The Lizzie Borden Murders

The Lizzie Borden Murders

"Sorry to wake you up, Hank," the voice on the other end said. "But we found another body." The voice on the other end told Hank where the body was.

That brought Hank's feet to the floor and his body moving to the kitchen. A cup of bad instant coffee later, Hank still wasn't as awake as he wanted to be. But he was awake enough to drive to the crime scene.

Hank was the lead detective in what the press was calling the Lizzie Borden murders. Five bodies had been found so far: two men and three women. All had been murdered with a hatchet. According to the medical examiner, the victims had been rendered unconscious with the blunt end of the hatchet, and then restrained with an extension cord. The killer had taken his time with his victims. From the evidence, the unknown killer had more skill with his hatchet than a lot of surgeons had with their scalpels.

The five victims came from different backgrounds, ranging in age from 44 to 62, and had absolutely nothing in common except the way they had been killed. The first break that Hank and his team had gotten was from the killer himself. On the third body, the killer had carved the name 'Nance O'Neil' on her back. The medical examiner told Hank that the victim had been alive during the carving.

A little research on the internet revealed that Nance O'Neil was an actress in Boston whom Lizzie Borden had been friends with. Some people even suspected the two had been lovers.

One of Hank's team ran with that. It was soon discovered that all five victims were the estranged parents of gay children. Unfortunately, the children all had alibis and no common support groups in common.

As Hank got to the crime scene, he reflected on his relationship with his own son. When his son had "come out of the closet" a year ago, Hank hadn't reacted well at all. Since then, Hank hadn't talked to either his son or his ex-wife. Every time Hank thought about reconciling, he put it on a mental back burner.

Hank flashed his badge to get by the cops guarding the scene, and nodded at the medical examiner, who was covering the body.

"Jose Ledesma, age 56, reported missing a week ago. Same M.O. as the other bodies, but with one difference. Our killer carved the name 'John Fleet' on his lower back. Name mean anything to you?"

The name did mean something to Hank, though he couldn't specifically remember what. Hank took a few more notes, then headed back to his apartment for a few more hours sleep.

Hank had just walked through the door when he remembered that John Fleet was the deputy marshal who had questioned the original Lizzie Borden. Unfortunately, he remembered that little fact just as the blunt end of a hatchet knocked him out.