When Gail walked in, Janet craned her neck around the corner. “Hurry and sit down.” She patted the spot on the loveseat. “The news is airing a segment about Cliff Howard.”
Gail tossed her purse on the kitchen table and took a seat next to her mom. “How much did I miss?”
“None. They were leading into a commercial, showed his face, and said that segment was next. You’re right on time.” Janet scrunched her face into a scowl. “Makes me think, though.”
“About what?”
“Missing fingers and teeth slow down the identification process to a degree, but if they’re still recognizable, then it doesn’t help on our end. From now on, we’ll destroy their faces, too, just like—”
“I get it, Mom. With their faces destroyed, even if they are reported missing, nobody will know for sure if it’s the right guy short of a DNA match. The news certainly can’t air a headshot if it’s completely mangled. We were lucky with Mr. Hennessey because his head was caved in, and so far, no news has come in that Robert Smith has been identified. I guess we’ll see with Cliff.” Gail scratched her chin. “There’s always that learning curve to deal with.”
“Or we can stop leaving the bodies where they’ll be found. Hell, there’s plenty of country lanes and back roads once you get away from big cities.”
“True enough.” Gail squeezed her mother’s arm. “Here we go. The news is back on.”
They watched eagerly as the anchor announced the discovery of another body, found that morning in the East Chicago Humane Society parking lot. The man’s face was shown, and they gave his description as well. The anchor said the man had no identification on him, but if any viewers recognized his face, they were to call the toll-free tip-line number that went directly to the Chicago PD, and as always, the caller could remain anonymous.
Another commercial aired, then the segment went to the weather report.
“I guess that was it. Sounds like the PD is staying tight-lipped about the cause of death and the similarities between each man.”
Gail chuckled. “Of course they are. Only the real killer and the police have that information. It’s their way of weeding through the wack-a-doodles that want their fifteen minutes of fame.”