by C. M. Sutter
“Yes, do you?”
“Absolutely.” I pulled my cell out of my purse, ready to dial the lieutenant, when it rang. “Hang on, it’s Amber. I told her to call me every night she closes Joey’s, especially since she had that scare with Sean last week.” I picked up. “Hey, Sis, how was your night?”
“Busy. I made a ton of tips tonight. I swear I’m giving up on men, though.”
I chuckled. “Really, why’s that? You’re young, beautiful, and have an outgoing personality.”
“Thanks. Anyway, remember that guy I said has been hanging out here lately? The older guy that I thought was crushing on me?”
“Yeah, I remember you mentioning him. Did he replace you already with someone closer to his own age?”
“Worse than that. The jerk sat here for the last four hours schmoozing me up, taking up all of the time I could have been gabbing with the regulars, plus he was the last one to leave. I just wiped down the bar and saw that he left a measly dime as my tip. What an asshat!”
“Son of a bitch! Amber, lock the doors and don’t leave. Do you hear me? Lock the doors now!”
“What’s going on, Jade? You’re freaking me out.”
I heard Amber through the phone line, talking to someone.
“Hey, why are you still here? The bar is clos—”
Our call abruptly ended.
“Amber? Amber, are you there? Amber! Shit, Jack, Dime or Doug or whoever the hell it is has Amber.”
Jack was already on his cell, talking to the night dispatch, Bob Kennedy. “Bob, get everyone on patrol out to Joey’s Sports Bar and Grille now. Ten thirty-nine, tell them to move! Put out a BOLO on a red Jeep, back right taillight could be broken. We may have a possible ten thirty-one in progress involving Jade’s sister, Amber Monroe. Have Jamison and Horbeck get out there too. Call the lieutenant. Jade and I are on our way.”
The normal fifteen-minute drive to Joey’s from Jack’s house took eight. Luckily this time of night, the streets were nearly empty. I tried Amber’s phone over and over, but she didn’t pick up. I tried to think—did she always keep it on silent, or did it actually ring? I couldn’t remember. I hoped it was on silent. If Dime heard her phone ring, he would surely take it away and destroy it.
We saw the red and blue flashing lights from blocks away. We pulled into Joey’s parking lot. Five cruisers were already there along with two black sedans. The lieutenant pulled in right when we exited Jack’s Charger.
I ran to Jamison. “What do we know?”
“Sergeant, Jack, Lieutenant. We cleared the building, and there’s nobody inside. Looks like a scuffle took place, though. Chairs are knocked over, and there’s broken glass everywhere. I hate to say it, but Doug’s Jeep is out back by the Dumpsters.”
I ran to the back of the building, knowing my worst fears would be realized. Doug’s Jeep was parked twenty feet away from the back door, beyond the garbage bins. The motion sensor light above the door flicked on when I ran past. The rear of his vehicle illuminated just enough to see that the right taillight was broken. I entered the back door, then rushed through the hallway where the restrooms were and into the main bar area. Everyone had already gone inside the building to find out what had transpired there.
I nodded when I looked at Jack. “Doug is definitely Dime.”
Lieutenant Clark ground his fist into his eyes. “How could we have a psychopath right under our noses and not realize it? Son of a bitch. Jade, what does Amber drive?”
“She has a 2012 gray Prius but I don’t know the plate number. We need everyone at the station. Her cell isn’t turned off, so Todd and Billy can ping it and triangulate the location, can’t they? They can pull up her license plate number too.”
“Already on it, Sergeant. Hopefully she keeps her locations on or they aren’t going to get anything,” Jamison said. “Todd and Billy should be arriving at the station any minute now. They said they’d call as soon as they had their asses planted in their chairs.”
“Does anyone know where he may have taken her? Has Doug ever mentioned a place, somewhere that holds memories for him—anything?”
I searched everyone’s faces for something, any clue to Doug’s whereabouts. I needed to know where he took my sister. The lieutenant’s phone rang—it was Todd.
“Okay, hang on, Todd. Jade, what is Amber’s phone number? The guys are ready.”
I gave Clark the number, and I paced as we waited.
The lieutenant stayed on the line until Todd came back on. “Yep, okay, we’re on it.” He hung up. “They’re in Jackson City.”
“He took her to his house?”
“Apparently so. Okay, once we hit the city limits, we go silent. Got it, everyone? We don’t want to alert him we’re coming. We already know what he’s capable of.”
We nodded.
“Let’s roll.”
Jack and I jumped into his Charger and led the way. Five cruisers, Jamison, Horbeck, and the lieutenant followed Jack’s car. We exited the ramp into Jackson City, and the cruisers turned their lights off and silenced their sirens. If we had any hope of getting Amber out of there safely, we had to take Doug by surprise. If he knew we were coming, all bets were off.
We parked at the end of the block and got out. The cruisers fell in behind us, and Lieutenant Clark rounded us up.
“Okay, gear up. I want everyone wearing vests. We’re going in hot and quiet.”
We approached the house and peeked through the garage window. Amber’s car sat inside.
“All right, listen up. We know they’re here. First, we’ll surveil what we can through the windows. Deputies, do a quick sweep. Check every door. See if we’re lucky enough to find something unlocked.”
“Got it, Lieutenant.”
Deputies Schmitz, Taylor, Drury, and Ryan checked every window and returned back to the front of the garage where we waited.
“No sign of movement, sir, and no sounds. There doesn’t appear to be an alarm system either. All doors are locked except the double cellar doors. We’re pretty sure we can breach the house through the patio doors, though. It doesn’t appear that there’s a pole in the track. We’ll lift the door and push it aside.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“Okay, Jade, you and Jack take the patio door. Deputies, cover the garage entrance and the cellar door. Horbeck and Jamison, head to the front. I’ll go with you. Jade, we’ll wait for you to get inside and let us in. Everyone, take your positions.”
Jack and I ran around to the back of the house. Together, we pressed our hands firmly against the patio door glass and lifted straight up. The panel cleared the locking mechanism and slid to the side. I peeked my head in, looked around, and listened. The door opened to the kitchen dining area. Straight ahead, beyond the kitchen looked to be the living room. I could see the TV and the front door from my position. The house was dark. We stepped inside, hoping the floors didn’t creak. Our guns were drawn, and Jack pulled out his flashlight. I followed Jack through the kitchen to the door leading into the garage. We had no idea if anyone was in there. We stepped into the darkened area. He aimed the flashlight at Amber’s car. It was empty. Jack unlocked the side door, allowing Schmitz and Taylor in. I had Schmitz call over his shoulder radio for Drury and Ryan to hold their positions at the cellar entrance. Back in the house, I rounded the kitchen and crept to the front door. I let Jamison, Horbeck, and the lieutenant in. We cleared the first floor.
The lieutenant whispered to us, “Did you locate the basement door?”
With a nod, I motioned with a hand signal for them to follow. We grouped by the basement door and listened. A male voice sounded below us. Doug was down there doing who knew what to my sister. My heart raced, but I needed to keep my composure. We had to get Amber out of that situation. I carefully turned the knob and eased the door back toward me. The basement lights were on. I checked the stairs—they were covered with dirty old carpeting. That would help silence the sound of our movements. I took four steps down and knelt
when I cleared the basement ceiling. I peeked around the corner, assessing what lay ahead of us.
Doug stood near a bookcase, his back toward me at the far end of the room, muttering something I couldn’t understand from my distance. I saw Amber sitting in a wooden chair. Her mouth was gagged, and her hands and legs were tied to the arms and feet of the chair. Her forehead was bloodied. Her eyes darted toward me when she saw our movements. I motioned for her to stay calm.
Doug remained unaware of our presence as he paced in front of the bookcase. We swept in with guns drawn. He spun when he heard us. In two strides, he was at Amber’s throat with a knife.
I called out, my gun’s red laser sights on his forehead. “Doug, you don’t want to do this. Put the knife down. Step away from Amber. She’s done nothing wrong.”
He laughed and spewed out his hatred for me. “There you go again, Sergeant, giving orders. Do you have any idea how sick I am of women like you? You’re just like my mother, rest her soul.” He laughed again. “You think you call the shots, bossing me around, telling me what to do. You stupid bitch would have been next, but your sweet sister was ripe for the picking. You see, not only do I hate women who think they have some type of authority, but I also hate shrinks. Isn’t that what this sweet, innocent girl is going to school for? You’re going to be a shrink, aren’t you, Amber?” He jerked her head back by her hair and held the knife tighter against her throat.
“Are you really prepared to die tonight, Doug?” I walked closer to him as I talked. “One shot—that’s all I need. Let her go, now!” I couldn’t look Amber in the face. I had to keep my eyes and weapon zeroed in on his forehead.
The lieutenant spoke up. “Doug, we can get you the help you need. Back away from Amber. She’s an innocent woman.”
“There isn’t a woman alive that’s innocent.” Doug sneered and held his position while he pressed the knife harder against her neck.
I saw blood dripping beneath the blade.
The sound of a crashing door behind him made Doug turn. I had a split second to act. I squeezed the trigger.
Chapter 46
He lay on the floor dead, and the nightmare was over. I holstered my gun and rushed to Amber’s side. My hands shook as I tried to untie her.
Jack reached out to me. “I got this, partner. Take a breath. Amber is safe.”
I wiped my eyes and pulled the gag from Amber’s mouth while Jack released the ropes from her arms and legs. She broke down and sobbed against me.
I held her tight. “I got you, honey. You’re going to be okay.”
The lieutenant called the Jackson City EMTs, and they were en route. Amber had a gash on her head that needed to be attended.
She was loaded up in the ambulance to be taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital, the same place where Lance was still a patient.
I stood at the back of the ambulance. “I’ll be there soon, I promise. You’re safe now, Amber. I’ll call Mom and have her meet you at the hospital. I have to take care of a few things here, but I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”
She held me, afraid to let go.
“Guys, take good care of her. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am. Let’s go.” I watched as the ambulance drove away, then I went back to the basement.
“How did Drury and Ryan know when to break in the cellar door?” I asked.
Taylor responded. “I held back so Doug wouldn’t hear me on my radio. I knew they were positioned just outside the door. It didn’t look like we were going to talk Doug down. The lieutenant nodded, and I gave them the go-ahead to kick in the door.”
“Thank you—all of you.” I sighed and took a deep breath.
We finally had time to look around. Kyle and Dan were called in to help. I stuck around for a short time as the guys gloved up and began processing the basement. I wanted to check on Amber soon and knew I’d be whisked away for my formal processing too. I quickly scanned the basement, trying to figure out Doug’s mind. A wall to our left was covered in corkboard. Newspaper articles about my promotion from detective to sergeant were pinned to the board. Clippings from every case I had ever been on, and every newspaper photo that had me in the shot, were pinned to the wall. Several pictures had my face slashed. Old yellowed newspaper clippings showed Doug’s ex-wife being presented with awards as she advanced in her career. Several more newspaper articles dating back to the mid-nineties told how Betty Irvin had abruptly left her job in family medicine and moved away. Her only child, Doug, had stayed in the family home to continue his college education. He was studying pathology.
“What is this stuff?” I asked as we all stood there staring at the wall. Goose bumps popped up on my arms as I read a few of the articles.
“Looks like Doug was a sick man,” Taylor said.
We continued through the room. The bar was covered with rows of prescription bottles. A still cold Stella Artois sat on a side table. Doug’s body lay on the floor next to it.
Jack rubbed his head. “This place gives me the creeps, and what was he doing by that bookcase?”
We walked over to take a look. The floor beneath the bookcase was scraped as if it had been moved numerous times.
“This is interesting. Drury, give me a hand,” Jack said.
We stood back and watched as Jack and Deputy Drury put their backs into it and pushed the bookcase to the side. Behind it was a large opening in the wall.
“What the hell?” Lieutenant Clark said. “Let’s take a look in there.”
With our flashlights lit, we found Melissa’s briefcase with a bag of bloody clothes. Elise’s cell phone was there along with a wallet, knife, and cell phone belonging to Morris King in a bag with more bloody clothes and a bloody tarp.
“I guess this is where he stashed everything,” Jack said. “Hang on, there’s something farther in. Anyone have a brighter flashlight?”
Jamison handed Jack his. Jack wedged himself farther back. We could see only his feet as he inched his way in.
“Holy shit.”
“What’s going on? What did you find?”
“There’s a bag of bones and a skull back here. They’re human.”
Chapter 47
Our appointment with Dr. Candace White was at ten a.m. Jack and I were led into her luxurious office on Milwaukee’s east side overlooking Lake Michigan. The view from her eighteenth-floor office was magnificent.
“Detectives, please have a seat. Coffee?”
I nodded and thanked her.
She poured two cups and placed them in front of Jack and me. She already had a cup of her own on her side of the desk. She returned to her leather office chair and sat.
“Yes, Doug Irvin was a patient of mine for nearly ten years. I’m sorry to hear of his passing”—she gave us each a saddened look—“and his actions. He was quite a troubled soul and quit coming to see me in February.”
“What was Doug diagnosed with?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Just about everything, I’m afraid. He was so volatile. I knew if he stopped taking his meds, something horrible could happen. I had no idea he was Washburn County’s ME, but in hindsight, he was really a brilliant man. He was quite capable of doing just about anything. That’s the problem with psychopaths—they can live among us and appear very normal. Classic examples would be Ted Bundy and the BTK killer. Doug’s main problem was he hated women, a true misogynist. He told stories of how his mother used to berate him, tie him to a wooden chair in their basement and beat him. According to Doug, he’d spend hours down there, many times without food and the ability to use the bathroom. He’d mentioned how he soiled himself and received beatings because of that too. If any of this was true, he did live a very horrible life growing up.”
“Could you explain why we always found something in the mouths of his victims?” Jack asked.
“Typically that’s symbolic. I would imagine it was his way of silencing people—as in his mother.”
“Wasn’t there a father in the family?” I asked
.
“He never spoke of one. He said his mother moved away when he was nineteen, but by then his mind was deeply disturbed. He was on a very strong regimen of antipsychotic drugs. Doug was an anomaly in a way. Not only was he a psychopath, but he also had delusional disorders causing borderline schizophrenia, hence the drugs. He said he heard voices in his head.”
I glanced at Jack. “Maybe that explains the muttering. He could have been communicating with them.”
Jack nodded. “Weren’t his treatment or prescription bills ever sent to his insurance company?”
The doctor shook her head. “Doug told me he didn’t work. He said he’d inherited quite a sum of money when a relative died. I imagine he didn’t want a paper trail. He paid for everything by money order.”
We thanked the doctor and left.
“What are the odds that the bones behind the wall belong to Doug’s mom?”
Jack looked at me as he pulled out of the parking garage. “I’d say 100 percent. The DNA results should be back tomorrow. Kyle and Dan will let us know.”
“I feel bad about missing Elise’s funeral, but Perry understood. He was so relieved that this nightmare is over and he has justice for Elise.” I smiled at Jack. “He thanked us for the flowers.”
“That’s nice. I guess Jason will take over all of the ME duties until another one is hired.”
“Well, I hope things stay slow for a while. It will be a welcome change to say we live in a quiet little community again.”
“Do you want me to drop you off at home?” Jack asked.
“Why don’t you join Amber and me for lunch? She’d love it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. You have time before you need to get back to the station.”
“Are you rubbing it in?”
“Why? Because I took a week off to spend with my little sister? She can either spend the week with Mom and Bruce as she heals or she can spend it with me. I think you know which one she chose. Anyway, she suggested the Washington House.”
Jack grinned. “You know the offer is still on the table. I can rough Bruce up if you want.”