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seen before, one lit for their friend. It burned brighter than the rest, it's warm light spilling over the town of Burgess and all it's mourning residents.
    Soon her eyes drifted further beyond, towards the craggy silhouettes along the horizon. This time there were no thoughts of wonder, no fascination at where it all ended, at what was out there. No, she knew what was out there now.
    It was death.

Chapter 5
    It had been a long few days for Jack, ever since the local media got hold of the identity of the victim. Now he'd have to duck their questions while trying to ask his own. It was a brand new situation he found himself in: trying to interview people one minute, dodging interviews himself the next.
    He'd spoken with the girls' parents soon after the Sheriff had told them the news, finding out about her and her life. In Burgess she'd been the toast of the town, but they knew little of her life beyond, of the short time she'd spent in LA.
    Her apartment in LA was cordoned off and the residents were interviewed. They spoke of a happy and bright girl, always smiling, beautiful, confident, and ambitious. She'd gone to LA to further her career, to try to make it big, and had been working at a local bar to try to fill the gaps between auditions.
    It was a couple of weeks before any of the residents realized she was missing. The ones that knew her, that had become her friends, assumed she'd gone home to spend time with her parents. By the time her parents came to check on her, she was already long dead, her body rotting at the muddied bottom of a rapidly drying river.
    There were few signs in her apartment of anything but a normal girl living a normal life; nothing to suggest she was caught up in anything. Her co-workers at the bar where she worked were shocked and saddened at her loss, none of them displaying any signs of being involved in any way, or having knowledge of her murder.
    And all the while, Jack could feel the grip of the Los Angeles police closing in around him. There were many capable homicide detectives working in the city, many who'd solved crimes and brought people to justice like this before. It was only Sheriff Tavish's sway with the local LA county Sheriff and Police Chief that kept Jack on the job.
    “Do a good job boy,” he'd told him. “I'll try to keep the media off your back, but this is your big shot right here. You've got a lot of people breathing down your neck and wanting to have a crack at this case. Don't let me down.”
    “But sir, she was found near Burgess, and she grew up in Burgess. That puts her under my jurisdiction.”
    “But she lived in LA when she died Jack. She was probably killed in LA. Look, you've got it for now, but I can't promise that forever. Find something, soon.”
    The last thing Jack wanted was for this case to be pulled from under him on a technicality. The girl was a Burgess girl, not an LA girl, and as the local homicide detective it was down to him to find the culprit.
    And he would. If it killed him he would.
    …
    “Detective Slade, anything new on the Lane murder?” The question came from several mouths, all speaking at once, as Jack stepped out from his LA hotel. He'd been staying in the area, sticking close to avoid the long commute to and from Burgess, and acting to prove that he was worthy of doing the job.
    He put his hands up. “Nothing new at this time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do.”
    “Shouldn't someone else be taking the case Detective Slade?” The question came from behind as Jack stepped into his car. He stopped halfway, and turned.
    “The girl was killed in LA was she not? Shouldn't an LA detective be on the case?”
    The question brought Jack's eyes bearing down on him.
    “First of all, we don't know where she was killed. Secondly, the girl has only just moved to LA after living her entire life in Burgess, where I am the acting homicide detective. Thirdly, she was found within the territory of the town, on it's outskirts. That