This is the first vacation I've taken, and I've actually left my home area. I usually stay at home, do things around the house, and veg out on the couch. I would prefer to be at home versus going out. I am not a party girl. I never have been, even in high school and college. I guess that is why I have never had many friends. I only have one close friend now. 

I have never understood the need to see the world. I am content at home. My mom talked me into taking a vacation away from home. She said I am too young to mope around home. I don't mope, but I am a homebody. My mom is the one who wants me to see the world. I figured I would take this trip to make her happy. We could never vacation when I was a kid. That may be why it doesn't bother me to stay at home. It always bothered her that she couldn't afford to take me places. Every time one of my friends would go on vacation, she would tell me, "Maybe next year we could do that." I know she always tried, but life got in the way. The truth is, it never bothered me. She was always there for me and spent as much time with me as she could. 

My friend, with whom I work, was right when she told me Mount Ida, Arkansas, is a beautiful place to visit. It is gorgeous here. The trees are tall and straight. The scenery here is incredible. 

I promised my mom lots of pictures of what I do while I am here. More than likely, they will be pictures of me vegging out, just as I would be doing at home. I think the only thing I have planned is to visit the local bookstore here and possibly visit the crystal mines.

While I am thinking about it, I sent my mom a quick message. "Hey, Mom. I have arrived. We are going to settle in. I love you."

It didn't take long for her response, "I love you, too! Don't worry about me. You have fun. I will see you when you get back!"

I smiled at my phone. My mom has always been concerned about my well-being. I love her for that and so much more. 

I booked an Airbnb for this trip. That is what someone at work advised me to do. She said it was better than having a hotel room. It worked better for me because I brought my dog, Chow. I couldn't leave him at home. It only cost me a fifty-dollar pet deposit. Chow is well-trained. I don't worry about him damaging anything. 

The Airbnb was a tan, one-story house with a sliding glass door opening onto a deck in the backyard. The backyard leads to the woods. I can see from the yard that there is a path that goes into the woods. It must be walked a lot by the vacationers who rent this house. 

When I enter the house, I can clearly see that it is well-maintained. There was carpet in every room besides the kitchen and the bathroom. The property features two bedrooms, a living room, and a sun room. On one side of the sun room, there was a pool table. I've never been good at pool, but maybe I'll try shooting some while I'm here. 

Chow has already found his spot on the couch. He seems right at home. It makes me glad I brought him. My mom had offered to watch him, but I haven't been without him since I rescued him after his tour with the police department was over. Chow is a retired cadaver dog. 

I continue to the master bedroom. It has its own bathroom. That doesn't matter much to me because I am the only one here. The bathroom is nice, but it only has a shower. I enjoy relaxing in a bath before rinsing off in the shower. The other bathroom has a bathtub. I will probably utilize that bathroom more. 

I am unpacking my clothes when Chow walks to me and nudges my leg. That is my cue that he needs to use the restroom. I should probably put him on a leash because we don't know this area well. He isn't one to run off, but I don't want to take that chance.

I start down the path that leads into the woods. I thought it would be nice to explore while it was still light outside. I also don't want to pick up his poo from the yard. I won't have to be in the woods. Other animals use it to go to the bathroom. 

We're a mile in, and Chow has already peed on many trees and pooped. Suddenly, Chow stopped and started sniffing the ground. It's something I have seen him do a few times. He takes off fast. It makes me lose my grip on the leash, and he yanks from me. I know that is what he is after. He never chases squirrels or cats. He runs for human remains.

When I finally caught up to Chow, he was digging near a triangle of oak trees. His paws gently moved the dirt. It is the way he was trained. Usually, the cadaver dogs are trained to just sit near the site. Chow refused to sit there. He wanted to be part of the action. 

"Chow, stop it. We are on vacation. We are not here to work," I hollered at him.

He only looked up for a single moment. He went back to digging. It was another minute until I saw a decaying hand sticking out from where Chow was digging. Chow looked at me with clear pride on his face. 

I quickly pulled my phone out. I dialed 911, and I explained the situation to the dispatcher. She asked me to remain on the line with her until an officer arrived. It only took seven minutes for one to come. He must have been decently close. 

"Hello, I am Officer Denny. Are you the woman who phoned about the hand?" He asked me.

"Yes, Sir. My dog is a retired cadaver dog. I had to chase him. When I caught up to him, he was digging there." I pointed to the hole Chow had dug where the hand was visible. 

After he gave me a report form to fill out, he called for backup. During his call, he kept glancing at me. I am not worried about it. I didn't do anything wrong. 

It took around fifteen minutes for the officers and crime scene investigators to set up the crime scene tape. I watched as they delicately started uncovering the body. One of the crime scene techs came over to take my fingerprints on Rapid ID. That has to come in handy. 

The medical examiner who is on scene hasn't talked to me, but I didn't expect her to. Most police officers are territorial, and so are medical examiners. The fewer people messing with a body, the better. We can't afford to taint evidence. I know that in movies, they often portray everyone working together, but that's usually not the case. I don't want to be involved anyway. It is one thing I told Officer Denny. If they need to ask me questions, I will gladly answer them, but I am on vacation. I would like it to stay that way. It is best for my mental well-being. 

After I filled out the report and spoke to another officer, I was informed I could leave. They said they have everything from me that they need, and they shouldn't need to contact me again. I already knew they wouldn't. I knew I would check out. I grabbed Chow's leash to start walking, and he refused to budge. 

"Come on, Chow!"

He pulled his head away from me. I let him go because I didn't want a repeat of what had happened earlier. He went over to another area and started digging. This time, he dug up a foot. Given the distance between the areas, there was no way it belonged to the body with the hand. Besides, I believe the body already has two feet.

After another hour, Chow had located a total of five bodies between the triangle of oak trees. All five of the victims had brown hair and were female. The crime scene techs are going to have their time consumed with this today.

This was not how I expected to spend my vacation. As a medical examiner, I have seen numerous bodies, so I am accustomed to it. I was just hoping to get a break from dead bodies when I came here.

Chow and I were finally able to leave, and Chow was certain there were no more bodies around this area. We were walking through the woods, and I think we got lost. None of this looked familiar to me, but I wasn't sure if it was because I had never been here before or if I had lost my way on the path. We are too far away from where the police are. I'm not sure I'd be able to find my way back to them for help. I should've paid more attention to my surroundings while chasing Chow. 

I had been standing in the same spot, looking around, when Chow was shot with a dart. It only took seconds for him to be unconscious. I was too shocked to do anything. Where had that come from?

When I saw a man in the trees, I wanted to run, but I felt something hit me in the neck. I reached up to touch a dart before I passed out. 

I tried opening my eyes through the fog in my head. The person dragging me was talking. "Should have left well enough alone." It sounded like a man. I'm sure he wasn't really talking to me. He was just talking to hear himself. Before I started fading again, I noticed Chow was over the person's shoulder.

I didn't know how long I had been out before I started to wake up again. I looked around. I was lying in the grass. I saw the man walking around the area near all of the trees. There was another triangle of trees. Seriously, what the hell?

After he had finished walking the triangle, he came over and knelt down in front of me. I tried to move away, but I couldn't move. I noticed Chow was in the grass beside me. He had blood all over him, and he was no longer breathing. I could feel the tears streaming out of my eyes. 

My mind flashed to my mom. She is going to feel guilty that something bad happened to me while I was on vacation. She will blame herself for making me come here. I will have to tell her I am a grown woman. I couldn't have stayed home. I want to tell her I love her again. I want to hug her and tell her that I don't need to see the world because my whole world has always been with her. She has always made me feel special and loved. 

"Usually, I like to know my trophies more, but you, darling, well, you just fell into my lap. You aren't someone I would normally go for, but since your dog dug up my other girls, it is fitting that you be the first to rest in my most sacred area. You see, my dad made sure I had multiple areas to bury my victims. He taught me all I know. In this place, though, no one lies here yet. You will, though. You disrupted a special place for me. Those were my first. The ones I did right after my dad passed. I only had one thing to share with my dad. Killing women who behaved wrong was it. Those girls were a memorial for him. Now the cops are going to ruin my garden of girls. You need to pay for that," he told me. 

I didn't understand why he was telling me this. I could tell someone. I will tell someone the first chance I get. He killed my dog. I will make him suffer for that. 

He smiled down at me. "I am sure you are thinking you will be able to tell someone these things. You won't," he said as he wrapped his hands around my throat. 

That was the last thing I felt before the darkness.