Shadows Disinterred: Day 4

Word Count: 24,043

Summary of Events:
Dallas got the files for his final few victims, giving him thirty seven victims and confirming that this serial killer was still active. Dallas contacted the officer investigating the most recent case to try and get some more information, and then ended up learning that they were dealing with a female serial killer according to one of the victims' mothers, although he still had no location or surname for their killer, so Dallas contacted the most local victim's mother and got invited over for lunch to talk.

Excerpt of the Day:
""Thank you," Dallas said. "Getting the location would be an instrumental piece of the puzzle."
"Yes," Marion said. "Then we could find Shawn and reunite him with his family."
"No," Dallas said.
"No?" Marion asked. "What do you mean?"
"I told you earlier, I think this is the work of a serial killer," Dallas replied. "Shawn, I am positive, is dead — and maybe even long dead by now — all we will provide his family with is his body so that it can be properly buried."
"Are you sure he'd be dead?" Marion asked. "Many serial killers engage in torturing their victim before killing them."
"Yes, but still, if the killer seeks a new victim every July, then there must be a cooling period between victims," Dallas replied. "The majority of serial killers have a time where they have no victim, a period in which they let their kill and the pleasure of it sink in before they go seeking the next victim to kill. It's been ten months since Shawn disappeared; I am sure he's been dead for at least two months, possibly as long as eight months, maybe even nine."
Marion was silent. Dallas had a feeling that she was dealing with a little bit of deflating defeat at the moment, realizing that she hadn't succeeded in finding Shawn before he'd been slaughtered.
But then again, if he'd been killed as soon as a month after he left, he wasn't even reported missing until September, the case could well have been futile before it even began, they hadn't realized they were dealing with a killer.
"I'll contact the family and ask them about the location," Marion finally said, her voice quiet. "And I'll let you know what I get. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Dallas replied, although the line went dead before he'd even finished speaking. Dallas set the handset down to end the call.
Sighing, Dallas looked at Shawn's file. A picture had been included in it, and it showed a young man who looked young, fading signs of acne on his face, but yet still rather mature and dignified — especially so likely because it was his grad photo — a young man with his whole life ahead of him.
Dallas felt a twinge of disappointment himself too, but he could've done even less than Marion, he hadn't gotten the shovel until — likely — after Shawn had been killed, no matter what.
It didn't seem like there were any survivors, any escapees of this cunning, deceptive killer. Whoever they were, they were effective in trapping their victims and ensuring that absolutely no escape took place.
And Shawn wasn't the youngest either. There'd been John and Herman, both fifteen year olds, three years younger than Shawn, and both of them had been taken by this ruthless killer. It was almost enough to make Dallas cry."