Oy. Vey.
It’s been such a lovely little holiday around our quiet town. That is until Wednesday when the peace and quiet came to a screeching halt. With only three school days left until winter break, our town suffered a terrible blow coming from one insane 19-year-old — a double stabbing of both parents resulting in the death of one.
Wednesday began as any other day. For weeks, HHH and I had planned a day in the biggest little city to the west of us. We’d planned to visit the mall, hunt for meat at a mega grocery store, visit our jeweler friend, and enjoy lunch at Jersey Mike’s. In the evening, we’d take Miss B around town to “OOOhhh” and “Ahhhh” at the beauty of the Christmas lights around town.
Plans are great until they don’t quite work out. The largest retail store in the mall was a huge disappointment. With merchandise rumpled and thrown around, even finding a man’s shirt became impossible. It was surprising how many associates crowded around the fragrance counter, all shoving small papers drenched in cologne in my direction. Not even one smelled $100 nice, most smelling of rubbing alcohol. No wonder there’s not much dating going on with Millenials.
At the other large store the furnace and the escalator taking people to the Men’s department on the 2nd floor were broken. The elevator made strange groaning sounds as we went up. It seemed to be on the verge of breaking, as well.
Once upstairs, the men’s department was in total disarray, just like the other store. One week before Christmas at 10:30 in the morning! It’d be great to visit a clean store selling un-rumpled merchandise. At this point, I’m sticking with Amazon. At least the merchandise received is usually folded.
The rest of the morning went well, until we returned to a massive traffic jam. The school had just announced that after the day’s “lock-down”, parents could retrieve their children. There’d be no busing due to the manhunt for the 19-year-old murderer who remained on the run.
All night, helicopters searched a large open area. Periodically the killer’s phone would ping, prompting more police, drones, and dogs. As the temperature dropped into the low 20’s, there was no sign of the 6’4″ murderer. Barefoot, in red sweatpants and a dark shirt, it seemed he’d disappeared into thin air. All night, the community sat on the edge. On the police scanner, over 5,000 listened intently for updates.
A few rumors I’ve heard…
When 6, he tried to smother a friend with a pillow at a sleepover.
In 3rd grade, his favorite movie was “The Shining”. He named his dog Red Rum (turn the letters around).
Violent for years, his parents weren’t able to find appropriate help for their mentally ill child. Now, after receiving lethal stab wounds (too numerous to count) their son was running to save his own life.
Grief comes from all kinds of loss. Today, I grieve for the innocence lost at 11:00 am on Wednesday, December 17. I pray for the police, dogs, and pilots who worked tirelessly to find the killer and safely arrest him, restoring some peace to our town.
Yesterday, the hunt ended a little after 2 pm. The killer, (warming himself in a woman’s coat), was found hiding in the rafters of a local barn. Cold and spent, he was whisked away to the hospital for observation. Hopefully, he’ll never see another day of freedom in his life, the price that must be paid for his heinous actions.
Please pray for us in our little desert town. We’re small town folks reeling from the actions of a mentally-ill monster. In 2024, no one is safe from the insanity of evil-doers. Not even my dusty little town on a wide spot next to the interstate on the high desert plains of Northwestern Nevada.
