~~~~~~~~~~
DeeDee Williams frowned as she looked out her window of her college dorm. "Its a media frenzy out there." she said.
Jessica had been her roommate for the last 2 years of college, Dee never imagined anything
like that could happen to someone close to her.
The local papers and TV stations had been going crazy since word had leaked out that
the only surviving victim of the "Nickel and Dime Killer," was a student here. It wouldn't be long before the national papers and TV stations would come around,
and they would be the ones to find out about Jessica.
She had received a call from her father in New York, earlier in the day, concerning the final chapter of Merlin's murder mystery. DeeDee had faxed the chapter to him,
and he was very serious about publishing the book during the call.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I really didn't think you had a full course load. Spanish, English, English Literature, Sociology, Biology, Art, Algebra, Physical Ed. and World History,
US History and Gothic Literature." Gail commented as she grabbed the last piece of paper from the newspaper's fax machine, the following day.
"Don't forget I'm coeditor of the newspaper." Jessica added.
"Right. I find it hard to believe they are going to let you take finals at home."
"I guess they figure with all the media around, I wouldn't be able to get the study time in."
"So what do you want to start with?" Gail asked shuffling the papers.
"Surprise me." joked Merlin.
"Algebra." She put the test down in front of her daughter. "One hour and forty five minutes from now."
~~~~~~~~~~
Jess ate her lunch watching the people playing with their remote control boats in the river. She finished her ham sandwich
and then took half of a large white pill and headed for the sidewalk.
Three white vans were parked under a sign that said no parking. As if someone pushed a button, the doors opened and two females and four men popped out.
"There she is!" one of the men yelled.
Jess realized it, reporters and she high tailed it out of the way. She looked back and saw more reporters had joined the hunt.
Before she knew it, she was only a half a block from church, turning the last the corner she came face to face with a reporter and a recording camera.
"How does it feel to be the only surviving victim of one of the bloodiest murder sprees?" the female voice asked as she shoved the mic into her face.
The other reporters came around the corner with questions and their blinding camera lights.
Jess shook her head and pushed her way into the church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello?" Jesse called. "Hello?"
"Yes?" The priest emerged from his writing room. "Jessica? What's wrong?"
Just then the doors opened and a flood of reporters began to flow in. Jessica stood behind the gray haired priest. "Reporters?" She nodded.
"My children, this is a house of God, not a press meeting, now disperse." He tried to reason with them, but they refused to move.
"Jessica, go into my office and call your father."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Caleb!" Lucas hollered.
"What?"
"Reporters have Jessica cornered in the church." Lucas told him.
"I think they need to be taught some manners." Caleb replied.
"Agreed."
~~~~~~~~
"Good afternoon everyone, my name is Sheriff Lucas Buck." Lucas announced as he walked through the doors.
"This is my deputy Caleb Temple." Caleb tipped his hat.
"Sheriff, I'm so glad you're here....." The priest told him. "She's in my office."
A scream came from the office and a reporter came through the front doors.
"She broke my fingers!" the blond reporter told Lucas. "I want her arrested for assault."
"Merlin, what happened?" Caleb asked as Jessica appeared from the office.
"Well the window was open and she had her fingers on the sill and the window for no apparent reason slammed shut."
Lucas smiled, "Sounds like an accident to me, what you think?"
"Accident." Caleb said.
"I'll be sure to call Jack and ask him to fix it." the priest smiled.
~~~~~~~~~
"Phone!" Gail yelled from the kitchen. "Jess, I've got my hands full."
Jessica hurried down the stairs and grabbed at the phone knocking over the table, and everything on it.
"Jess?" her Mom's voice called out.
"Its fine Mom!" she called back. "Hello?"
"Hi its Dee!" DeeDee's cheerful voice was on the other end.
"Hey!"
"Listen, I faxed Daddy the last chapter of your book....."
"Why?"
"Well Dad's been reading it, and I promised him I would let him read it. Anyway, he wants to publish it."
"Excuse me?"
"He wants to publish it." DeeDee repeated.
Jessica said nothing.
"Merlin you still there?"
"When?"
"As soon as possible, should I have him send you the paperwork?"
"Yeah, how...."
"How long? I'm not sure. I'll call Dad next and have him send the paperwork over." DeeDee said.
"OK."
DeeDee Williams frowned as she looked out her window of her college dorm. "Its a media frenzy out there." she said.
Jessica had been her roommate for the last 2 years of college, Dee never imagined anything
like that could happen to someone close to her.
The local papers and TV stations had been going crazy since word had leaked out that
the only surviving victim of the "Nickel and Dime Killer," was a student here. It wouldn't be long before the national papers and TV stations would come around,
and they would be the ones to find out about Jessica.
She had received a call from her father in New York, earlier in the day, concerning the final chapter of Merlin's murder mystery. DeeDee had faxed the chapter to him,
and he was very serious about publishing the book during the call.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I really didn't think you had a full course load. Spanish, English, English Literature, Sociology, Biology, Art, Algebra, Physical Ed. and World History,
US History and Gothic Literature." Gail commented as she grabbed the last piece of paper from the newspaper's fax machine, the following day.
"Don't forget I'm coeditor of the newspaper." Jessica added.
"Right. I find it hard to believe they are going to let you take finals at home."
"I guess they figure with all the media around, I wouldn't be able to get the study time in."
"So what do you want to start with?" Gail asked shuffling the papers.
"Surprise me." joked Merlin.
"Algebra." She put the test down in front of her daughter. "One hour and forty five minutes from now."
~~~~~~~~~~
Jess ate her lunch watching the people playing with their remote control boats in the river. She finished her ham sandwich
and then took half of a large white pill and headed for the sidewalk.
Three white vans were parked under a sign that said no parking. As if someone pushed a button, the doors opened and two females and four men popped out.
"There she is!" one of the men yelled.
Jess realized it, reporters and she high tailed it out of the way. She looked back and saw more reporters had joined the hunt.
Before she knew it, she was only a half a block from church, turning the last the corner she came face to face with a reporter and a recording camera.
"How does it feel to be the only surviving victim of one of the bloodiest murder sprees?" the female voice asked as she shoved the mic into her face.
The other reporters came around the corner with questions and their blinding camera lights.
Jess shook her head and pushed her way into the church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello?" Jesse called. "Hello?"
"Yes?" The priest emerged from his writing room. "Jessica? What's wrong?"
Just then the doors opened and a flood of reporters began to flow in. Jessica stood behind the gray haired priest. "Reporters?" She nodded.
"My children, this is a house of God, not a press meeting, now disperse." He tried to reason with them, but they refused to move.
"Jessica, go into my office and call your father."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Caleb!" Lucas hollered.
"What?"
"Reporters have Jessica cornered in the church." Lucas told him.
"I think they need to be taught some manners." Caleb replied.
"Agreed."
~~~~~~~~
"Good afternoon everyone, my name is Sheriff Lucas Buck." Lucas announced as he walked through the doors.
"This is my deputy Caleb Temple." Caleb tipped his hat.
"Sheriff, I'm so glad you're here....." The priest told him. "She's in my office."
A scream came from the office and a reporter came through the front doors.
"She broke my fingers!" the blond reporter told Lucas. "I want her arrested for assault."
"Merlin, what happened?" Caleb asked as Jessica appeared from the office.
"Well the window was open and she had her fingers on the sill and the window for no apparent reason slammed shut."
Lucas smiled, "Sounds like an accident to me, what you think?"
"Accident." Caleb said.
"I'll be sure to call Jack and ask him to fix it." the priest smiled.
~~~~~~~~~
"Phone!" Gail yelled from the kitchen. "Jess, I've got my hands full."
Jessica hurried down the stairs and grabbed at the phone knocking over the table, and everything on it.
"Jess?" her Mom's voice called out.
"Its fine Mom!" she called back. "Hello?"
"Hi its Dee!" DeeDee's cheerful voice was on the other end.
"Hey!"
"Listen, I faxed Daddy the last chapter of your book....."
"Why?"
"Well Dad's been reading it, and I promised him I would let him read it. Anyway, he wants to publish it."
"Excuse me?"
"He wants to publish it." DeeDee repeated.
Jessica said nothing.
"Merlin you still there?"
"When?"
"As soon as possible, should I have him send you the paperwork?"
"Yeah, how...."
"How long? I'm not sure. I'll call Dad next and have him send the paperwork over." DeeDee said.
"OK."