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Chapter 1
A TOWN ON THE LINE
Texarkana is a town that can't decide which state it belongs to. So it belongs to two.
It sits right on the border between Texas and Arkansas, in the southern United States. In fact, it's really two towns, Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas, sitting side by side. The main street, State Line Avenue, runs right down the dividing line between the two states. Walk down one side of the road and you're in Texas. Cross over, and you're in Arkansas.
Even the town's post office sits on the line, with half of the building in each state. It's said to be the only federal building in America that stands in two states at once. And the town's name was stitched together from three states, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, which lies about fifty kilometres away to the south.
It started out as a railway town in the 1870s, where two railway lines met at the state line. For a long time it was a place of sawmills, cotton and freight trains. Then the Second World War came, and with it, huge army bases. A sprawling army depot was built just outside town, along with a big ammunition factory. Thousands of people poured in to work there. By the end of the war, the two Texarkanas together were home to tens of thousands of people.
In early 1946, the war had been over for only a few months. All over America, young men were coming home from Europe and the Pacific. They'd been through things nobody back home could imagine, and now they wanted to get on with their lives. They wanted jobs, cars, girlfriends, and a bit of fun. Texarkana was full of them.
It was a lively time. There were dances on Friday and Saturday nights, at clubs and halls around town. There were picture theatres showing the latest films. There were milk bars and cafes where young people met up after school and work. For the first time in years, the future looked bright.
And like every town in America, Texarkana had its lovers' lanes.
They were the quiet places on the edge of town where young couples went to be alone. A dirt road through the woods. A gravel track beside a field. A spot in Spring Lake Park, on the Texas side of town, with trees all around and nobody to see. Couples would drive out there after a dance or a film, park the car, turn off the lights, and sit and talk, or kiss, or make plans for the future.
Everyone knew about these places. Parents knew. The police knew. Nobody thought much about it. It was just what young people did. In a world where many of them still lived at home with their families, a parked car on a dark country road was one of the only places they could be alone together.
Nobody ever imagined that someone might be watching them.
There's one more thing about Texarkana that I want you to keep in mind, because it would matter a great deal in what came next. Because the town sat in two states, it also had two sets of police. On the Texas side, there was the city police and the sheriff of Bowie County. On the Arkansas side, there was another city police force and the sheriff of Miller County. On top of that, there were the state police from both states.
Normally that didn't matter much. But when a killer started moving back and forth across the countryside around the town, it meant a lot of different people trying to catch him, each with their own patch, their own way of doing things, and their own pride. It was a recipe for confusion.
Spring was on its way in February 1946. The nights were still cold, but the days were getting longer. Young people were starting to think about warmer evenings ahead.
And on the night of Friday 22 February, a young couple called Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey drove out of town after an evening together, and turned off onto a quiet, dark road.
End of chapter one. 11 more chapters in the full book.
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What's inside: 12 chapters
- 1. A TOWN ON THE LINE
- 2. THE MAN IN THE MASK
- 3. A BACK ROAD IN MARCH
- 4. THE GIRL WITH THE SAXOPHONE
- 5. THE PHANTOM
- 6. THE LONE WOLF
- 7. THE FARMHOUSE
- 8. THE BODY ON THE TRACKS
- 9. THE CAR THIEF
- 10. THE OTHER SUSPECTS
- 11. THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
- 12. THE ONES WHO LIVED
About this book
"THE KILLER WHO WORE A WHITE MASK" is a general book by Leigh Ralph with 12 chapters and approximately 10,166 words. It covers key insights and practical takeaways on the topic.
This book was created using Inkfluence AI, an AI-powered book generation platform that helps authors write, design, and publish complete books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "THE KILLER WHO WORE A WHITE MASK" about?
"THE KILLER WHO WORE A WHITE MASK" is a general book by Leigh Ralph covering key insights and practical takeaways on the topic.
How many chapters are in "THE KILLER WHO WORE A WHITE MASK"?
The book contains 12 chapters and approximately 10,166 words. Topics covered include A TOWN ON THE LINE, THE MAN IN THE MASK, A BACK ROAD IN MARCH, THE GIRL WITH THE SAXOPHONE, and more.
Who wrote "THE KILLER WHO WORE A WHITE MASK"?
This book was written by Leigh Ralph and created using Inkfluence AI, an AI book generation platform that helps authors write, design, and publish books.
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