Thank you once more to everyone who has been reading and especially to those who have been reviewing as well. I appreciate each review so much, and am glad to see people are enjoying this story. I hope you continue to like it. Here's the next chapter:

xxxxxx

Sidney shook her head in disbelief as she stared off toward the road. She wasn't really looking at anything in particular right now. Just starting off. Her mind was racing too fast for her to really concentrate on paying attention to anything visually. She, Randy, and Dewey were sitting on her front porch while the crime scene in her front yard was being processed.

"Are you sure you don't want to go inside?" Dewey offered. He had already asked her this before, but she didn't want to go inside. At least out here in the open they couldn't be cornered if the killer returned. She also didn't want to leave her dad out here all alone, even if he was dead. Sure, he was out by the road and covered in a sheet while the police gathered as much evidence as they could. The police weren't going to allow anyone or anything to disturb their crime scene, but she couldn't just forget he was out here and go inside. The least she could do for him was to stay out here until she knew his body was being safely transported to the morgue.

She shook her head, "I'm fine out here," she frowned. She then stared into Dewey's eyes. The officer surely wanted an explanation, and most definitely felt awkward about asking for it. So Sidney offered a short summary of the night's events without Dewey having to ask, "he lured us out here, Dewey," Sidney sniffed back tears. Going back over what had happened was going to be harder than she thought, "he called my dad's cell phone, his work phone. I don't know who would have the number... He told me to check the mail box," she felt her lip quivering as she remembered what was quite obviously a very cruel setup.

Sidney felt Randy put his hand lightly on her back. She and he were sitting on the porch swing. Dewey had pulled a lawn chair up in front of it and was asking them questions.

"I'm so sorry, Sidney" Dewey spoke as he put his hand lightly on her knee, "We're going to get the guy who did this. We're getting closer to finding him every day. He won't get away this. I promise you that."

Colored lights from the police cars radiated off of everything Sidney looked at. She glanced out toward the mailbox again. Lots of people were in her yard. She could only see bits of the white sheet every now and then, but she knew exactly what it was covering, "I shouldn't have left him alone this morning."

Dewey shook his head, "don't you dare blame yourself, Sidney," he frowned, "this is the killer's fault - not yours. It's no one's fault but the person who murdered him."

She sighed. That was a logical answer, but emotions aren't logical, and she still felt guilty.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this," Dewey seemed nervous, "but I was wondering if we could go through what all happened. Every bit of information you can remember might help us catch the person responsible for all this."

Sidney nodded. Dewey was right when he said she probably didn't want to talk about what happened. She really didn't want to relive what had just transpired less than an hour ago. It would haunt her memories forever as it was. Going through all the details would only make the event stick harder in her memory. But she realized Dewey had a job to do, and her statement might help catch her father's killer. Her dad deserved to have his killer caught, and Sidney was more than willing to do whatever it took to help, no matter how painful it might be to recall the traumatizing event.

Without further pause, Sidney inhaled a deep breath and began to explain the night's events, "When Gale, Randy, and I got home, Dad wasn't here," Sidney started, "I noticed he was gone right when we got home. I didn't think anything of it at first... I mean, he's a grown man, and I'm an adult now too. He doesn't have to tell me every time he leaves the house, but he didn't ever come home. Once it started getting dark, I started to get really worried. I called everyone who I thought might know where he had gone, but no one had heard from him. So Randy and I were going to go look for him, but then the phone rang."

"Wait," Dewey interrupted her, "at what point did Gale leave?"

Dewey already knew Gale wasn't there, as he had been worried when he didn't see her when he arrived on the scene. Sidney had informed him that the reporter had left, but didn't go into the details, "she didn't even stay ten minutes, Dewey," Sidney frowned.

Dewey frowned as well, "Alright... Go on."

"You don't think she's a suspect, do you?" Randy wondered, "I mean, she's got the motive and all, but Martha? and Sidney's dad? I just don't think-"

"No, Randy," Dewey shook his head, "she's not a suspect. Not at all. I'm just trying to get a clear picture of what all went down."

"Alright," Randy raised his hand that wasn't on Sidney's back in defense, "sorry, man. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that whole 'everybody's a suspect' thing. She left. The killer arrived. Probably just a coincidence, but it's hard not to notice that fact anyway."

"It's fine, Randy," Dewey offered a small smile, "I'm not upset with you. Everyone is accusing everyone, and that's fair. It could be almost anyone, but you didn't see Gale after the killer attacked her last night. Her emotions were real. She's not involved."

Randy nodded and turned to Sidney, "Sorry for changing the subject, Sid," he frowned, "go ahead."

Sidney smiled back at him and then continued, "So I answered the phone, and it was the killer. He had that same disguised voice as before, and he kept telling me to check the mail box. Randy tried to call you on the land line, but the phone line was down for some reason. He came back into the living room, where I was, and took the phone."

Without her even having to ask, Randy picked up where she left off, as he had been the one talking to the killer by this point, "the guy kept saying that we needed to check the mailbox," Randy explained, "and then when I told him I wasn't falling for his trap and going outside, he told me that he didn't want to kill us. He said if he wanted us dead, he would have done it, because the back door was unlocked. So I went to check the door, and he forced his way in. We ran out the front door, but as soon as Sidney was nearing the mailbox, the killer ran out into the woods. I'm sure he's long gone by now, but he went that way," Randy pointed out toward the trees.

"Alright," Dewey nodded slowly, "Stay here for a minute. I'm going to go talk to some of the other officers and see what we need to do about searching for this guy," he reached out and squeezed Sidney's hand, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Sit tight."

Sidney squeezed his hand back and then leaned back against the swing, closing her eyes as the swing moved gently back and forth. Randy must have been pushing off against the deck and making the swing move, because Sidney wasn't. He had put his arm around her shoulders and was simply sitting there with her, keeping her company and making sure she felt as safe as she possibly could feel. Randy was the probably the best friend she ever had. He even ranked up right near Tatum.

With her eyes closed, at first all she saw were the faint colors of the flashing police lights, but that was soon replaced by images of her memories of her father's bloodied body. With a small whimper, Sidney shuddered and forced her eyes back open.

"You okay, Sid?" Randy wondered.

She looked over to him. He was staring down at her with concern in his expression.

Sidney nodded, "as good as I can be," she shook her head, "I just can't get the image of him out of my mind, Randy."

Randy simply pulled her closer against him. He knew there was nothing he could say to make this better, and Sidney was glad he didn't even try. Sometimes silence and a warm hug were the most genuine expressions.

"Sidney?" Sidney's ears perked up as she heard the familiar voice of Gale Weathers, who was making her way up the porch steps.

"No press, Gale," Randy said in a dry, sarcastic tone, "who let you through?"

Sidney looked toward the reporter. Following close behind her was a man Sidney didn't recognize.

"Dewey let us through, Randy," Gale answered in an equally sarcastic voice, "and I'm not here as a member of the press. I'm here as a friend."

"And who's this?" Randy wondered, gesturing toward the man.

"Xavier," the man held out his hand as though he expected Randy to shake it as he introduced himself. When Randy didn't return the gesture, Xavier frowned and drew his hand back.

"My camera man," Gale explained in an almost timid voice, "but it's not what you think," she raised her hands in defense. He just didn't want me going anywhere alone. And my car is still at the park. Someone had to drive me here."

"Where did you go, Gale?" Sidney frowned. She had been gone for hours. What had been so important that Gale felt the need to go off on her own, which was exactly what Dewey told them not to do?

Gale shook her head and looked like she felt guilty, "I guess you don't watch the news," she frowned, "I was filming a news story. Then I went back to my motel room to watch it. I've got to do my job, Sidney."

Sidney rolled her eyes, "of course you were filming a news story... I can't believe I even had to ask."

"News stories help catch killers all the time, Sidney," Gale pouted, "I'm trying to help in the only way I can... But, I heard what happened, and I had to come by and make sure you guys were okay."

"What do you care anyway, Gale?" Randy sounded very defensive.

"It's okay, Randy," Sidney put her hand on his arm to calm him, "she was just doing her job..." she always had to try so hard to understand Gale. The woman was simply Sidney's polar opposite. Gale didn't feel okay sitting back and not sharing what she knew. She wasn't like Sidney. Sidney liked to respect people's privacy, even if it meant other people wouldn't know the full story. Gale did not value that philosophy. It wasn't like Gale could have done anything to stop Sidney's father from being killed. The killer had probably gotten to him before Sidney had even gotten back home after leaving the school. For all she knew, if Gale had stayed, the killer may have killed her too.

The reporter stood awkwardly in front of them, "I really am sorry, Sidney... I couldn't stand to just sit here and not report on what I've seen and experienced. People have a right to know anything and everything about the person who might be sneaking into their homes and killing them tonight. The public has a right to be informed, and the victims have a right to have their killer caught by any means possible. If getting information out there will help catch this guy, why shouldn't I report on it?"

Sidney shook her head. She understood where Gale was coming from. Just because the job was too insensitive to be a good match for Sidney didn't mean it wasn't doing any good for the world. It was a dirty job, and someone had to do it. Gale happened to thrive when she reported on touchy subjects like this, "just promise me you aren't recording anything right now," Sidney glanced past Gale and toward her camera man.

He raised his hands defensively, but didn't speak.

"At the risk of being punched again?" Gale offered a sympathetic smile, "of course not."

Sidney almost laughed.

"But really, Sidney," Gale looked very serious again as she pulled the chair Dewey had been sitting in before up closer to Sidney and sat down so that they were only less than a foot apart, "is there anything I can do? Do you need me to get anything or call someone or anything at all? I realize there's nothing I can do to fix this..." she trailed off.

Sidney looked back at her. Gale did look genuinely concerned, "I'm fine," Sidney lied. Gale was right. There was nothing she could do to fix any of this, "thank you for coming though, Gale," she put her hand on the older woman's arm, "it means a lot to me that you came here to see if we were okay instead of to film a news story. This is a huge addition to what you've been reporting on, and no other reporters are here. You would have gotten the story first, but you're not worried about that, for once. You're becoming a better person right before my eyes."

Gale looked down then, as though embarrassed, or maybe ashamed, "I'm far from perfect, Sidney."

"I know that," Sidney agreed, "but I like you better now than I did two years ago," she laughed.

"I just don't want to disappoint you, Sidney," Gale frowned.

"Then don't," Sidney stared into her eyes. Sidney narrowed her eyes as she watched Gale. She could see the reporter's mind was racing. It must have been strange to live a life where you couldn't control your impulses like that, where not wanting to disappoint someone was so much easier said than done.

Gale nodded, but looked uncertain, "have you got somewhere to stay tonight, Sidney?" Gale changed the subject.

Sidney nodded, "I'm staying at Randy's house."

"Okay, good," Gale smiled, "do you have my cell phone number? If you need anything at all, you can always call me."

Sidney smiled, "I've got it." Honestly, Sidney would have probably never called Gale. But she always kept the reporter's number in the back of her mind, just in case, "thanks, Gale."

"No problem, Sidney," Gale put her hand on Sidney's arm and squeezed lightly, "I'll see you around. Stay safe," the reporter stood up.

"You too, Gale," Sidney responded.

"See ya, Gale," Randy called after her.

"Bye, Randy," Gale flashed him a smile and turned toward the steps.

Sidney watched as Gale, followed by her camera man, made her way back down the steps and toward Dewey, who had been walking up the sidewalk toward the porch. They spoke for a moment, during which they both seemed a little angry, but their voices remained hushed. Dewey sighed loudly as Gale threw up her arms as though completely fed up with him. She and Xavier made their way back toward the road where they were surely parked while Dewey climbed back up the porch steps.

"We're sending some people out to search the woods, but we don't want to risk any more lives. They're going in a group, so if the killer is out there, he won't take advantage of a bunch of cops wandering around by themselves. We don't have that many officers in Woodsboro anyway," Dewey explained.

"Okay," Sidney nodded. She looked over Dewey's shoulder as her father's body, still draped in the white sheet, was loaded up into an ambulance, which no longer had its lights on. There was no point in that now.

Dewey glanced behind himself and then looked back at Sidney with a sympathetic look on his face, "do you guys need a ride to Randy's house?"

"No," Sidney frowned, "I want to have my car handy so I don't have any chance of getting stranded anywhere," she was feeling rather paranoid, but with good reason. A few years ago, she didn't own a car, and she was being chased by a killer right outside where a car would have been readily parked if she had owned one. Having her car might just save her life.

"Alright," Dewey nodded, "I'll follow you in my car at least, just to make sure you get there safe."

"Thanks Dewey, but you really don't have to," Sidney assured him.

"I want to Sidney," he put his hand on her shoulder.

Sidney smiled, "thanks Dewey. Are you ready to go then?"

Dewey nodded, "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

Randy stood up from the swing and stretched his arms out above his head, "let's get the hell out of here then."

Sidney nodded slightly to herself. She couldn't possibly agree more. She was more than ready to get away from here.

As she and Randy walked down the steps and across the sidewalk in front of her house, Sheriff Jones made his way up to her, "Sidney, we're going to do everything we can to catch whoever did this," he spoke, "Neil was a good man."

"Thanks, Mr. Jones," Sidney forced a smile. Her father and the sheriff had known each other ever since Sidney was a child.

"You're going back to Mr. Meeks's house?" Jones asked, glancing toward Randy and then back at Sidney.

Sidney nodded.

"Well, I'll be sure to drive by at some point tonight and make sure everything looks like it's going okay," the sheriff offered.

Sidney forced another smile, "I'm sure everything will be fine since we'll be with Randy's family."

"I'm sure it will be too," Jones agreed, "but you can never be too safe. I don't want anything to happen to you, Sidney, and I'm sorry we didn't catch the worthless son of a bitch who's doing this sooner, but we're getting closer. With each crime, more evidence is left behind. We're going to solve this."

"I hope so," Sidney sighed. Her father deserved justice.

xxxxxx

You may notice I'm referring to the killer as "he" by this point. The characters mostly all are too. Since most of the chapters are sort of from a certain character's point of view, I think it's fair to just jump to the popular assumption about the killer's gender. Gale thinks it's a man because the killer seemed tall to her. The others are going off that (and the fact that many serial killers are in fact male, and the fact that male seems to be the default gender when referring to someone/something whose gender is unknown.) We're assuming the killer is male at this point, but only time will tell if that assumption is correct.

Please review, and I'll try to upload the next chapter in a timely manner. :)