Talented at spotting needles in haystacks, and other trivial pursuits, true-to-life sisters Veronica and Betty heard the booming message "This is the Del Point Police. Cooperate with us in whatever we ask." Then, the voice repeated itself, "Cooperate with the police"

The boisterous beach crowd grew eerily quiet as people stared in all directions. Low surf washed over the bare feet of sunbathers wading toward the shore.

Veronica allowed her vivid mind to imagine the movie Jaws. She knew no sharks were in control, apparently just a loose, deranged, killer. Veronica could not wait to see what all the hoopla was about that caused the stir.

She enjoyed spending quality time with Betty. Veronica often told her oldest sibling, "It's so hard when you go away from home. I get lonely for you. Things aren't the same with you gone."

Betty smiled and asked, "You okay with our lunch plans at Waves Seafood? We both appreciate the shrimp cocktails there."

"Absolutely. That's not a problem at all," Veronica replied.

For some reason she felt it became her responsibility to make their outing as memorable as she possibly could.

Seeming to always have a game plan, as big sisters are notorious for, Betty often provided Veronica fairly sound cheerleading at times. Additional freebies were wise guidance counseling, and when the need was there, a healthy dose of psychological analysis.

Sixty yards away a helicopter came into view from the south. Veronica noticed police sharpshooters positioned in the whirlybird. So did onlookers now massed at the water's edge.

A disturbance close to the pier caught Veronica's attention. She witnessed people pushed forward. Others dashed away as fast as their fat feet carried them. Ever the courageous one, Veronica trudged on.

The decibels of the beachgoers crescendoed again. The aroma of hot dogs and stale beer permeated the air. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Veronica rushed to the pier. She noticed several looky-loos bent over something. Veronica's pulse raced.

A young redheaded lass wailed hard against her father's hairy chest. Veronica glimpsed the beach blanket-wrapped corpse the crowd gawked at and wondered how the body got there. An up closer look showed the deceased had a waxy, purplish tint to her skin and flattened eyes, the result of lost fluid. Veronica saw pale lips and nail beds.

Shielding her face with one hand, Veronica heard a prop plane make its way down the shoreline. She'd seen many before, but this one was not like them. This plane toted a fifty foot banner that waved behind the plane and read in huge, bold-printed, letters "SISTER VERONICA, LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!"

Veronica slapped her twin brother Archie's sunburned shoulder hard. He flinched when she stated, "You, and your life-like mannequin, are such a-holes!"

A propman for the local theatre company, Archie looked at her handprint and laughed hearty, "Au contraire. This is the most excitement this dead zone beach has had in twenty years!"