Rotorazer saw

This is one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me in terms of online purchases, and I'm totally stumped. Seems like a scam but I can't make sense of it:

1. On July 28 we noticed charges to two different companies on our bank account/debit cards. No one in my family has ever heard of either of these companies - Keranique hair products ($1.99 and $49) and Rotorazer all-in-one saw ($129).
   
2. We immediately froze our debit cards and called the bank. They told us the charges were made to my debit card number, not my wife's. We cancelled my card and waited. It seemed likely that my card was compromised, but the choice of products seemed weird.
   
3. A few days later, a box of product from Keranique arrived at my address. My name and address were correct, but the cell number listed on the order was mine but only the final digit was a different number (my last digit is 7, this order used 1). Bizarre - why would someone scam my card and send me the product? Again, no one in my house seems to have ever heard of these products or recalls any purchase or even an ad.
   
4. I called Keranique, they said the order was placed via their website on July 28, and gave me the email address - it is nearly identical to my email but missing 4 letters at the end.
   
5. A few days later, the Rotorazer saw package arrived, same story - the cell number has a different final digit (mine is 7, this order used 9). Contacted the company, same story again - the order was placed via their website on July 28, same email address that is nearly mine, but missing 4 letters.
   
6. Both companies agreed to refund the charges, but I am absolutely perplexed by this. It's almost like a prank, but who would have my debit card number and almost my cell number and email, but not quite? All so bizarre... has anyone had a similar experience?
   

So I'm stuck at home on quarantine and saw an infomercial for the Rotorazer saw. I know pretty much all infomercial products are overpriced crap but it reminded me that I (middle aged married female with no power tool but have made minor repairs to household appliances using YouTube) have yearned to do very minor DIY stuff requiring power tools (maybe alterations to furniture or thrift shop items, making a shelf or an organizing item). I looked on Amazon at tools similar to Rotorazer, it looks like there are decent ones for $100-200.
I would not be cutting 4x4's or using this tool for more than a few minutes on and off occasionally. I don't care about cordless & don't need something that will hold up under heavy daily use, just don't want something that falls apart in 2 months.
Would I be crazy to buy such an item, can you recommend a brand or tell me what to look for? I am very computer savvy. I'd also like a Dremmel type thing too as my daughter and I want to make jewelry & would need to drill small holes in some things.

This infomercial tool looks like the biggest piece of shit on the planet. Not only does it appear to suck, it’s $150. Has anyone tried using one?

My name is Robert Langley and I live in a small town just outside of Smiley, Texas. The town's population is just under five thousand, but feels smaller due to how widespread the county is. There are two schools, three gas stations, one mega church, a small police station with one cell, and two local grocery stores. There is one main street which runs from county line to county line. I have grown to appreciate it and become familiar with most of its residents.
I am the Chief of Police. Have been since I moved here two years ago. There are two Sheriffs that make up the entire department. There’s rarely any crime in this town, so we don't need many. The worse crime i’ve come across was when I first started, and it was a drunk man pissing on somebody's car, because the man had upset him.
This town is a safe place. Residents leave their doors unlocked overnight as they sleep and sometimes in the fall when the weather changes, they open their doors to let the breeze flow through there house. The children ride their bikes through the neighborhoods unattended while others laugh and play in there freshly cut yards. If I had to find one word to describe it, I’d say it's damn near perfect. On August 26, 2016 this would all change.
My Iphone rings. “Chief Langley”, I answer while on my way into work.
“Chief, it’s Sheriff Garrett.” His voice is low and somber.
“Go ahead.”
“You're gonna want to make your way down here to Hunt Street.” He says with reserve in his voice.
I can tell that something is wrong. “What is it?”
“Chief, i'd rather not say over the phone.”
His lack of information frustrates me. I hang up and flip on my sirens. For the first time since i’ve been here, they ring through the mid morning air. I press my foot down to the floor and speed down the street.
As I pull up to the little green house on Hunt, I see Sheriff Garrett waiting out front. The house is sealed off by yellow caution tape. His vehicle is parked on the curb and is positioned just to where it's blocking the sidewalk.
I park next to it and hop out. He fastly approaches me.
“What’s going on?” I ask impatiently.
He remains silent and just shakes his head no. I continue to the front door without stopping in between. The front door is wide open and I see the woman's feet in the entry way. I pick up my pace, ducking under the caution tape. I enter the house and see something I haven't seen in a long time.
Susan Meyer, a twenty eight year old single mother lying face down in a pool of blood. Her shirt has been ripped off and she has dozens of stab wounds in her back.
I turn to Garrett who stands just behind me. “Where’s her kid?”
Susan has a nine year old daughter. He holds his hands up, signaling he doesn't know.
“Put an apb out now. We need to alert everybody. Every moment that passes, that child's life is in danger.”
I nudge him out of the door. He runs to his vehicle and nearly trips over himself. I examine the body and surrounding area for a moment before meeting Garrett outside.
“Apb is out.”
“Okay. I want all hands on deck and I want the entire town locked down. And let's find her ex. That's a good place to start.”
“Roger.” Garrett turns to head towards his vehicle.
“Garrett!” I call out to him.
“Yeah, Chief?”
“Who found her?”
“The neighbor. Said she came over to bring her some brownies and she let herself in when Susan didn’t answer.”
“Go on. I’ll talk to her. I want you in charge of things while i'm not there.” I signal him to go with a commanding nod.
As he drives off, I walk up and knock on the neighbor's door.
Betty Hutchinson, an eighty year old woman opens the door. Time has not been kind to her. Her face is wrinkled like a prune and she has a hunch back which causes her to slump over.
“Mrs. Hutchinson.” I tip my cowboy hat to her.
She's still very much shaken up by what transpired. “Yes?” Her voice is frail and crackly.
“I just had a couple questions. Mind if I come in?”
Without answering, she hobbles out of the doorway and allows me to step inside. We walk to her living room and sit down. A thick cloud of dust comes off of the couch as I sit on it.
“Did you happen to hear anything or see anyone?” I ask with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other.
“Afraid not.” She says, sounding like she may cry.
“Has she had any visitors recently that you're aware of?”
“Oh, no. She always kept to herself. Such a pretty young thing.” Betty wipes a tear from her chapped cheek.
“Thank you for your time, Betty.” I stand and walk towards the door.
“I'll bring yall some brownies by real soon.” She trails just behind me.
I offer her a friendly smile and leave her house.
Bells ring as I open the door and enter the police officer. It’s empty, besides Garrett who is sitting at his desk. He jumps up and rushes over to me.
“Tell me whats going on?” I wait for his report with high anticipation.
“Beck is out on the streets. And was able to confirm with Austin PD that the ex has been locked up all weekend. Got into a brawl on sixth street. None of the neighboring towns could offer any support due to being short staffed.”
“Shit!” I barge into my office and aggressively slide all the paperwork off my desk.
Garrett slowly enters. “We’ll find her, Chief.”
I lean against my desk and look towards the ceiling as I gather the words in which i’m about to speak.
“I'm going to share something with you, Garrett. Something I haven't told anybody since moving here.”
He looks curious, but worried. “Okay?”
“Before I moved here, I was a cop in San Antonio. Had been for ten years. Give or take a few. I had seen a lot of heinous shit during those years, but nothing like I did that last call I responded to. A foster shelter massacre. Eight kids slaughtered and the parents were butchered, so viciously that they couldn't be identified except by their dental records. And instead of sticking around to catch the killer… I fled. I couldn't deal with it. It was too hard to handle.”
“Jesus. Look, Robert, don't focus on that anymore. That shits done with. Now you have a chance to catch this guy and move on from that. It may be too late to fix the past, but it's not too late to save this little girl.”
I let out a deep sigh of relief and try to refocus myself. That secret has haunted me ever since the day I left. Now, I finally felt a little comfort. Looking towards Garrett, I shake my head in agreement.
“You’re right. Let's catch this sick bastard.”
We march out of the station and load up into one car. Garrett peels out of the parking lot.
As we drive down Main Street, I see Sheriff Beck parked in the middle of the street at the start of downtown. He is standing next to his car staring as we approach. Garrett pulls up next to him and stops.
“Wait here.” I instruct him.
I step out of the car and walk up to Beck.
“We got nearly the whole damn town at the assembly halls at both schools. Residents have helped spread the word throughout town.” Beck informs me as he scratches his scruffy beard.
Looking down at my watch, “It’s been several hours. Any leads on the little girl?”
“None. Although, I did receive a tip about something going on at the Leeson house.”
“Like what?”
“Just some loud metal music playing. We went out there, but there was no answer when we knocked.”
“And you didn't think to tell me?” I exclaim angrily, walking to Garrett's car. “Stay here and stand guard. Let me know if anything happens. I mean anything.”
The Leeson’s are a quiet church going couple with three kids. Corey, Brian and Lilly. Nearly all of them are the same age. The two boys are five and six and the girl is seven. They are not the type to listen to metal. To them, that is devil music.
As we approach there two story home, my stomach fills with butterflies and I begin to experience a little anxiety. We pull up and i'm frozen in my seat.
“You okay, Chief?” Garrett looks over at me. I can feel his beady eyes upon me.
I clear my throat before answering. “Let’s just get this over with.”
My anxiety intensifies as I knock on the front door. A moment passes with no answer.
“Vern! Lisa! Its Chief Langley!” I shout through the door.
I knock again, this time louder, and still no answer. I twist the doorknob and the door slowly creaks open. Un Holstering my gun, I step in. Without questioning me, Garrett follows behind.
“Leeson’s, are you home?!” The hesitation in my voice is obvious.
The old wooden floor squeaks beneath our boots as we progress further into the house.
“This doesn’t feel right.” Garrett whispers.
“That’s because something isn’t.” I turn back towards him.
We enter the living room. The black reclining chair is tipped over along with the table next to it. It becomes apparent there was some type of struggle. As we reach the other side of the area, there is a trail of blood on the white carpet that leads out of the room.
We follow it cautiously through the kitchen. As we move along, the trail becomes thicker until we reach Lilly’s bedroom.
“Holy shit.” Garrett says lowering his gun.
I stand speechless. My worst thoughts have become a reality. The carpet, walls, and bed are covered in blood. On the floor is Vern and Lisa's dismembered bodies. Vern has been cut in half and decapitated. His head is mounted on the dresser. Lisas legs and arms have been severed from her body. Several feet from the bodies is a Rotorazer Saw.
Garrett barges out of the room and rushes to the backyard. I catch up with him.
“I'm sorry. I've never seen anything like that before.” He says trying to prevent himself from throwing up.
“Don't be sorry. I used to see it all the time and still haven't gotten used to it. Guess theres some things you can never get used to.”
“What're we gonna do?”
“I've got no fucking idea, but this sick bastard is out there somewhere and there could be more victims. I'm going to check the rest of the house for the kids. Meet you out front.”
I hurry back inside and go room to room, thoroughly checking each one. The house is empty. No kids. I meet Garrett in the front.
“Anything?” He asks fanning himself.
“Nothing. That's three missing kids and three dead parents. We need to get forensics from Lockhart out here. Maybe they can pull prints from the saw.”
“I’ll radio them.” He walks to the car and reaches in to grab the walkie.
While he radios in, I seal off the property with caution tape.
“They said about an hour till someone gets out here.”
“We don’t have time to wait around, but this is a crime scene and I don't want noone fucking with it.”
“Want me to radio Beck?”
“Yeah. Tell him what’s going on and have him come stand guard.”
I stand by pondering what our next move should be. Then like a ton of bricks, it hits me. I march over to Garrett who is radioing Beck. “The child molestors. There's two of them, right?” I exclaim intensely.
“Right.” He lowers the walkie down to his side.
“Let's go ask them some questions.”
The first stop is Earl Duncan. Earl has been convicted for two counts of indecent exposure with girls under the age of ten and one count of improper relations with a thirteen year old.
His house looks more like a shack. The metal roof slouches off of the side and its structure is weathered and dilapidated. The windows are covered with tinfoil. His carport is held up by two pieces of rotted wood.
We get out of the car and slowly walk towards the front door.
“How do you want to handle this?” Garrett asks as he adjusts his belt.
“Just follow my lead.”
“You think this sick fuck is the one responsible?”
“Could be. That's what we're going to find out.”
Garrett begins breathing heavily. He becomes tense and his jaw locks up.
“I’ll fuck this guy up.” Garrett says through his grinding teeth.
“Lets see what happens.”
I bang on the screen door. “Police! Open up!”
The front door opens and Earl stares at us through his screen door. He puffs on his cigarette.
“Help you?” He asks in a scratchy voice.
“Got a few questions for you, Earl.”
“Like what?” He blows a cloud of smoke through the screen door and it fills the air in which I breathe.
“Doesn’t matter. Open the door.” Garrett leans over my shoulder.
I turn and look at Garrett. A look which says step back.
“We have some questions. Will you at least step out?” I attempt reasoning with him.
He hesitates, but opens the door and steps out. He closes the screen door with a great push.
“Where were you this morning?” I stand closely, hoping to intimidate him.
“Here. Feeding my cats. Why?” He flicks his cigarette into his overgrown yard.
“All morning? You haven't left?”
“No. I’ve been here bullshitting around. Why?” He tilts his head up with curiosity.
“Anybody who can vouch that for you?” I cross my arms.
“Just my cats.” He smirks revealing a smattering of yellow teeth.
“Fuck this!” Garrett yells, shoving me out of the way and grabbing Earl by the collar.
He jerks him around. “I oughtta punch you in the mouth for being a smart ass. Answers his fucking questions with respect you piece of shit.”
“Garrett, let him go!”
He ignores me and shakes him violently. I bear hug Garrett and pull him loose. Earl falls to the ground once he lets him go.
“And stay down.” Garrett tries going after him again, but I back him up.
Earl slowly gets up and rushes back inside, locking his door. I shove Garrett towards his squad car.
“What the hell was that?!” I throw my hands in the air.
“That guy's an asshole and a monster. Why’re you defending him?” He adjusts his shirt back to normal.
“I’m defending you. If that was our guy, then you fucked us by assaulting him. They would dismiss whatever case we had based on police brutality.”
Garrett shakes his head with disbelief.
“Next house, you’re staying in the car.”
The next pedophile had a solid alibi. He was at work all night and day. Forensics said they wouldn't be out until morning due to several crimes happening in their area. Same goes for the detective. We were at a dead end.
I return home and turn to what has always worked for me on days like this. Drinking. I pour myself a couple shots of whiskey and down the hatch they go. Immediately I feel a sense of ease. My nerves are settled and I can gather my thoughts as I sit on my sectional. I pour several more shots and within the hour, I am passed out with the bottle in my hand.
The next morning I walk into my office and sit at my desk, shuffling through case files of people with violent pasts, or any past at all.
Garrett enters, “Boss, detective is here to talk to you.”
He steps out of the way and the detective steps in. This detective is just over six feet with slicked back black hair and he's skinny. His suit is perfectly dry cleaned and I can see the light reflecting off of his black shoes.
“Detective Barnes.” He sticks his hand out.
I stand and shake it firmly. “Nice to meet you. Please have a seat.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Okay.” I remain standing as well, feeling intimidated. I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I await his response.
“I’ve been to both crime scenes this morning and feel i’ve already started to develop a profile for your suspect.”
“What's the profile?”
“First off, let me start off by saying my record is flawless. I’ve been doing this for twenty years and have yet to allow a killer to evade me. Now, the first thing that caught my attention was the kids were not murdered. At least not at their house. They were taken. Which means this person has a soft spot for kids. He doesn't want to harm them. He wants something from them. And the three victims all have a connection according to your Sheriff.”
“What connection?” I lean forward slightly.
“They both served on the board for the pta and attended the same church.”
“So, the killer could be on either one of those things with them?”
“No, not could be, but is.” The confidence in his voice restores the hope I had lost.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yeah. It's safe to say that this person has kids of their own which would allow them to stay connected with other pta members and be active in sunday school stuff at Church. You ever heard of Wolves in Sheeps clothing?”
I nod my head.
“That”s what they are. I would even bet they haven't left the county.”
“What do we do? We can't just kick everyone's door in until we find them?”
“Unfortunately, we have to wait until the Wolf strikes again. I need lists of the entire pta, church attendees and their addresses in the meantime.”
“I'll get you those and I'll ride with you.”
“I work alone.” He puts on his aviators.
He turns and walks out of the office. I remain stuck, floored by everything he just told me.
The remainder of the day is spent going door to door, passing along missing flyers to surrounding counties, and calming the nerves of residents as we explain that everything is under control.
As I drive up to the station, the sun is starting to set, casting a purple and orange glow throughout the sky. A yawn escapes from me as I step out of my vehicle.
I enter my office and sit at the desk. Immediately, Detective Barnes walks in and slams a notepad down.
“This is all i’ve gathered today.” He pulls up his pants in a nonchalant way.
I pick it up and begin flipping through page after page. “Lot of information for one day. Any of it stick out?”
“Not it, but him. One guy sticks out above the rest.”
“Who?” I set the notepad down and look up at him. Detective Barnes leans in. “David Beck.”
“My Sheriff? Have you lost your fucking mind?” I spring up from my seat and slam my hand down. “There’s no way!”
“Can I continue?”
I pause and take a deep breath before recollecting my seat.
“Thank you. David Beck shares a connection with both victims in ways none of the other people on the lists I have. David has two kids of his own and served on the pta with Susan. They even dated for a while, but it didn't work out due to him working all the time. And he and Vern Leeson served as ushers at the Church together. Their kids even had weekly play dates.” He stops and studies my expression which is disbelief with everything he is saying.
“It doesn't make sense.” I shake my head.
“It never does. I don't even bother to make sense of these things anymore. And a little tip for you, don't let personal feelings ever cloud your judgement. Remember, people aren't always as they seem.” He tells me in a almost challenging tone of voice.
Just before he walks out of the office, he turns and glares at me. “Keep this between us. Don't want noone tipping him off.”
The confidence in his voice made him sound so sure, but I still didn't fully believe it. What if it is Beck and I had been blinded by his outward appearance and personality? If I don't follow this lead and do what I have to, he could get away with this. I won't let another Monster get away from me despite my best thinking and judgement.
I leave the station and set out on the hardest task i'll ever have to face. As I walk up to his house, the driveway is vacant. He shouldn't be done with his shift for a little longer and I should have at least an hour.
I attempt opening the screen door, but it's locked. I walk around his brick house and hop the back fence. As I approach the backdoor, loud metal music playing inside is audible. I try the back door, locked. I walk along side peeking through the windows, but it's hard to see through the tint. Damn near impossible.
I leave his house. On my way back to work I draw up things which seemed odd and there was one thing that kept popping up. The metal music playing despite nobody being home. Maybe he forgot to turn it off when he left, I try making myself feel better about the situation.
I pull into the parking lot and he's standing by his squad car smoking a cigarette. I park next to him and get out.
“Chief.” He tips his hat to me.
“How'd it go out there today?” I stand to the side of him.
“Good. I mean as good as can be expected. It's a horrific thing.”
With all my sensability, I try choosing my words carefully as not to give off suspicion. “Yeah, it is. How are you holding up?”
He drops his cigarette and steps on it. “Alright I guess. It's a tough thing, you know? What if it were my kids? I couldn't imagine.”
“Let's be thankful it's not. You’ve got two really great kids.”
“Thanks, Chief. Speaking of which, i'm going to go pick them up and head home. Been a long day.”
He turns away from me and starts walking off. “Beck!”
He turns to look at me. “Yeah?”
“Maybe I can come by tonight and we can have a drink.” I say with a cheerful tone.
“Tonight's not good. Already have plans.” He turns and walks off.
I stand stuck in place. My one idea of cracking this thing has failed. I head back inside and sit in my office. I remove a bottle from my desk drawer and commence to drink a few swigs, hoping to get things flowing.
The bells on the front door are set off by somebody walking in. I quickly put the bottle away. Garrett walks in shortly after.
“Im headed home, Boss. I'll see you in the morning.” He gives me a friendly salute and walks out.
I wait for the sound of the bells and start to drink again. Detective Barnes steps into the doorway.
“Can't do this if you’re impaired.”
“I can handle my liquor.” I reply defensively.
“Do you want to know how i've solved every case i've been assigned?”
I nod my head.
He steps into the office and sits down across the table from me.
“I do whatever I damn well need to. No morals, ethics, or any other bullshit gets in my way. Because if a person is guilty, they're guilty. You don't have to sabotage the truth if it's the truth.” He winks and stands up.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Probable cause, Chief. That's all you need to move forward. Doesn't matter what it is.” He casually walks out of the office.
I pull up and park a few houses down from Becks. Turning off my headlights I get out of my car. The humid night air is stale and the street is quiet. Only the sounds of my footsteps against the sidewalk as I run are audible. I look around to see if there's anybody outside and there's no sign of movement. Everything is completely still.
I approach Beck's car and check the door. It’s unlocked. Hesitantly, I remove a list with the victims names and addresses. My heart thunders in my chest as I hold it. I frantically look around and quickly toss it on the seat. I silently close the door and sprint back to my car.
I call Detective Barnes. “It’s done.”
At Civil twilight the next morning, Detective Barnes, myself, and Garrett walk up to Beck's house with our guns drawn.
Barnes is friends with a judge in his county, so he was able to have a warrant expedited overnight. He bangs on the screen door.
“Police!”
Beck opens the doors in his boxers and dirty tank top. He’s holding a bowl of cereal. “What the hell?” He says confused, taking a bite of cereal.
“We’ve got a warrant. Open the door.” Barnes commands him in a thundering voice.
Beck complies and opens the door. Barnes shoves him out of the way and rushes inside. Garrett follows closely behind. Beck marches up to me.
“Chief, what the hell is this?” He throws his hands up.
“I only know as much as you do.” Filled with guilt about what i've done, I avoid eye contact with him.
“That's bullshit!”
“There's reasons to believe you may be involved in those murders and kidnappings.”
“Fucking seriously?” He grabs his hair and stares at me intensely.
Without anything to say to help him, I remain silent. He does as well. Detective Barnes and Garrett walk out of the house.
“The house is clear!” Barnes announces.
“What about his car?” Garrett asks.
“Search it.” Barnes instructs him.
Garrett walks over and begins searching the car. He checks it thoroughly and comes out holding the paper I had put.
“Found this.” Garrett hands Barnes the paper.
Barnes scans it and looks at Beck. “Arrest him.”
“For what?!” Beck is shocked.
My stomach sinks to the floor as Garrett turns him around and handcuffs him.
“Why do you have a list of the victims written down?” Beck holds the paper to his face.
“I don't know where that shit came from. It ain't mine.”
“Take him.” Barnes shoves Beck as Garrett walks him to his car and loads him into the back.
“Good work, Chief.” Barnes pats me on the back.
“What the hell are you talking about? You didn't find anything.” I get in Barnes’s face.
“We will. Just give it a little time.”
“What if it's not him after all and you're wrong?”
“It’s him.” He says with a sense of pride in his voice.
Barnes turns and gets into Garrett's car. They peel off, leaving me standing in the front yard.
I walk in and Detective Barnes has turned my office into an interrogation room. He stands across the table from Beck who is sitting handcuffed.
“Tell me about this list.” Barnes slides the forged list across the table.
“Look, man, I don't know shit about this.”
I join Barnes on the other side of the desk.
“Why'd you do it?” Barnes walks around and stands above Beck.
“I already told you. I didn't.”
The guilt I feel has formed into a sickness. I feel dizzy, like I could collapse any second.
“I need to go.” I rush out of the room and run outside.
The fresh air calms me immediately. Unable to finish the interrogation, I drive home. As I arrive to my front door, I see a manilla envelope resting on my doorstep. It faces upwards and written in sharpie on the front is “TO ROBERT”.
I look around and pick it up. I slowly open it and remove a picture. The picture is of the missing children along with another child covered in dirt locked in a cage. Standing next to the cage is a man wearing a faceless mask. The other kid is the child of rancher Joe Walker.
My heart sinks into my stomach and time freezes. My hold on the picture loosens and it falls to the ground. I gather my bearings and call in to Garrett as I haul ass to Joe's ranch.
Dirt and gravel fly up from underneath my tires as I speed down the road leading to Joe's house. I come to a sliding stop and hop out. I’m the first on scene, but that doesn't stop me from rushing up to the house and kicking the door in once nobody answers.
“Robert!” I yell as I swiftly maneuver through the house.
After my search is complete and I find nothing, I run out of the house and across the way to his one story brown barn. As soon as I enter I see him. He's hanging in the center of the barn from his feet. His head has been cut off and the blood from his body has been drained into buckets.
“Fuck!” I exclaim.
I walk outside and am met by Detective Barnes and Garrett.
“Guess you were wrong.” I tell Barnes sarcastically in passing.
I uncuff Beck. He stands and massages his wrists, glaring at me with disgust.
“Can't believe you thought I did this. Even after I told you I didn't.”
I remain speechless with my tongue tied in knots. He shakes his head and walks out of the station. The guilt in which I felt before has intensified after the series of events that has just occurred. It was never him. Barnes had been wrong all along.
The coroner is called along with forensics to travel out to the Walker ranch. I remain at the station. I cannot stomach anymore then i've already seen. Instead, I contemplate what i'm going to tell the cocky Detective.
Detective Barnes storms into the station and begins fuming when he sees Beck has been cut loose.
“What the hell?” He exclaims, putting his hands on his sides.
“I had to let him go. It’s obvious it wasn't him.”
“Bullshit. He’s involved in all this somehow.”
“Just admit it. You were wrong. We’re spending all our energy on him instead of finding who actually is behind this.” I tell him as calmly as I can.
This pushes him over the edge. “I've already told you! I'm never wrong. And i've been dying to ask you. How did you know to go out to that ranch?”
I stand and pass him the manilla envelope. He opens it and stares at the picture. He doesn't say anything, but studies it.
“That little girl in the back with the curls is Joe Walker's daughter. As soon as I saw it, I knew something was wrong.”
He slides the picture back in the envelope and studies the writing on the front. “They know your name.”
“That could be any of the five thousand people who live in this town.”
He points to the R in my name. “That's critical right there. The top is detached from itself.”
“What’re we going to do? Line the entire town up and force them to write an R?”
Garrett walks in with a stack of papers and hands them to me. “Here’s those reports.”
Detective Barnes stares at the papers in my hands. “Can I see those?”
I hand them over to him and he sets them down on the table. He skims them and begins flipping through the pages.
“Hmm. That's interesting.” He says in a low tone.
“What?” I peer over his shoulder at the papers.
He points to something on a couple of them. “All of his R’s are detached from themselves.”
The hairs on my body become stiff and my skin turns prickly.
“And look at the O’s.” He continues as he points to them. “They’re half circles.”
“What about Beck?”
“This is our guy. It's no coincidence that it's identical handwriting.”
“Can you get a warrant based off of this?”
He nods his head. “Yeah. There's been cases before that have led to arrests based off of shit like this.”
As I pull onto Garrett's street, I look down at my car's clock. The glowing numbers read 2:35. I park behind Becks car and he walks up to us.
“Sorry about earlier. No hard feelings?” Detective Barnes sticks out his hand in hopes of making a truce.
Beck shoves his hand away. “You accused me of murder and kidnapping. Fuck outta here.”
“This is bigger than about ya’ll two. Let's get this over with.”
I jog up to the front door with the other two following closely behind. I kick open the front door and we rush inside with our guns drawn.
The living room is filthy and there's a stale odor in the air. Pieces of trash litter the floor and table. We begin our hike down the long dark hallway. A child's faint whimpers can be heard coming from around the corner.
As I round the corner, I stop in my tracks. There's an open door with a staircase leading down to the basement. I grope for a light switch, but there is none. The child whimpers again and this time it's louder and more clear.
Detective Barnes shoves me out of the way and turns on his flashlight. He begins his descent down the stairs. I follow on his tail. We reach the bottom and he scans the basement with the light. One of the children's beady eyes passes through the light. He stops and moves towards them.
He shines the light on them. They all cower in the corner bunched up together. “It's okay. We're here to take you home.” Barnes says in a soothing voice.
“Jesus.” Beck says horrified.
A loud thud comes from above us.
“Garrett.” I run towards the stairs and travel up them as fast as I can.
Beck and Barnes stay behind to tend to the kids. I enter the living room and Garrett charges at me with an axe. I open fire, shooting him several times. He drops face flat to the ground.
We walk the kids out front and wait for Lockhart EMS to come and take the kids to their hospital. After they are transported and Garrett's body is taken, I stand with Barnes and Beck with a sense of relief.
“Thank you for your help.” I tell Barnes with sincerity. “I don't think I could've done it on my own.”
“I know. And for the record, I technically wasn't wrong about who it was.” Detective Barnes says with a smirk.
“Yeah you were.” Beck chimes in.
“It was a Sheriff. Therefore, I was partially right which means I wasn't wrong.” Detective Barnes cracks a half ass smile.
I let the Detective stew in his pride and walk to my vehicle. I sigh before starting up the car and driving off. As I turn back and look at the two standing there, Beck locks eyes with me and waves. He grins and winks.

My name is Robert Langley and I live in a small town just outside of Smiley, Texas. The town's population is just under five thousand, but feels smaller due to how widespread the county is. There are two schools, three gas stations, one mega church, a small police station with one cell, and two local grocery stores. There is one main street which runs from county line to county line. I have grown to appreciate it and become familiar with most of its residents.
I am the Chief of Police. Have been since I moved here two years ago. There are two Sheriffs that make up the entire department. There’s rarely any crime in this town, so we don't need many. The worse crime i’ve come across was when I first started, and it was a drunk man pissing on somebody's car, because the man had upset him.
This town is a safe place. Residents leave their doors unlocked overnight as they sleep and sometimes in the fall when the weather changes, they open their doors to let the breeze flow through there house. The children ride their bikes through the neighborhoods unattended while others laugh and play in there freshly cut yards. If I had to find one word to describe it, I’d say it's damn near perfect. On August 26, 2016 this would all change.
My Iphone rings. “Chief Langley”, I answer while on my way into work.
“Chief, it’s Sheriff Garrett.” His voice is low and somber.
“Go ahead.”
“You're gonna want to make your way down here to Hunt Street.” He says with reserve in his voice.
I can tell that something is wrong. “What is it?”
“Chief, i'd rather not say over the phone.”
His lack of information frustrates me. I hang up and flip on my sirens. For the first time since i’ve been here, they ring through the mid morning air. I press my foot down to the floor and speed down the street.
As I pull up to the little green house on Hunt, I see Sheriff Garrett waiting out front. The house is sealed off by yellow caution tape. His vehicle is parked on the curb and is positioned just to where it's blocking the sidewalk.
I park next to it and hop out. He fastly approaches me.
“What’s going on?” I ask impatiently.
He remains silent and just shakes his head no. I continue to the front door without stopping in between. The front door is wide open and I see the woman's feet in the entry way. I pick up my pace, ducking under the caution tape. I enter the house and see something I haven't seen in a long time.
Susan Meyer, a twenty eight year old single mother lying face down in a pool of blood. Her shirt has been ripped off and she has dozens of stab wounds in her back.
I turn to Garrett who stands just behind me. “Where’s her kid?”
Susan has a nine year old daughter. He holds his hands up, signaling he doesn't know.
“Put an apb out now. We need to alert everybody. Every moment that passes, that child's life is in danger.”
I nudge him out of the door. He runs to his vehicle and nearly trips over himself. I examine the body and surrounding area for a moment before meeting Garrett outside.
“Apb is out.”
“Okay. I want all hands on deck and I want the entire town locked down. And let's find her ex. That's a good place to start.”
“Roger.” Garrett turns to head towards his vehicle.
“Garrett!” I call out to him.
“Yeah, Chief?”
“Who found her?”
“The neighbor. Said she came over to bring her some brownies and she let herself in when Susan didn’t answer.”
“Go on. I’ll talk to her. I want you in charge of things while i'm not there.” I signal him to go with a commanding nod.
As he drives off, I walk up and knock on the neighbor's door.
Betty Hutchinson, an eighty year old woman opens the door. Time has not been kind to her. Her face is wrinkled like a prune and she has a hunch back which causes her to slump over.
“Mrs. Hutchinson.” I tip my cowboy hat to her.
She's still very much shaken up by what transpired. “Yes?” Her voice is frail and crackly.
“I just had a couple questions. Mind if I come in?”
Without answering, she hobbles out of the doorway and allows me to step inside. We walk to her living room and sit down. A thick cloud of dust comes off of the couch as I sit on it.
“Did you happen to hear anything or see anyone?” I ask with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other.
“Afraid not.” She says, sounding like she may cry.
“Has she had any visitors recently that you're aware of?”
“Oh, no. She always kept to herself. Such a pretty young thing.” Betty wipes a tear from her chapped cheek.
“Thank you for your time, Betty.” I stand and walk towards the door.
“I'll bring yall some brownies by real soon.” She trails just behind me.
I offer her a friendly smile and leave her house.
Bells ring as I open the door and enter the police officer. It’s empty, besides Garrett who is sitting at his desk. He jumps up and rushes over to me.
“Tell me whats going on?” I wait for his report with high anticipation.
“Beck is out on the streets. And was able to confirm with Austin PD that the ex has been locked up all weekend. Got into a brawl on sixth street. None of the neighboring towns could offer any support due to being short staffed.”
“Shit!” I barge into my office and aggressively slide all the paperwork off my desk.
Garrett slowly enters. “We’ll find her, Chief.”
I lean against my desk and look towards the ceiling as I gather the words in which i’m about to speak.
“I'm going to share something with you, Garrett. Something I haven't told anybody since moving here.”
He looks curious, but worried. “Okay?”
“Before I moved here, I was a cop in San Antonio. Had been for ten years. Give or take a few. I had seen a lot of heinous shit during those years, but nothing like I did that last call I responded to. A foster shelter massacre. Eight kids slaughtered and the parents were butchered, so viciously that they couldn't be identified except by their dental records. And instead of sticking around to catch the killer… I fled. I couldn't deal with it. It was too hard to handle.”
“Jesus. Look, Robert, don't focus on that anymore. That shits done with. Now you have a chance to catch this guy and move on from that. It may be too late to fix the past, but it's not too late to save this little girl.”
I let out a deep sigh of relief and try to refocus myself. That secret has haunted me ever since the day I left. Now, I finally felt a little comfort. Looking towards Garrett, I shake my head in agreement.
“You’re right. Let's catch this sick bastard.”
We march out of the station and load up into one car. Garrett peels out of the parking lot.
As we drive down Main Street, I see Sheriff Beck parked in the middle of the street at the start of downtown. He is standing next to his car staring as we approach. Garrett pulls up next to him and stops.
“Wait here.” I instruct him.
I step out of the car and walk up to Beck.
“We got nearly the whole damn town at the assembly halls at both schools. Residents have helped spread the word throughout town.” Beck informs me as he scratches his scruffy beard.
Looking down at my watch, “It’s been several hours. Any leads on the little girl?”
“None. Although, I did receive a tip about something going on at the Leeson house.”
“Like what?”
“Just some loud metal music playing. We went out there, but there was no answer when we knocked.”
“And you didn't think to tell me?” I exclaim angrily, walking to Garrett's car. “Stay here and stand guard. Let me know if anything happens. I mean anything.”
The Leeson’s are a quiet church going couple with three kids. Corey, Brian and Lilly. Nearly all of them are the same age. The two boys are five and six and the girl is seven. They are not the type to listen to metal. To them, that is devil music.
As we approach there two story home, my stomach fills with butterflies and I begin to experience a little anxiety. We pull up and i'm frozen in my seat.
“You okay, Chief?” Garrett looks over at me. I can feel his beady eyes upon me.
I clear my throat before answering. “Let’s just get this over with.”
My anxiety intensifies as I knock on the front door. A moment passes with no answer.
“Vern! Lisa! Its Chief Langley!” I shout through the door.
I knock again, this time louder, and still no answer. I twist the doorknob and the door slowly creaks open. Un Holstering my gun, I step in. Without questioning me, Garrett follows behind.
“Leeson’s, are you home?!” The hesitation in my voice is obvious.
The old wooden floor squeaks beneath our boots as we progress further into the house.
“This doesn’t feel right.” Garrett whispers.
“That’s because something isn’t.” I turn back towards him.
We enter the living room. The black reclining chair is tipped over along with the table next to it. It becomes apparent there was some type of struggle. As we reach the other side of the area, there is a trail of blood on the white carpet that leads out of the room.
We follow it cautiously through the kitchen. As we move along, the trail becomes thicker until we reach Lilly’s bedroom.
“Holy shit.” Garrett says lowering his gun.
I stand speechless. My worst thoughts have become a reality. The carpet, walls, and bed are covered in blood. On the floor is Vern and Lisa's dismembered bodies. Vern has been cut in half and decapitated. His head is mounted on the dresser. Lisas legs and arms have been severed from her body. Several feet from the bodies is a Rotorazer Saw.
Garrett barges out of the room and rushes to the backyard. I catch up with him.
“I'm sorry. I've never seen anything like that before.” He says trying to prevent himself from throwing up.
“Don't be sorry. I used to see it all the time and still haven't gotten used to it. Guess theres some things you can never get used to.”
“What're we gonna do?”
“I've got no fucking idea, but this sick bastard is out there somewhere and there could be more victims. I'm going to check the rest of the house for the kids. Meet you out front.”
I hurry back inside and go room to room, thoroughly checking each one. The house is empty. No kids. I meet Garrett in the front.
“Anything?” He asks fanning himself.
“Nothing. That's three missing kids and three dead parents. We need to get forensics from Lockhart out here. Maybe they can pull prints from the saw.”
“I’ll radio them.” He walks to the car and reaches in to grab the walkie.
While he radios in, I seal off the property with caution tape.
“They said about an hour till someone gets out here.”
“We don’t have time to wait around, but this is a crime scene and I don't want noone fucking with it.”
“Want me to radio Beck?”
“Yeah. Tell him what’s going on and have him come stand guard.”
I stand by pondering what our next move should be. Then like a ton of bricks, it hits me. I march over to Garrett who is radioing Beck. “The child molestors. There's two of them, right?” I exclaim intensely.
“Right.” He lowers the walkie down to his side.
“Let's go ask them some questions.”
The first stop is Earl Duncan. Earl has been convicted for two counts of indecent exposure with girls under the age of ten and one count of improper relations with a thirteen year old.
His house looks more like a shack. The metal roof slouches off of the side and its structure is weathered and dilapidated. The windows are covered with tinfoil. His carport is held up by two pieces of rotted wood.
We get out of the car and slowly walk towards the front door.
“How do you want to handle this?” Garrett asks as he adjusts his belt.
“Just follow my lead.”
“You think this sick fuck is the one responsible?”
“Could be. That's what we're going to find out.”
Garrett begins breathing heavily. He becomes tense and his jaw locks up.
“I’ll fuck this guy up.” Garrett says through his grinding teeth.
“Lets see what happens.”
I bang on the screen door. “Police! Open up!”
The front door opens and Earl stares at us through his screen door. He puffs on his cigarette.
“Help you?” He asks in a scratchy voice.
“Got a few questions for you, Earl.”
“Like what?” He blows a cloud of smoke through the screen door and it fills the air in which I breathe.
“Doesn’t matter. Open the door.” Garrett leans over my shoulder.
I turn and look at Garrett. A look which says step back.
“We have some questions. Will you at least step out?” I attempt reasoning with him.
He hesitates, but opens the door and steps out. He closes the screen door with a great push.
“Where were you this morning?” I stand closely, hoping to intimidate him.
“Here. Feeding my cats. Why?” He flicks his cigarette into his overgrown yard.
“All morning? You haven't left?”
“No. I’ve been here bullshitting around. Why?” He tilts his head up with curiosity.
“Anybody who can vouch that for you?” I cross my arms.
“Just my cats.” He smirks revealing a smattering of yellow teeth.
“Fuck this!” Garrett yells, shoving me out of the way and grabbing Earl by the collar.
He jerks him around. “I oughtta punch you in the mouth for being a smart ass. Answers his fucking questions with respect you piece of shit.”
“Garrett, let him go!”
He ignores me and shakes him violently. I bear hug Garrett and pull him loose. Earl falls to the ground once he lets him go.
“And stay down.” Garrett tries going after him again, but I back him up.
Earl slowly gets up and rushes back inside, locking his door. I shove Garrett towards his squad car.
“What the hell was that?!” I throw my hands in the air.
“That guy's an asshole and a monster. Why’re you defending him?” He adjusts his shirt back to normal.
“I’m defending you. If that was our guy, then you fucked us by assaulting him. They would dismiss whatever case we had based on police brutality.”
Garrett shakes his head with disbelief.
“Next house, you’re staying in the car.”
The next pedophile had a solid alibi. He was at work all night and day. Forensics said they wouldn't be out until morning due to several crimes happening in their area. Same goes for the detective. We were at a dead end.
I return home and turn to what has always worked for me on days like this. Drinking. I pour myself a couple shots of whiskey and down the hatch they go. Immediately I feel a sense of ease. My nerves are settled and I can gather my thoughts as I sit on my sectional. I pour several more shots and within the hour, I am passed out with the bottle in my hand.
The next morning I walk into my office and sit at my desk, shuffling through case files of people with violent pasts, or any past at all.
Garrett enters, “Boss, detective is here to talk to you.”
He steps out of the way and the detective steps in. This detective is just over six feet with slicked back black hair and he's skinny. His suit is perfectly dry cleaned and I can see the light reflecting off of his black shoes.
“Detective Barnes.” He sticks his hand out.
I stand and shake it firmly. “Nice to meet you. Please have a seat.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Okay.” I remain standing as well, feeling intimidated. I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I await his response.
“I’ve been to both crime scenes this morning and feel i’ve already started to develop a profile for your suspect.”
“What's the profile?”
“First off, let me start off by saying my record is flawless. I’ve been doing this for twenty years and have yet to allow a killer to evade me. Now, the first thing that caught my attention was the kids were not murdered. At least not at their house. They were taken. Which means this person has a soft spot for kids. He doesn't want to harm them. He wants something from them. And the three victims all have a connection according to your Sheriff.”
“What connection?” I lean forward slightly.
“They both served on the board for the pta and attended the same church.”
“So, the killer could be on either one of those things with them?”
“No, not could be, but is.” The confidence in his voice restores the hope I had lost.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yeah. It's safe to say that this person has kids of their own which would allow them to stay connected with other pta members and be active in sunday school stuff at Church. You ever heard of Wolves in Sheeps clothing?”
I nod my head.
“That”s what they are. I would even bet they haven't left the county.”
“What do we do? We can't just kick everyone's door in until we find them?”
“Unfortunately, we have to wait until the Wolf strikes again. I need lists of the entire pta, church attendees and their addresses in the meantime.”
“I'll get you those and I'll ride with you.”
“I work alone.” He puts on his aviators.
He turns and walks out of the office. I remain stuck, floored by everything he just told me.
The remainder of the day is spent going door to door, passing along missing flyers to surrounding counties, and calming the nerves of residents as we explain that everything is under control.
As I drive up to the station, the sun is starting to set, casting a purple and orange glow throughout the sky. A yawn escapes from me as I step out of my vehicle.
I enter my office and sit at the desk. Immediately, Detective Barnes walks in and slams a notepad down.
“This is all i’ve gathered today.” He pulls up his pants in a nonchalant way.
I pick it up and begin flipping through page after page. “Lot of information for one day. Any of it stick out?”
“Not it, but him. One guy sticks out above the rest.”
“Who?” I set the notepad down and look up at him. Detective Barnes leans in. “David Beck.”
“My Sheriff? Have you lost your fucking mind?” I spring up from my seat and slam my hand down. “There’s no way!”
“Can I continue?”
I pause and take a deep breath before recollecting my seat.
“Thank you. David Beck shares a connection with both victims in ways none of the other people on the lists I have. David has two kids of his own and served on the pta with Susan. They even dated for a while, but it didn't work out due to him working all the time. And he and Vern Leeson served as ushers at the Church together. Their kids even had weekly play dates.” He stops and studies my expression which is disbelief with everything he is saying.
“It doesn't make sense.” I shake my head.
“It never does. I don't even bother to make sense of these things anymore. And a little tip for you, don't let personal feelings ever cloud your judgement. Remember, people aren't always as they seem.” He tells me in a almost challenging tone of voice.
Just before he walks out of the office, he turns and glares at me. “Keep this between us. Don't want noone tipping him off.”
The confidence in his voice made him sound so sure, but I still didn't fully believe it. What if it is Beck and I had been blinded by his outward appearance and personality? If I don't follow this lead and do what I have to, he could get away with this. I won't let another Monster get away from me despite my best thinking and judgement.
I leave the station and set out on the hardest task i'll ever have to face. As I walk up to his house, the driveway is vacant. He shouldn't be done with his shift for a little longer and I should have at least an hour.
I attempt opening the screen door, but it's locked. I walk around his brick house and hop the back fence. As I approach the backdoor, loud metal music playing inside is audible. I try the back door, locked. I walk along side peeking through the windows, but it's hard to see through the tint. Damn near impossible.
I leave his house. On my way back to work I draw up things which seemed odd and there was one thing that kept popping up. The metal music playing despite nobody being home. Maybe he forgot to turn it off when he left, I try making myself feel better about the situation.
I pull into the parking lot and he's standing by his squad car smoking a cigarette. I park next to him and get out.
“Chief.” He tips his hat to me.
“How'd it go out there today?” I stand to the side of him.
“Good. I mean as good as can be expected. It's a horrific thing.”
With all my sensability, I try choosing my words carefully as not to give off suspicion. “Yeah, it is. How are you holding up?”
He drops his cigarette and steps on it. “Alright I guess. It's a tough thing, you know? What if it were my kids? I couldn't imagine.”
“Let's be thankful it's not. You’ve got two really great kids.”
“Thanks, Chief. Speaking of which, i'm going to go pick them up and head home. Been a long day.”
He turns away from me and starts walking off. “Beck!”
He turns to look at me. “Yeah?”
“Maybe I can come by tonight and we can have a drink.” I say with a cheerful tone.
“Tonight's not good. Already have plans.” He turns and walks off.
I stand stuck in place. My one idea of cracking this thing has failed. I head back inside and sit in my office. I remove a bottle from my desk drawer and commence to drink a few swigs, hoping to get things flowing.
The bells on the front door are set off by somebody walking in. I quickly put the bottle away. Garrett walks in shortly after.
“Im headed home, Boss. I'll see you in the morning.” He gives me a friendly salute and walks out.
I wait for the sound of the bells and start to drink again. Detective Barnes steps into the doorway.
“Can't do this if you’re impaired.”
“I can handle my liquor.” I reply defensively.
“Do you want to know how i've solved every case i've been assigned?”
I nod my head.
He steps into the office and sits down across the table from me.
“I do whatever I damn well need to. No morals, ethics, or any other bullshit gets in my way. Because if a person is guilty, they're guilty. You don't have to sabotage the truth if it's the truth.” He winks and stands up.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Probable cause, Chief. That's all you need to move forward. Doesn't matter what it is.” He casually walks out of the office.
I pull up and park a few houses down from Becks. Turning off my headlights I get out of my car. The humid night air is stale and the street is quiet. Only the sounds of my footsteps against the sidewalk as I run are audible. I look around to see if there's anybody outside and there's no sign of movement. Everything is completely still.
I approach Beck's car and check the door. It’s unlocked. Hesitantly, I remove a list with the victims names and addresses. My heart thunders in my chest as I hold it. I frantically look around and quickly toss it on the seat. I silently close the door and sprint back to my car.
I call Detective Barnes. “It’s done.”
At Civil twilight the next morning, Detective Barnes, myself, and Garrett walk up to Beck's house with our guns drawn.
Barnes is friends with a judge in his county, so he was able to have a warrant expedited overnight. He bangs on the screen door.
“Police!”
Beck opens the doors in his boxers and dirty tank top. He’s holding a bowl of cereal. “What the hell?” He says confused, taking a bite of cereal.
“We’ve got a warrant. Open the door.” Barnes commands him in a thundering voice.
Beck complies and opens the door. Barnes shoves him out of the way and rushes inside. Garrett follows closely behind. Beck marches up to me.
“Chief, what the hell is this?” He throws his hands up.
“I only know as much as you do.” Filled with guilt about what i've done, I avoid eye contact with him.
“That's bullshit!”
“There's reasons to believe you may be involved in those murders and kidnappings.”
“Fucking seriously?” He grabs his hair and stares at me intensely.
Without anything to say to help him, I remain silent. He does as well. Detective Barnes and Garrett walk out of the house.
“The house is clear!” Barnes announces.
“What about his car?” Garrett asks.
“Search it.” Barnes instructs him.
Garrett walks over and begins searching the car. He checks it thoroughly and comes out holding the paper I had put.
“Found this.” Garrett hands Barnes the paper.
Barnes scans it and looks at Beck. “Arrest him.”
“For what?!” Beck is shocked.
My stomach sinks to the floor as Garrett turns him around and handcuffs him.
“Why do you have a list of the victims written down?” Beck holds the paper to his face.
“I don't know where that shit came from. It ain't mine.”
“Take him.” Barnes shoves Beck as Garrett walks him to his car and loads him into the back.
“Good work, Chief.” Barnes pats me on the back.
“What the hell are you talking about? You didn't find anything.” I get in Barnes’s face.
“We will. Just give it a little time.”
“What if it's not him after all and you're wrong?”
“It’s him.” He says with a sense of pride in his voice.
Barnes turns and gets into Garrett's car. They peel off, leaving me standing in the front yard.
I walk in and Detective Barnes has turned my office into an interrogation room. He stands across the table from Beck who is sitting handcuffed.
“Tell me about this list.” Barnes slides the forged list across the table.
“Look, man, I don't know shit about this.”
I join Barnes on the other side of the desk.
“Why'd you do it?” Barnes walks around and stands above Beck.
“I already told you. I didn't.”
The guilt I feel has formed into a sickness. I feel dizzy, like I could collapse any second.
“I need to go.” I rush out of the room and run outside.
The fresh air calms me immediately. Unable to finish the interrogation, I drive home. As I arrive to my front door, I see a manilla envelope resting on my doorstep. It faces upwards and written in sharpie on the front is “TO ROBERT”.
I look around and pick it up. I slowly open it and remove a picture. The picture is of the missing children along with another child covered in dirt locked in a cage. Standing next to the cage is a man wearing a faceless mask. The other kid is the child of rancher Joe Walker.
My heart sinks into my stomach and time freezes. My hold on the picture loosens and it falls to the ground. I gather my bearings and call in to Garrett as I haul ass to Joe's ranch.
Dirt and gravel fly up from underneath my tires as I speed down the road leading to Joe's house. I come to a sliding stop and hop out. I’m the first on scene, but that doesn't stop me from rushing up to the house and kicking the door in once nobody answers.
“Robert!” I yell as I swiftly maneuver through the house.
After my search is complete and I find nothing, I run out of the house and across the way to his one story brown barn. As soon as I enter I see him. He's hanging in the center of the barn from his feet. His head has been cut off and the blood from his body has been drained into buckets.
“Fuck!” I exclaim.
I walk outside and am met by Detective Barnes and Garrett.
“Guess you were wrong.” I tell Barnes sarcastically in passing.
I uncuff Beck. He stands and massages his wrists, glaring at me with disgust.
“Can't believe you thought I did this. Even after I told you I didn't.”
I remain speechless with my tongue tied in knots. He shakes his head and walks out of the station. The guilt in which I felt before has intensified after the series of events that has just occurred. It was never him. Barnes had been wrong all along.
The coroner is called along with forensics to travel out to the Walker ranch. I remain at the station. I cannot stomach anymore then i've already seen. Instead, I contemplate what i'm going to tell the cocky Detective.
Detective Barnes storms into the station and begins fuming when he sees Beck has been cut loose.
“What the hell?” He exclaims, putting his hands on his sides.
“I had to let him go. It’s obvious it wasn't him.”
“Bullshit. He’s involved in all this somehow.”
“Just admit it. You were wrong. We’re spending all our energy on him instead of finding who actually is behind this.” I tell him as calmly as I can.
This pushes him over the edge. “I've already told you! I'm never wrong. And i've been dying to ask you. How did you know to go out to that ranch?”
I stand and pass him the manilla envelope. He opens it and stares at the picture. He doesn't say anything, but studies it.
“That little girl in the back with the curls is Joe Walker's daughter. As soon as I saw it, I knew something was wrong.”
He slides the picture back in the envelope and studies the writing on the front. “They know your name.”
“That could be any of the five thousand people who live in this town.”
He points to the R in my name. “That's critical right there. The top is detached from itself.”
“What’re we going to do? Line the entire town up and force them to write an R?”
Garrett walks in with a stack of papers and hands them to me. “Here’s those reports.”
Detective Barnes stares at the papers in my hands. “Can I see those?”
I hand them over to him and he sets them down on the table. He skims them and begins flipping through the pages.
“Hmm. That's interesting.” He says in a low tone.
“What?” I peer over his shoulder at the papers.
He points to something on a couple of them. “All of his R’s are detached from themselves.”
The hairs on my body become stiff and my skin turns prickly.
“And look at the O’s.” He continues as he points to them. “They’re half circles.”
“What about Beck?”
“This is our guy. It's no coincidence that it's identical handwriting.”
“Can you get a warrant based off of this?”
He nods his head. “Yeah. There's been cases before that have led to arrests based off of shit like this.”
As I pull onto Garrett's street, I look down at my car's clock. The glowing numbers read 2:35. I park behind Becks car and he walks up to us.
“Sorry about earlier. No hard feelings?” Detective Barnes sticks out his hand in hopes of making a truce.
Beck shoves his hand away. “You accused me of murder and kidnapping. Fuck outta here.”
“This is bigger than about ya’ll two. Let's get this over with.”
I jog up to the front door with the other two following closely behind. I kick open the front door and we rush inside with our guns drawn.
The living room is filthy and there's a stale odor in the air. Pieces of trash litter the floor and table. We begin our hike down the long dark hallway. A child's faint whimpers can be heard coming from around the corner.
As I round the corner, I stop in my tracks. There's an open door with a staircase leading down to the basement. I grope for a light switch, but there is none. The child whimpers again and this time it's louder and more clear.
Detective Barnes shoves me out of the way and turns on his flashlight. He begins his descent down the stairs. I follow on his tail. We reach the bottom and he scans the basement with the light. One of the children's beady eyes passes through the light. He stops and moves towards them.
He shines the light on them. They all cower in the corner bunched up together. “It's okay. We're here to take you home.” Barnes says in a soothing voice.
“Jesus.” Beck says horrified.
A loud thud comes from above us.
“Garrett.” I run towards the stairs and travel up them as fast as I can.
Beck and Barnes stay behind to tend to the kids. I enter the living room and Garrett charges at me with an axe. I open fire, shooting him several times. He drops face flat to the ground.
We walk the kids out front and wait for Lockhart EMS to come and take the kids to their hospital. After they are transported and Garrett's body is taken, I stand with Barnes and Beck with a sense of relief.
“Thank you for your help.” I tell Barnes with sincerity. “I don't think I could've done it on my own.”
“I know. And for the record, I technically wasn't wrong about who it was.” Detective Barnes says with a smirk.
“Yeah you were.” Beck chimes in.
“It was a Sheriff. Therefore, I was partially right which means I wasn't wrong.” Detective Barnes cracks a half ass smile.
I let the Detective stew in his pride and walk to my vehicle. I sigh before starting up the car and driving off. As I turn back and look at the two standing there, Beck locks eyes with me and waves. He grins and winks.

It's a $200 handheld saw that claims to be a band saw, jig saw, tile saw, circular saw and hack saw. It claims to cut through wood, pvc, steel, drywall, carpet and so much more!!
It seems to good to be true.