I’ve seen large funerals before but the one for my sister Kathy Taylor Landly filled the church and spilled out onto the street.

My name is Helen Taylor Hanson and I’m here to tell Kathy’s story. I sat beside her three year old son William Harris and her husband Chief of Police Derek Landly in the front row of the church and tried to swallow back the emotion. Eighteen month old Hillary sat on her dad’s lap and chewed on a ring of teething beads.

Derek stared straight ahead. There was no emotion. No tears, no anger, nothing. He had been that way for the past five days. I told my husband that it was as if he had closed himself off from all emotion and attachment.

Behind us sat fifteen officers of the Heaven Police Department. All in dress uniforms, all stoic and all staring straight ahead. Paul McClusky got to his feet and made his way to the pulpit to deliver the eulogy he had written. I tuned out his voice and focused on the cross that hung on the wall behind him. My mind questioned everything and seemed unable to put it together so it made sense. A serial killer, a pursuit, a shooting and finally Kathy was gone.

They said Derek was a mad man and it took three other officers to restrain him from the crime scene. I hadn’t gone to the morgue, Ed had. No one wanted the job of claiming the remains of the person who had been part of everyday life for so long. No one wanted to try to explain death to the children.

Derek had disappeared for three days. Sealed away in his home. He refused to see even Paul McClusky or Ed. In fact he changed, he became cold, hard, quiet and that made me nervous. Even the town had gone cold. Life seemed to turn into stone and one day slipped into another without a word.

Then it was over. All over. She was gone and our lives were about to take the most dramatic change.Three hours later Ed and I both stood in the kitchen of the Landly home. Flowers, cards and items of food covered the counters and the table.

William Harris was on the sofa with a toy, Hillary on the floor asleep. Derek sitting at the table with no expression on his face and a cup of cold coffee between his hands.

Derek took a deep breath. “I am going to find him and I am going to kill him.” his eyes snapped anger.

Ed took a deep breath. “Derek, the FBI have been looking for the man who calls himself “One Eyed Jack for over a year.”

“He was here Ed. He came into this town and he killed.” Derek said and got to his feet. “I’m going to find him and kill him. Now, please I’d like to be alone with my children.”

Kate Yazowski is the author of the popular Heaven Murder Mysteries series, known for blending small-town charm with dark, suspenseful crime fiction. Her novels explore the hidden lives of ordinary people, where quiet communities mask dangerous secrets and every familiar face holds the potential for guilt. With a talent for atmospheric settings and character-driven mysteries, Yazowski has built a growing body of work that appeals to fans of cozy mysteries, psychological suspense, and small-town thrillers alike. She is especially recognized for crafting immersive fictional towns that feel as real and complicated as the crimes that unfold within them.

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