“Absurd, but it fits.Or at least the old version does.”
“We should update Colonel Spelling,” she said, forcing herself back to the practical.“Can you get him on the phone?
Jake was already reaching for his cell.He placed the call, putting it on speaker as the ring tone filled the car's interior.Three rings later, the colonel's crisp voice answered.
“Spelling here.”
“Colonel, it's Deputy Hawkins and Sheriff Graves.You're on speaker.”
“Sheriff, Deputy.I was wondering when I'd hear from you again.I take it there have been developments in the Kingsley case?”
Jenna exchanged a glance with Jake before responding.“Yes, sir.Significant ones.We've identified what appears to be a thematic element to the murder.”
The line went quiet for a moment.“Go on,” Spelling finally said.
“We have reason to believe that Claudia Kingsley's murder was staged to evoke the original Grimm brothers version of the Little Red Riding Hood story,” Jenna continued, the words sounding strange even to her own ears.
A pause from Spelling's end.“That's...not what I expected to hear.Walk me through how you made this connection.”
Jenna recounted their visit to the Dénouement Café, how Leith Walsh's interests in fairy tales had revealed parallels between the murder and the story told by brothers Grimm—the woods as a place of danger, the red hood or cap, the wolf consuming the victims, the evisceration.“And of course there are differences, too.The old story is gory, but those victims got out alive.”
“But why would anybody be basing a murder on a story that’s — what — about 200 years old?”
“The older versions of these stories weren't sanitized,” Jenna explained, “they were warnings, often brutal ones.”
“And you believe your killer is sending a warning?”Spelling asked.
“Or just starting a whole new story collection,” Jake suggested.“One that might not be finished.Claudia might be only the first victim in a sequence.”
“Have you found any connection between Claudia Kingsley and fairy tales?”Spelling asked.“Was she a collector, a scholar, something that would make her specifically targeted for this narrative?”
“Nothing obvious,” Jenna admitted.“She was an elementary school teacher, so fairy tales could have been part of her professional world, but nothing stands out as making her a specific target for this theme.”
“I see.And you're sure about this interpretation?It seems...theatrical.”
“That's exactly what concerns us,” Jenna said, slowing the car as they approached a red light.“The staging suggests someone with a flair for the dramatic, someone who wants their work to be recognized as part of a larger narrative.”
“Or someone who believes they're enacting justice through these stories,” Jake added.“Many fairy tales are about punishment for transgressions.”
Spelling fell silent again.The light turned green, and Jenna accelerated through the intersection, the station now visible a few blocks ahead.
“This changes things,” Spelling finally said.“If you're dealing with a killer who's framing murders around fairy tales, we need to consider whether they have a sequence in mind—a collection of stories they plan to tell.”
“That's our fear,” Jenna confirmed.
“I'll put together a team of analysts who specialize in pattern recognition and symbolic crimes,” Spelling said, his voice taking on the brisk efficiency that came with decision-making.“In the meantime, I want regular updates, Sheriff—as frequently as things develop.”
“Understood, Colonel.”
“My offer stands—whatever resources you need, just say the word.”
“We will,” Jake assured him as Jenna pulled into the station parking lot.
“Good hunting, then.”The line went dead as Spelling hung up.
“Spelling might have a hard time accepting this,” Jake said, “but he knows your...insights are valuable.”
“Let's hope those insights come through on this case, too.Because so far, I’ve got nothing—no dreams, anyway.And that’s the only time that the dead speak to me, at least give me some clues about what’s going on.And right now, all I can think is that somewhere in Trentville, someone might be planning their next fairy tale murder.”