by C. M. Sutter
Atrocity
by
C. M. Sutter
Copyright © 2018
All Rights Reserved
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book is a work of fiction by C. M. Sutter. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. M. Sutter is a crime fiction writer who resides in Florida, although she is originally from California.
She is a member of numerous writers’ organizations, including Fiction for All, Fiction Factor, and Writers etc.
In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She is an art enthusiast and loves to create gourd birdhouses, pebble art, and handmade soaps. Hiking, bicycling, fishing, and traveling are a few of her favorite pastimes.
C. M. Sutter
http://cmsutter.com/
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Atrocity: An Amber Monroe Crime Thriller, Book 4
A shooting and kidnapping during a Mother’s Day celebration send Amber Monroe and her Washburn County Sheriff’s Office colleagues into a frantic search for the man responsible. With little to go on, the detectives find tracking him down to be a monumental challenge.
The bodies of three women missing from St. Paul are discovered, and a media frenzy begins when a fourth woman is found alive but clearly out of her mind. The elusive perpetrator is still at large.
As Amber’s team closes in on the location of the Mother’s Day kidnapper, they realize that their case and the killings in St. Paul have something—or someone—in common.
The full extent of this monster’s atrocities are known only when one of their own is taken. Finding their colleague is all that matters, and it’s up to Jack and Amber to track down the killer.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 1
She thrashed at the restraints that bound her arms and legs to the wooden table in the dank room. Her eyes darted frantically as she searched her peripheral vision for the person responsible for her predicament. Her head was secured to the table with straps, preventing her from looking left to right. She would see him only if he were at her side or near her feet. The glaring ceiling light made her eyes water, or maybe they were tears of fear. She squeezed her eyes but couldn’t close them—something held her lids open. Her heart pounded as if it were about to explode, and in a last-ditch effort to be found, she tried to scream but quickly realized her mouth was taped closed.
She heard footsteps before she laid eyes on him. Again, her heart raced. She would surely die of a heart attack—and at that point, she prayed for one. Anything was better than the unknown. He came at her from the left side of the room. He stood at her ear, just enough that she could see him by straining her left eye.
Cole cracked his neck and smiled. “I see you’re finally awake, Candy. Your eyes will begin to ache in a few seconds. Straining them that far pulls on the optic nerves, you know. Did you have a nice nap?” He leaned in, only inches from her face, and breathed hot air at her through his mouth. “That’s right, you can’t answer me. Your mouth is taped closed. I bet you’d love to shut your eyes too. They’re probably burning as they dry out. Okay, I’ll let you blink for a while.” He pulled the adhesive tape off both eyelids and allowed her to close her eyes. “Better?”
She nodded with what little movement her head was capable of. Cole moved away, out of her field of sight, but she heard him rummaging through something nearby. She struggled against the restraints and moaned through the tape when she realized her efforts were in vain. He returned to her side a second time.
“Don’t ever take your eyes off the drink that the friendly stranger at the bar bought you. I know from experience that those guys are usually up to no good.” He chuckled. “Haven’t you ever heard of Rohypnol, idiot? Why were you alone there, anyway?” He looked her over slowly, his eyes conveying his bad intentions. “That’s right, you can’t answer me. I’ll admit, you’re a feisty one. I like that. The others in the past have just accepted their fate and resigned themselves to whatever experiment I had in mind. They were so boring. Personally, I like to see veins pumping with panic and eyes bulging with fear—it warms my heart. I assure you, Candy, it didn’t start out this way. I really did try to help patients years back.” His voice drifted off, and he left her visual field again.
She strained with all she had to break free, but the leather straps that bound her arms, legs, and head wouldn’t budge.
Please, please, please, God, help me! What have I gotten myself into? How do I escape before this maniac kills me?
***
Cole returned to Candy’s side with an ice pick and a tap hammer. “See this tool? The medical term for it is an orbitoclast.” He chuckled. “Okay, I won’t lie, it’s actually an ice pick, but the function is the same. I’m going to have to tape your eyes open again. I want to witness your fear when you see this coming, but the sedative you’re about to get will quickly render you unconscious. I can’t have you jerking around during the procedure.”
He set the equipment down while she made another futile attempt to break free. He tore off two pieces of adhesive tape and pressed one end on each eyelid and the other end above each eyebrow. Her eyes bulged—panic was setting in. “Ah, there it is—the look I long to see.” He gave Candy a crazed grin and secured her head straps even tighter, then injected the sedative into her arm. He zeroed in on her eyelids with the ice pick and hammer ready to go. “Brace yourself. I’
m about to begin.”
Ten minutes later, the day’s experiment was well under way. He tapped the ice pick until it broke through the thin layer of bone and punctured the frontal lobe of her brain. He pushed it into the soft tissue until the tool was buried to the handle. He gave it a vigorous swirl then pulled it back out and repeated the process through the inside of the right upper eyelid. He heard a sucking sound as he backed the ice pick out and dropped it into a bowl of soapy water. With a three-inch square of gauze, he dabbed the blood seeping from beneath her eyelids. “You certainly know how to make a mess.”
Lifting her lids higher, he squeezed a bulb syringe filled with saline solution into her eyes. Blood mixed with salt water stained her blond hair as the drops followed her hairline and pooled beneath her ears. Candy lay motionless, her eyes wide open in a glassy stare. Her lids didn’t flutter, nor did she flinch. “Looks like your reflexes have gone to shit. Everything is moving along splendidly.”
She’d be waking from the sedative in minutes. His experiment, a frontal lobotomy, was something he had been fascinated with for years. Candy’s thoughts, memory, speech, motor functions, and impulse control could change dramatically, rendering her either mentally incompetent or in a complete vegetative state.
Years ago, he had worked on finding a way to reverse brain damage and restore the organ to its normal function, although with little success. Now, no longer caring about a medical breakthrough, he experimented with his captives simply for the pleasure of it, a self-indulgence. He enjoyed seeing the aftereffects and how each person reacted to the process. Watching their eyes fill with fear at the start of the experiment fueled him on—he didn’t have a choice. His experiments were as necessary as breathing. The caring side of his conscience had disappeared years ago.
Cole wiped his hands on a paper towel and tossed it in the garbage bag, then flipped the page of his spiral notebook. He slipped on his reading glasses and ran his finger down the page until he found the entry he was looking for. “I’ll try this one. Let’s see, fill a dropper with two teaspoons of alcohol and squeeze it into each hole, then let it stew overnight.”
He sucked up the alcohol into the dropper and released the contents on the inside of each upper eyelid. He removed the tape holding Candy’s eyelids open then closed them. Next, he secured a thick bandage over her eyes. He patted her arm before leaving. “I can’t wait to see what you’re like when I return. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, you know, and I have obligations, so I may not get back here until late.”
Cole looked at her motionless body lying on the table. “I wonder if you have kids.” He shrugged. “Sleep well.” He washed the tools of his trade and put everything in its place. With a final look around the room, he walked up the stairs, turned off the lights, and locked the door at his back.
Chapter 2
I gave myself a final once-over in the bathroom mirror and made sure there wasn’t a hair out of place. Mom would surely point that out. I clicked off the light and joined Jade and Kate in the living room. Jade and I were headed out for our annual Mother’s Day brunch at Cedar Inn whether we liked it or not. It was our obligation as daughters to endure hours of Mom’s yammering about things we didn’t have the slightest interest in.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tag along?” Jade teased our friend and housemate, Kate. “I’ll even foot the bill for your lunch.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so, but thanks for the offer.”
“The meal includes your choice of dessert. Cedar Inn has the best chocolate cheesecake this side of the Mississippi.”
Kate’s ears perked, and I raised a suspicious brow at my sister. “And you know that firsthand?”
“Uh-huh.” Jade tucked a tube of lip gloss in her front pants pocket.
“So you’ve been holding out on me? You’ve gone there with somebody else and had chocolate cheesecake because I know damn well it wasn’t with me.”
“Fine, I made it up. But Cedar Inn is Mom’s favorite restaurant, and she said they have delicious chocolate cheesecake. It’s their most requested dessert.” Jade eyeballed Kate again. “Last chance, homey. Why would you want to sit here alone on Mother’s Day, anyway? Moping because your mom doesn’t live in North Bend?”
“I’m not moping, and I’ve already sent a card and called her. It’s just that Bruce is so obnoxious, and for whatever reason, he invited himself to your Mother’s Day brunch. I’d rather watch golf on TV than endure him for two hours.”
I chimed in. “She does have a point, you know. He joins us every year, and the guy is such a pain. Maybe I’ll sit this one out too.”
“Not on your life. Mom would kill me if you didn’t show up. Now let’s go.”
I laughed at Jade’s remark. “Nah she wouldn’t. She’s depending on us to pay the lunch bill.” I turned to Kate, who had already grabbed the remote and begun channel surfing. Spaz jumped up on the couch and spun three times before settling in on Kate’s sock-covered feet. I groaned my displeasure at our duty as daughters. “Whatever.” I grabbed the card and gift off the breakfast bar and headed out. “Have fun sitting alone.”
“I’m not alone, I have Spaz. Have fun with Bruce.”
I heard Kate’s chuckle as we walked through the laundry room and headed to the garage. I flipped her the bird even though I knew she couldn’t see us anymore.
I hadn’t been a passenger in Jade’s new Mustang more than a few times. The new-car smell still wafted through the interior as I climbed in and fastened my seat belt. “Still liking the new ride?”
She smiled. “What’s not to like? The insurance company covered the replacement value of my Cobra. Of course, I do have a small monthly payment, but I’ve got a brand-new car.”
“I never thought of you as someone who would pick Orange Fury as your color choice.”
“Pretty rad, huh? Actually, I love the color, and the car stands out. People can see me coming from a mile away.”
I knew Jade was still traumatized from the pileup that killer Warren Ricks had caused on the freeway last winter. The multicar crash demolished her Cobra, but by the grace of God, she was spared and had only minor injuries.
“I love the car and can’t wait until it’s my turn to get new wheels.”
“It’ll come, little sister. Have some patience.”
I chuckled. “You should see how Jack grins every time he steps out of his car. He’s really enjoying that new Challenger, and I’ll admit, Destroyer Gray is a kick-butt color.”
“That it is,” Jade said. “It’s funny how different J.T. and Jack are. I get along great with both of them—we finish each other’s sentences, and I trust them both with my life—but J.T. has no desire to ever own a sports car again.”
“Yeah, that short time he had the Camaro was probably the worst month of his life.”
Jade sighed. “That was my mistake, and I’ll never suggest a vehicle for him again.” She clicked the blinker and turned left into the parking lot of Cedar Inn.
I looked from left to right. “Wow, good thing we made reservations. This place is packed.”
Jade smirked. “Yeah, and I’m sure it’s all adult children with their moms in tow. They have to do their yearly Mother’s Day duty whether they want to or not.”
I frowned. “Mom isn’t that bad.”
Jade parked the car and climbed out. “And that’s coming from somebody who begged to move in with me almost two years ago?”
“It was because of Bruce, not Mom.”
“Whatever.” Jade tipped her head toward the backseat. “Don’t forget to grab the gift.”
We crossed the parking lot to the brick steps that led to the sweeping porch of what was once a beautiful farmhouse on Big Cedar Lake. The home had been converted into a restaurant more than twenty years ago and had enjoyed a thriving following ever since.
Jade let out a long breath. “All I’m saying is that listening to Mom talk for hours without being able to get a word in edgewise can be very challenging. She wants all eye
s and ears focused on her. She could really use some modern-day social skills.”
“You mean like asking us how we are and what’s new in our lives?”
“Exactly.” Jade pulled open the glass door. “Oh crap.”
Straight ahead and on both sides of the foyer, people were jammed in the entryway like sardines.
Jade turned and looked at me. “Please tell me you confirmed our reservations.”
I shrugged. “Why would I have to confirm it again after making it over the phone?”
Jade shook her head. “I’ll check with the hostess. Hang on.”
I watched as she wedged her way through the crowd until I lost sight of her in the sea of people. Moments later, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned, almost getting an elbow to the eye.
“We’re here, Amber.”
My mom and Bruce stood several feet behind me. She must have noodled her arm through the crowd to reach my back and give it a tap. I cupped my hand around my mouth and called out that Jade was checking on our table. Mom nodded and fluffed her hair.
Five minutes later, Jade found her way back to me. “Come on. They have our table ready.”
I pointed over my shoulder. “Mom and Bruce are back there somewhere. We have to get their attention.”
Jade groaned. “Mother’s Day would have been much easier at McDonald’s.” She wiggled past me, found Mom and Bruce, and grabbed our mother by the hand. “Come on, and stick by my side.”
Finally, past the crowd, we were led to our table, which had a nice view of the lake.
“Well, isn’t this wonderful?” Mom waited for Bruce to pull out her chair and help her with her coat, then she took her seat.