July 31st, 1939

North of Rockwood, Maine, USA

Detective Chaney stood before the large house, taking in the scene. The warm weather made him sweat in his suit but as a seasoned detective he knew the value of not rushing into a crime scene. He had followed the killer across three states, a trail of violence and cadavers leading him ever north. Now at the edge of the wilderness he was closer than ever and simultaneously on the verge of losing his prey. The area had already been secured by a uniformed local who was now sitting on the front bumper of his squad car, looking sickly. Taking one last look over the large two story home and manicured gardens, he strode back down the sloping drive to the waiting men.

"Officer Bellamy, isn't it?" Chaney addressed the pale looking man in uniform. "You were first on scene, what can you tell me?"

"Not much sir. They were all dead when I arrived, no sign of any one, whoever done it was long gone." He replied between heavy breaths. He was clearly shaken by whatever was inside the house.

"Did you touch anything?" Chaney asked the routine question as much out of habit as anything else.

"No." Bellamy croaked looking up at his seperior. "Although I did vomit."

"Bit scared were you Ralph?" snickered one of the less disciplined men

"If this one dosn't scare you, then your already dead! And hope to god that you never see another like this for the rest of your days." Snapped Chaney in the mans defense. "Bellamy, go get some rest at the station and when your up to it fill out the repot."

Chaney turned back to the house, from the outside it was serene, perched on a hill overlooking the lake. Whoever had chosen this house had known, they wouldn't be disturbed or overheard. This was the worst slaying yet and he had to wonder if it had anything to do with the blue moon. He hoped this wasn't a sign of things to come.

"Are you ready?" The man speaking was detective Chaneys long time partner having just returned from inspecting the back of the house. A bald man with thick rimmed glasses, Carl Siodmak didn't look like a detective but more like he should be teaching math. Despite his looks he was still the best detective Chaney knew.

"As ready as I will ever be." Chaney replied moving up the garden path towards the house and the multiple victims he knew were waiting inside.

Stepping over the threshold he wasn't prepared for what greeted him. The phone was torn from it's fastenings and left discarded at the foot of the stairs. Further up the staircase lay a body, the woman's dress torn to shreds, her torso ripped open exposing muscle and bone. Judging by the blood she had been dragged to her final resting position before her head was removed by brute force. He cringed, turning away as the raw meat smell filled his nostrils, while behind him Carl's pencil scratched in his notebook.

"It gets worse upstairs" His partner warned him, as they started their accent. Picking their way around blood spatter and pieces of body littered on the stairs. At the top of the stairs the woman's head sat starring vacantly with her dead eyes open.

In the upstairs bedrooms they were greeted with so much destruction it was hard to make sense of anything. The very walls had been torn apart, as though an angry bear had wandered into the scene and taken a dislike to the decor. Inside each of the two bedroom were the remains of a child. One partially devoured on the bed, while the other had been dragged from one room to the other before being discarded unceremoniously in a pile. Chaney who was used to looking at death in its many twisted forms, felt sick at the sight of such violence against the innocent. They spent the next hour picking through the scene, looking for the vital detail that would see the case unravel.

"What are we looking at?" Chaney asked looking at Carl for the answer, as they stood outside in the warm sun.

"I can't say I know." Even Siodmak looked somber, something Lon had never thought he would see. The man had steel nerves and a dark humor about him that only someone who shared similar experiences could appreciate.

"The door wasn't forced which would indicate they were let in, that would be a good spot the start." Chaney noted.

"And I'll talk to the folk about town. If this is our guy he can't have been here more than a month. At a guess I would say he cased the place before making his move, someone must know something. The guy is not a ghost." Carl added.

"Alright, listen up." The detective addressed the five remaining police officers who had been waiting paitently since the mid morning. "You have all been briefed and you all know the procedure. I want this done by the book. This is a homicide and one that I want to see solved. If you turn up anything suspicious or anything you think may be important, I want to know. It may be the smallest detail that cracks this, so keep em peeled fellas." Chaney waved a signal for the local police to start doing their part, before turning to his partner.

"Whoever this is, they are an animal and I want them. We got two days tops if we want to see them served justice."

"Whoever done this... I'm fearful they are already beyond justice." Carl's words cut Chaney deep fueling his anger, not because of his attitude but because he was right.