Sophia barely had time to watch the news, but some of her female coworkers had started an email chain encouraging one another to carpool to and from work if they drove, or to walk in groups if they didn't. The news stories were all the same: unidentified female body, naked, sexually assaulted, found in a dumpster around LA, Venice Beach, and Malibu. Over the last six months, three bodies had been found in dumpsters behind fast food restaurants. In fact, they are now referring to him as the Fast Food Killer. Police have determined that this is indeed the work of a serial killer. She turned on the radio right as the latest news story filtered through the speakers and into the silence of the car. To top off the chaos of the evening, it had taken her an extra hour to get to the airport due to the fact that several streets were roped off near her neighborhood, forcing her directly into traffic. Now here she was at LAX airport at 11:45pm, waiting to fly through the night and straight to her granddaddy’s grave. Issue #69 soundtrack: Night Things 'Sleeping Beauty' She hated small planes, and although she was not particularly spiritual, she prayed she would not die during every take off and landing. Aside from the insane hours she was working, Sophia had horrible motion sickness and found every excuse not to fly. Over the last four years, as long as she’d lived in LA, she had not made time to go home to Raleigh.

Her 12 to 16 hour shifts, six days a week, as assistant costume designer on movie sets didn't leave her much time for herself, let alone anyone else. Sophia couldn't blame her Momma for leaving a voicemail. June, he’s- he’s gone to be with our Lord. I-I’m calling to let you know that Granddaddy Abbott has passed on. The second she heard her Momma’s tone of voice, she knew it wasn't good news. The red eye flight from LAX to Raleigh was the earliest one she could book after she’d received her Momma’s voicemail. By the time Sophia June Abbott arrived at LAX, the police had been called about a fourth, unidentified female body, but she wouldn't know that until after.

I Breathed a Body by Zac Thompson