The Sheriff of Ankeny, Iowa has a regular job, but is suddenly confronted with an odd killing. |
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The odd killing involves a Rich, one Eastern Iowa University student, out on Nine Mile Road. He was found hanging upside down, bled to death, over his own car. The only witness, a Lori Sorensen, describes the assailant as "invisible". The sheriff believes she is telling a story, and that she thought she was "seeing things".
The sheriff is attending service when two young men arrived late. Later, when he is out on Nine Mile Road investigating the murder, when he runs across the same two young men, one of which aims a gun at him. After arresting them, he throws them in jail overnight. The next morning, the older one, Dean, informs him that he was hazing the younger one, Sam, as a pledge in Hell Week, also explaining that the gun only had rock salt to "shoot ghosts". With a fine, he let both Dean and Sam go.
He is called out for a second murder, again with Lori Sorensen as the only witness, when her roommate Taylor was found bled to death in her own bed. This time there is a message in blood on the wall - "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" Underneath the words is a large cross with four smaller crosses surrounding it, also written in blood. With Lori as a suspect, the sheriff warns Rev. Sorensen to make sure Lori is available for questioning, before allowing her to be taken home.
The next morning the sheriff is at the hospital, questioning Lori Sorensen and the pledge Sam over the strange attack on Rev. Sorensen at the Reverend’s house. It seems that there was a man with a hook appeared and attacked the Reverend. After suggesting that Sam stay out of trouble, he allows Sam to leave to join his brother.
The next morning after that the sheriff is called again to the church, this time with another attack by this strange man with the hook. The attacker had attacked the pledge Sam, who needed medical attention. Dean, the older brother, gave the statement that they all saw this man and fought him off before he ran. Before the sheriff can warn Dean for him and his brother Sam to stay out of trouble, Dean tells him that they are leaving. The sheriff makes sure both boys climb into their car, before trying to solve these cases.