That surprised Oliver. According to Richard, both the women discovered in Alabama had been raped. “How long was Mrs. Clayton missing before her body was found?”
“A week,” Richard answered quietly.
Oliver’s detachment momentarily slipped. Jennifer Clayton had been tortured, drowned, and resuscitated, only to be tortured again and again before the killer grew tired and drowned her a final time. But not before he cut her unborn child from her body.
“He tortured her for a week.” Oliver took a step back and met Holland’s gaze. “That’s almost unheard of, Richard. Most serial killers don’t last beyond three days before their rage drives them to kill.”
When Holland simply stood there, silently watching him, Oliver asked, “Was the MO the same with the Alabama victims?”
Richard nodded his confirmation. “Aside from the fact they’d been raped, both victims were found along the shore of the Gulf in Alabama, their dismembered bodies stuffed into garbage bags and tied to a dock.”
Oliver knew the answer to his next question, but he asked it anyway. “Private or public docks?”
“Public. Why?”
“It’s the epilogue to his fantasy.” Oliver glanced between Holland and Ramsey. “His last show of humiliation before he moves beyond them in search of a new vic.”
A deep indention appeared between Ramsey’s eyes. “And the finger he removes?”
Oliver returned his attention to the woman’s hand, the doctor still held. “Since it’s customary to wear a wedding ring on that particular finger, my guess is it’s significant to him somehow. A cheating wife or girlfriend.”
Ramsey placed the hand back inside the body bag and zipped it up. “Are you saying he removes the finger as a form of punishment?”
Oliver shrugged. “Partly. But it’s definitely his signature. And he’s most likely keeping the wedding rings as trophies.”
“But why the babies?” Richard asked. “Why take pregnant women?”
Oliver swung his gaze in Richard’s direction. “Were the other fetuses removed in the same manner as Jennifer Clayton’s?”
Richard slightly shook his head. “According to the reports, the unborn children hadn’t been removed.”
“Then why was Jennifer’s?” Oliver peered down at the now zipped bag containing Jennifer’s body, watching as Dr. Ramsey slowly eased her drawer back into its refrigeration unit.
Oliver spun on his heel and headed toward the door without a word to either of the men behind him.
“Quick?” Richard caught up with Oliver as he stepped into the hall. “What are you thinking?”
Oliver didn’t slow. “I need to see the reports from the two vics in Alabama.”
“I can get them to you within the hour, but you haven’t answered my question.”
Sailing out the double doors to the parking lot beyond, Oliver dug out his car keys and paused next to his vehicle. “The killer saw something in Jennifer Clayton, something he didn’t see in the others.”
Oliver unlocked his door and pulled it open. “He removed her unborn child from her body.”
“Plus, Jennifer Clayton hadn’t been raped,” Richard unnecessarily pointed out.”
“Yeah,” Oliver muttered softly, more to himself than for Richard’s benefit. “And I need to know what changed for him with Jennifer. Something changed.” With that, he slid behind the wheel, cranked the stifling hot SUV, and backed out of the parking lot.
Chapter Four
Oliver sat on his couch later that evening, drink and folder in hand. He couldn’t get Jennifer Clayton out of his mind.
She’d had her unborn child removed from her body before her death. Why?
Mrs. Clayton had been a twenty-eight-year-old preschool teacher with her whole life ahead of her…her hopes and dreams snuffed out by a sadistic monster bent on pain and humiliation.
Opening the folder, Oliver scanned the details of the first page until he found what he looked for… Jennifer’s husband, Mark Clayton.
Mark was a sales rep for a local pest control company in town. He was thirty-two years old, just four years older than his deceased wife.
Oliver made a mental note to visit Mr. Clayton first thing the following morning.
He laid the folder aside and picked up the next one. Inside were images and details of one of the women found in Alabama. Blonde hair, blue eyes, twenty-seven years of age.
Laying that folder aside, Oliver opened the next one only to find similarities to the other two victims. Same hair and eye color.
He glanced at the woman’s age, not surprised to find she’d been under thirty at the time of her death as well.
The victims aren’t random. They’re surrogates.
Oliver took another swig of his scotch, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was closing in on ten pm.
He set his drink on the coffee table, along with the folders he held, and then snatched up his cell phone and put in a call to his secretary, Joyce.
She answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Joyce. I’m not going to be in the office the rest of the week. Will you call my sister and let her know that I won’t be making the birthday party tomorrow?”
“Is everything all right?” Though she sounded sleepy, concern lined the edges of her voice.
Oliver chose his words carefully. “Everything is fine, Joyce. I’ve been asked to profile for the BAU on a local case.”
“The BAU? I thought you were done working with them.”
“It’s only temporary, I promise. I’d like for you to keep the office open in my absence.”
His secretary remained quiet for a moment. “It’s obviously something serious if they need a profiler. Should I be concerned?”
Since she wasn’t a young blonde, Oliver knew she had nothing to worry about.
He attempted to put her mind at ease. “Not at all, Joyce. Hopefully, we’ll have everything wrapped up quickly, and I’ll be back in the office before you know it.”
A brief pause ensued. “Okay. I’ll call Mindy and let her know you can’t make the party. If you need my help with anything, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Joyce. Just knowing you’re taking care of the office is more help than anything. Have a good night.”
He hung up the phone and placed it on the coffee table next to the folders before downing the rest of his scotch.
The doorbell rang, eliciting an annoyed growl in the back of his throat.
He surged to his feet and marched across the room.
A look through the peephole conjured up Jason Haney’s face.
Oliver opened the door and stepped back to allow his lifelong friend’s entrance. “You’re out kind of late.”
Jason sauntered into the room and made his way to the bar to pour himself a drink. “It’s only ten fifteen. Can I get you a refill?”
Oliver handed him his empty glass and followed him to the bar.
“What are you up to this evening?” Jason quickly poured them two drinks.
Oliver waited for Jason to pass him his scotch and then took a deep swallow. “I’m actually working.”
“At this hour?”
Oliver rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’ve been asked to assist the FBI on a case.”
With his glass to his lips, Jason turned to face Oliver, his eyebrows nearly in his hairline. “No kidding?”
Oliver returned to his position on the couch and waited for Jason to take a seat across from him in the recliner. “I was a bit surprised, myself. I mean it’s been years.”
Jason sat forward with his elbows resting on his jean-clad knees, swirling the dark liquid around in his scotch glass. “You’re profiling again?”
Oliver shrugged. “Not on a permanent basis. I’m merely assisting them on a local case.”
Understanding registered in Jason’s brown eyes. “Ah. The girl that was found under the pier in Panama City Beach.”
“Yes,” Oliver admitted before taking a drink of his s
cotch. “Two more were killed earlier in the month over the Alabama line. Same MO.”
Jason stared back at him without blinking. “A serial killer. Are you going to be able to handle this?”
Oliver understood Jason’s concern. He’d watched Oliver fall apart after April’s death and had been by his side through the frustration and rage of letting her killer slip through his fingers. “I can handle it.”
But he wasn’t so sure he believed his own words.
Jason continued to stare, his dark-brown eyes brimming with concern.
“I said I can handle it,” Oliver bit out, more annoyed with himself than with Jason.
“Okay then.” Jason sighed. “I’ll let it drop. Just know that I’m here if you need to talk.” He finished off his drink, set the empty glass on the coffee table, and pushed to his feet. “I have to go. I’m meeting someone at Gulfscape in half an hour.”
Oliver stood as well. “You have a date at eleven o’clock?”
Jason grinned. “Jealous?”
“Not at all. I’m perfectly content sleeping alone. But you go and have a good time. I’ll just live vicariously through you.”
Jason sobered. “It’s been almost six years, Quick. Don’t you think it’s about time you lived a little?”
Oliver knew his friend spoke the truth, but he couldn’t bring himself to enter the dating scene. Not yet. “I’m far too screwed up to attempt dating. My emotional baggage alone is enough to outweigh the best of intentions.”
With an understanding nod, Jason made his way to the door and pulled it open. He stopped on the porch of Oliver’s beachside condo, appearing to consider his next words. “We all miss her, my friend. She was a heck of a lady. A lady that would want you to go on living. Even if it means without her.”
Jason trailed off the porch and sauntered over to his Harley parked next to Oliver’s black SUV.
He plucked up his helmet and threw his leg over the bike. “Think about what I said.”
Oliver merely nodded. “Since when did you start wearing a helmet?”
“Since I let my insurance lapse. You know how Florida laws are. If you don’t carry insurance, you have to cover the bean.”
Oliver grinned, watching Jason pull the helmet over his shaggy blond hair.
“Give it hell,” Oliver called out before closing the door. He blew out an exhausted breath, grabbed up the empty glasses, and carried them to the sink at the bar.
Memories of April’s smiling face bombarded him as he grabbed a sponge, turned on the water, and absently began to wash out the glass he held.
“You really should get the black leather sofa, Oliver. It suits your sexy, profiling self.”
Her husky laughter swirled through his mind, bringing with it nearly unbearable pain.
The sound of glass shattering brought Oliver out of his musings. He’d been so caught up in his memories, he hadn’t realized how much pressure he’d applied to the glass.
He dropped the sponge, his gaze now fixated on the steady stream of blood washing down the drain.
He’d cut his hand.
Deep.
Snatching up a dish towel, he wrapped it tightly around the now throbbing wound and grabbed his keys from the counter on his way to the door.
From the look of the cut, he would definitely need stitches.
Available on Amazon
Titles by Ditter Kellen
Elle Series
I am Elle -A Psychological Thriller
Blurb:
An abused girl's desperate fight for survival and the silent killer determined to destroy her.
Born on a small farm in Alabama, Elenore Griffin spends her days in a Hell of her father’s making.
The system has failed her, leaving her trapped in a world of unimaginable torture and pain.
Sold to the highest bidder, Elenore finds her nightmares have only just begun. And those responsible for her abuse begin disappearing around her without a trace, while the local authorities seem to be at the center of it all.
Step inside the world of a young girl who suffered the most heinous acts imaginable. And survived.
This is her life. This is her story…
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Elle Returns– Book 2
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Elle Unleashed – Book 3
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The Boy in the Window
A Suspense Thriller
Blurb:
What happened to Terry Dayton?
The small community of Sparkleberry Florida is strangely tight-lipped about the disappearance of a little boy in their neighborhood. Are they covering up a thirteen-year-old murder? Jessica Nobles finds out the hard way when she moves in next door and begins unraveling the truth about 221 Meadowbrook Circle...
Jessica and Owen Nobles are heartbroken over the loss of their son, Jacob. Jessica has taken his death especially hard, spending the past three years sedated and under the care of a psychiatrist. Desperate to save his wife, Owen moves the couple to Florida, hoping a change in scenery will remind her how to live again.
When Jessica begins to see a small boy in the upstairs window of the abandoned home next door, she goes to investigate, only to find the house empty. Afraid that she may be seeing things, Jess does an internet search on the home’s address. What she finds is an image of the boy from the window—a boy that’s been missing more than thirteen years.
Reluctant to tell her husband, Jessica sets out to find what information she can on the child’s disappearance. Yet, someone is going to great lengths to stop her.
To make matters worse, bodies begin dropping around her like flies. And she's the prime suspect in the killings. If Jessica doesn’t back off now, she risks losing more than just her mind…she could very well lose her life.
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The Girl Named Mud
A Gripping Suspense Novel
Blurb:
A heartbreaking story of a young girl’s fight for survival in a world full of betrayal, hate, and murder…
All her life, twelve-year-old Mud has been told the Devil would be coming for her. With only her schizophrenic mother to protect her, Mud must learn to survive in the swamps of Louisiana by any means necessary.
Even if she must take a life to do it.
But then her mother is murdered in front of her...
Suddenly alone in the world, Mud takes to the streets, stealing what’s required to stay alive. She knows that evil is coming, and she trusts no one. Until a chance meeting with Grace Holloway changes everything. Grace seems kind and generous, taking Mud in when no one else would. But Grace’s life is also filled with secrets—dark secrets that could very well destroy them both…
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The Girl Who Lived to Tell
A Chilling Thriller
Blurb:
How far would you go to stay alive?
Sandy Patterson has it all: a handsome husband who adores her and a new job teaching math at the local high school. But a dark cloud hangs over the halls. A serial killer stalks the shadows, snatching innocent teenage girls and leaving behind a string of broken and battered corpses. Not even the FBI can find this elusive murderer.
Until one fateful night, Sandy finds herself in the clutches of the same psychotic maniac who wants nothing more than to torture and demean her. Forced into a mind-bending game of life and death, Sandy races to unlock the mystery surrounding her twisted captor. But time is running out for her—and her unborn baby. To survive, she’ll have to learn to think like a killer. Or become one herself…
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Quick Chronicles
A Gripping Thriller Series
The Silencer – Book 1
Blurb:
Six bodies. Two serial killers. And a profiler with nothing left to lose.
Some demons refuse to stay buried. Especially when it's personal. Former FBI profiler, Oliver Quick, has spent the past six years obsessed with catching a serial killer known as the Silencer. But the trail’s gone
cold.
Until the FBI asks for his help on a case involving a mutilated woman found beneath the pier of a local tourist attraction.
The chase is on, with Oliver hunting not one but two serial killers. The Silencer is back, and he’s toying with Quick.
Oliver finds himself trapped in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with one of the most notorious serial killers to ever live. Will he finally catch the Silencer and put his demons to rest, or is the Hunter about to become the Hunted…
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The Prophet – Book 2 - Releasing early 2020
Silence of the Whippoorwill
A Psychological Thriller
Blurb:
Vengeance is mine...
Legend has it, when the whippoorwill sings, death is soon to follow...
But Investigator Breezy Anderson doesn’t believe in myths. Until a hiking trip to the mountains of Arkansas with some friends, takes a dangerous turn.
Breezy soon discovers, they’re not alone. A group of crazed psychopaths are hunting them, picking them off one by one. With no hope of escape, Breezy is forced into a cat-and-mouse game of death and survival.
But her attackers made one mistake. They left her alive…
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The Hitcher
A Heart-Pounding Thriller
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About Ditter
Ditter Kellen is the USA Today Bestselling Author of Mystery/Thriller/Suspense and Christian Fiction Novels. She loves spinning edgy, heart-pounding mysteries that will leave you guessing until the very end.
Ditter resides in Alabama with her husband and many unique farm animals. She adores French fries, and her phone is permanently attached to her ear. You can contact Ditter by email: [email protected]
Follow Ditter on social media!
https://linktr.ee/AuthorDitterKellen
Elle Unleashed: A Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Twist Page 15