Cat's Paw (also Spanish Tickler)

About as large as four fingers of a man’s hand, these devices, usually attached to a short handle, served to rip the victim’s flesh to shreds and to strip it off the bones, in any part: face, abdomen, back, limbs, breasts.

Dear blonde girl in the white dress who had blood all over your bare feet and scarlet lines like a pageant sash wrapping you up like a bloody homecoming queen, I am so sorry.

Not Whitechapel, just Gainesville, and I was on my bike. Mint tea in one hand, listening to my ipod as I biked past you. I could see the cop cars and the ambulances from 12th street, and I was heading to the downtown post office, so I should’ve just cut over to Second Ave, but I kept straight east. I saw your feet and your dress and I winced and turned away. In case you’re wondering, while you were sat on the curb with all those strangers around you and cars rubbernecking and helicopters overhead looking for your ripper, "Polar Opposites" was your soundtrack. Now, like Beloved, you'll always have that second smiley face to haunt you.

i stopped and asked Ronnie in front of Recycled Bikes what had happened. i thought he would start with, "Well, these girls were trying to cross the street." But he said, "Some guy tried to rob the French Addiction and he slit the girl behind the counter's throat." i went to the postoffice and bought the Ella Fitzgerald stamps. i went home to get ready for work. In solidarity, I changed into a black cocktail dress with a thick crimson obi - kabuki style.

The police lieutenant in this morning's Gainesville Sun: "The case appears to be sexual in nature, so until we can make a definitive determination, we cannot release her name."

French Addiction. I never understood what it meant.