Cereal Killer

to have died accidentally from an extreme diet and exercise program. She was attempting to lose a large amount of weight in a brief time to fulfill a contractual agreement between herself and Wentworth Cereal. We now go to Dr. Jensen at the worldfamous Malibu Weightloss Center for a story on the dangers of crash dieting....”
    Savannah’s living room was silent as the TV physician issued his warnings, including a brief editorial on society’s pressure on women to remain unnaturally slender, no matter what the cost to their health.
    “Gee, you’ve gotta be pretty happy with that, Van,” Dirk said, when the story was over.
    “It’s a start,” Savannah said. “Not exactly a Cape Canaveral blast-off start, but a step in the right direction.” She reached over to her end table and picked up a copy of Real Woman. It was the latest issue. On the cover was a picture of Caitlin Connor, her red hair spilling over her shoulders, her skin glowing with health, her eyes alight with the joy of living.
    “Caitlin had thousands of fans who loved and admired her,” she said. “If even a few of them learn from her example, maybe she won’t have died for nothing.” She laid the magazine aside. “But either way... we did right by her, didn’t we?”
    “We did, Van,” Dirk said. “We sure did.”
    Savannah wiped a tear away with the back of her hand, reached down, and stroked Cleopatra’s black, satiny fur. She sniffed and said, “Anybody for a bowl of Chunky Monkey?”
    “With chocolate syrup and whipped cream?” Dirk asked.
    “Always, sweetcakes. Always. We don’t want nobody around here blowing away in a stiff wind.”
    “Not likely,” Tammy said. “Not with you around to feed them.”
    Savannah looked at her young friend and gave her a soft smile filled with affection. ‘You did great job on this case, kiddo. We couldn’t have done it without you. You want some carrot sticks with whipped cream and chocolate on top?”
    Tammy beamed, basking in the praise. “I’ll take some ice cream, too. A big bowl. After all, we closed a case. We caught the bad guys. Several of them. It’s a special occasion, right?”
    “Special, indeed,” Savannah said. “Let’s celebrate!”