An understanding of what he was saying flashed across Michelle’s face, “You think he has been doing this for a while don’t you?”
“Your sister’s body wasn’t the only one found. Several skeletal remains were found. And yes, I suspect he has been at this for a while.”
Sheriff Riley hated leaving Michelle by herself, but he wanted to get Picou and Melancon working on this angle right away. He told Michelle, “If you need anything at all, please call me. I’ll come right over.”
“I want to go with you to New Orleans.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Anyway, I plan on sending two detectives to talk to several people there.”
She asked, “But won’t they make them out for cops?”
“This time it won’t matter. When word gets around that Melancon and Picou want to help them it will spread like wildfire. They just have to ask the right people the right questions.”
“Please find this guy and make him pay for killing my sister.”
***
MICHELLE COULDN’T BELIEVE her suspicions were right. She had never been this depressed. If Caroline had been killed in a car accident or by a terminal illness, it might have been easier to deal with her death. She knew life was short and that everyone must die, but this was different. Her sister’s life was stolen from her by a monster. She worried that she would never fully recover from her sister’s violent death.
What she wanted was for Sheriff Riley and his detectives to catch this bastard and make him fry.
Before she could head home, she had to plan her sister’s funeral. How was she going to do this? She had to find out when they would release the body. Michelle didn’t even know who would come to a funeral for her sister. They didn’t have any family left. It was just her and Caroline, and now she was all alone. Maybe she should consider a cremation and spread her ashes along Bourbon Street or the bayou.