THE HOUSEWIFE

Chapter 3

PRESENT

On Friday 7th of April, the body of forty-five-year-old resident Jonathan Houston was found splayed in the living room in a pool of blood in what was believed to be a home invasion. He was shot five times to death—two in the chest, two in the abdomen, and one in the head. Then his left hand was chopped off. This chilling discovery was made two days before the anniversary of the notorious Portland serial killer, Nathan the Ripper.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believe this is the handiwork of Nathan the Ripper, but the only problem is Nathan, legally called Nathaniel Hawkins is dead. Nathaniel Hawkins, known for murdering at least eight men dating back to ten years ago was arrested and put on death row. New evidence suggests a possible connection between the murders of years ago and this recent one.

Authorities have not disclosed the exact nature of the evidence but hinted at the similarities between this recent crime and the past murders. This revelation has sparked the daunting question: Has a longtime killer risen from the dead, or is this the work of a copycat killer?

Dr. Gwen Dike, the forensic psychiatrist who evaluated Nathan, spoke on the situation. “While it’s rare for a serial killer to have copycats, it’s not unheard of,” she stated. “Individuals may be inspired by the notoriety of famous criminals and want to imitate their actions. The reasons are many and varied. While some may do it for the fame, others might be suffering from real mental illness.”

The possibility of a copycat killer lurking in the shadows has put citizens on the edge. Residents are cautioned to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

In the meantime, the FBI has opened a formal investigation into the death of Houston and the past murders to establish a more solid connection. “We’re leaving no stone unturned and considering a wide range of possibilities. At the moment, we believe the murders are connected, but they couldn’t have been committed by the same individual. Either a copycat is at large or Nathan’s protégé has surfaced. Whatever this is, we’d get to the bottom of it before another body drops,” stated FBI director Allan Donovan.

This was terrible. I threw the newspaper on the table and inhaled, holding my breath for five seconds, then exhaled. New evidence had resurfaced. A man was dead, killed in the same way my ex-husband used to murder his victims. No wonder Mathew whatever was at my house. I wasn’t sure Detective Finbar would be assigned to this case. This was a federal investigation now, which meant in a couple of hours, my house should be swarming with FBI agents. If they thought this recent murder was connected to the past killings, then they would reopen old cases. They would visit relatives. I was back to square one. It wasn’t over. The thoughts made my skin crawl.

Myrna! How would she handle this new development? She would be devastated. That was certain. I wasn’t sure Nathan murdered Jonathan Houston, unless, of course, people could wake up from death years later. Although it wasn’t unheard of, I was certain Nathan couldn’t have survived. I was there when he was given the injection. His piercing eyes had penetrated mine. I understood the subliminal message he tried to send.  I will always love you, Arla.

He begged me not to divorce him. Even after he got married to Myrna a year later when our divorce was finalized, he never stopped reaching out to me. He’d send me letters, telling me how much he had missed me, and he couldn’t stop thinking about me. He’d called my phone too. When it became incessant, I threatened to file a restraining order and blocked him.

After all this while, when I thought my life was finally back to where it should be, another body had to drop and ruin what I had worked so hard for the past years. This couldn’t be happening. Perhaps I was having a nightmare and very soon, I’d wake up, curling myself under the warmth of my blanket. But as much as I wanted to believe this was a lie, I knew it wasn’t.