Atrocity

by C. M. Sutter

  Luckily the table was round, or I’m sure she would have insisted on sitting at the head of it.

  I handed the gift to Mom as soon as she was seated. I didn’t want to hold it on my lap throughout brunch. “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom,” I said. “This is from both of us.”

  “Oh my word, girls, what can it be?”

  A server came by and filled our water glasses then told us what was on the brunch menu.

  “Now open it and find out what’s inside, Mom,” Jade said. She nudged my foot under the table and rolled her eyes toward Bruce. He was seated awkwardly close to her.

  I wasn’t as shy as I used to be when I still lived under their roof. “Hey, Bruce, you’re invading Jade’s space. She can’t even move her elbows. Scoot closer to your wife, okay? It’s Mother’s Day, remember?”

  He looked surprised that I’d spoken up. “Oh, they must have arranged the chairs wrong.” Bruce hopped his chair to the right by a good foot and a half and placed it where it had originally been.

  Jade gave me a wink then looked at our mom. “Are you going to open the gift or what?”

  “Of course, I was just admiring how beautiful the paper and bow are. I assume you wrapped it. Right, Amber?”

  I kicked Jade’s ankle. “Actually Jade did the honors. Lovely, isn’t it?”

  “Humph. Okay, I’ll open the card first.” She set the box on the floor.

  We watched as our mom tore open the envelope and pulled out the card. She read it silently then slipped it into her purse. “That’s nice.” She lifted the present and ripped away the paper then stared at the box inside. “Well, take a look at this.”

  “You mentioned being sick of watching TV all day. So, now you can read instead.”

  “I never thought of reading, let alone a five-book police series with a female detective as the lead character. How coincidental is that?”

  “Yeah, we knew you’d love reading every book,” Jade said. “I can’t wait to hear what you think of them.”

  Ann waved to get the waitress’s attention. “Let’s order our drinks.”

  Chapter 3

  The sound of a car door slamming alerted the group. Nancy Philips checked the head count around her. “We aren’t expecting anyone else, are we?”

  Trish slipped behind the couch and pulled the living room curtain aside. She craned her neck both ways and peered out. Everything was still, save the particles of dust lingering in the air off the dirt driveway. “Somebody pulled in, but I don’t see a vehicle. Dad, check the kitchen window.” She turned to follow her dad just as the back door crashed inward.

  The man waved the gun wildly at the family gathered for a Mother’s Day celebration. Women cried out and pulled their children in closer under the protective arms of their husbands.

  The crazed man shoved Stan Philips backward and aimed the gun at him. “Sit down, old man. This isn’t your fight.”

  Trish begged her estranged husband to lower the gun. “Brian, please calm down and put the gun away. We can talk privately. My family doesn’t have anything to do with our problems.”

  “The hell they don’t. You left me and our home and moved in here. I’d say they have a lot to do with it.” He turned the gun toward Trish. “Get over here! We’re leaving now.”

  Stan stood and shook away his wife’s grip on his arm. “You aren’t taking my daughter anywhere. You’re out of your mind coming here like this.” In a blur, Stan rushed Brian.

  Trish screamed out, “Dad, no!”

  After an ear-piercing crack of gunfire, Stan fell to the floor. Brian grabbed Trish by the arm. “See what you made me do, you stupid bitch! Now get outside.” Brian pushed his wife out the door and into the Jeep. Dirt spun up and flew in every direction as he sped down the driveway toward the road.

  Chapter 4

  Jack sat in his office and caught up on overdue paperwork. He hoped with it being Mother’s Day, he wouldn’t have any interruptions, but the ringing desk phone changed everything. He looked away from his computer, knuckled his eye sockets, and answered. Kathy from Dispatch was calling.

  “Boss, a 911 call just came in from the Slinger area. An enraged husband has taken his soon-to-be ex-wife hostage and shot his father-in-law. It sounds like the man was hit in the shoulder.”

  “Shit. Get the nearest patrol out there immediately and give me the address.” Jack held the phone in the crook of his neck as he jotted down the address in his notepad. “Okay, I’m on my way.”

  It took him twenty-five minutes to reach the home of Stan and Nancy Philips, parents of the woman who had been taken against her will by her husband. Jack pulled into the long gravel driveway of the two-story house. The property looked to be on a few acres of land, as the nearest neighbor’s home stood a good quarter mile away.

  Two patrol cars were already there and parked near the sidewalk. Jack pulled in behind them and got out. Deputy Drury met him at the screen door.

  “Hey, boss.”

  “Steve. What have we got?”

  “The family inside is frantic with worry, sir.” He tipped his chin toward the door. “We have a houseful in there. The homeowner, Stan Philips, has already been transported to St. Joe’s by the Slinger Fire Department Rescue Squad. Lucky for him, he was hit in the left shoulder instead of the heart. It sounds like he tried to take on the son-in-law.” Drury shook his head. “Going head-to-head with an armed man? What was he thinking?”

  Jack nodded. “He probably wasn’t—all adrenaline. Let’s talk to the family.”

  “Sure thing, sir. Right this way. Silver is taking the mother’s statement in the kitchen.”

  Jack followed Drury through the screened door. Once inside and with a quick turn to the right, they were in the kitchen, where Silver and Mrs. Philips sat. The woman, who looked to be in her fifties, was seated at the table with a box of tissue next to her left elbow. She glanced up when the men walked in.

  “Ma’am, I’m Lieutenant Jack Steele with the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office. It sounds like your Mother’s Day celebration has turned into your worst nightmare. Word from the hospital is that your husband will be all right, thank God, and our department is going to do everything we can to get your daughter back here where she belongs.”

  Mrs. Philips buried her face in her hands. “We were having such a wonderful day.”

  Jack placed his hand on her shoulder. “Ma’am, would you mind coming out to the living room? It sounds like there are a good number of people out there, and it would be helpful to interview all of you at the same time. We find that when interviewing a group of people together, their recall seems more accurate than when we speak to people individually.”

  “Oh, okay.” She stood and steadied herself against the table.

  “May I help you?”

  She gave Jack a nod.

  Jack looked over his shoulder and tipped his chin at the door. Drury nodded and walked out. He was needed for the search.

  Worry covered every face as Jack entered the living room. Twelve people sat side by side, wringing their hands and dabbing their eyes. Silver made the introductions and updated Jack as several people stood and offered Jack and Nancy their seats.

  Jack nodded a thank-you and put his fist against his mouth. He cleared his throat and put on an optimistic face. “First and foremost, I want everyone to know that Mr. Philips will be okay.”

  A sigh of relief sounded throughout the room.

  “Our department, the Slinger PD, and every resource available to us will be doing our best to find Trish and bring her back home safely. I have units out right now searching the county. What I need from you folks is a timeline of today’s events and a good description of Brian and Trish Cox—a recent photograph would be helpful, a detailed vehicle description, and a plate number if possible. I’ll also need addresses and phone numbers of anyone who is close to Brian, that sort of thing.” Jack turned to Silver. “Did you get every name, relationship to the victim, address, and phone number of the people sitting her
e?”

  “I sure did, boss. That’s all taken care of.”

  “Good, then let’s get started.”

  Chapter 5

  I rolled my neck and lowered my hands to my lap. With a casual glance down, I checked the time on my watch. We had been at the restaurant for well over an hour, and our mom had barely touched her meal. She was too busy yammering. I had my doubts that Jade and I would have an opportunity to speak. I turned to look over my shoulder and caught the attention of our waitress. She nodded and came to our table.

  “What can I get for you, ma’am?” I wanted to say the check but instead I asked for a bottle of red wine. I was positive Jade and I would make short work of it. I gave my sister a subtle smile as our mom continued telling us about the colors her neighbor had chosen for her master bathroom update.

  I knew Jade was about to lose it, so I interrupted on her behalf. “So, Bruce, how is the mailman business treating you? Been bitten by any rabid dogs lately?”

  His face lit up. It was finally his turn to talk. “Damn near,” he said. “A snarling boxer came at me just two weeks ago, and I gave him a good squirt to the face with my water blaster. He took off like a bat out of hell. I keep that blaster on my belt loop at all times.”

  “I bet you do,” Jade said. “Being a mailman is a high-risk job.”

  Mom appeared frustrated. “If you three are done, I’d like to get back to my story. Where was I, anyway?”

  I shrugged.

  She rubbed her forehead as if she were trying to remember.

  The waitress was heading our way with the wine bottle, and her timing was perfect. I watched as she popped the cork and poured. I swirled my glass, inspected the color, and gave it a sniff. Then I chugged it. “Mmm, that’s delicious. Go ahead and fill my glass and hers too.” I pointed at Jade, who already had the wineglass in her outstretched hand.

  “Oh well, I forgot what I was talking about. Did I tell you girls that Carolyn and Nick Connor are moving back to North Bend?”

  Jade raised a brow. “Really? They’ve lived in big cities for years. I thought the small-town lifestyle bored them.”

  “I did too, but apparently they’re coming back later this week. The people who have rented their original North Bend home have finally moved out after living there for ten years. I guess that was enough of a sign for Carolyn.”

  “Sign of what?” Jade asked. She raised her wineglass and gave me a thank-you wink.

  “Sign that it was time to move back home. Carolyn wants to be closer to friends and family. I mean, Nick is often gone checking on the properties they’ve accumulated over the years. He has actually been to North Bend a few times in the last month or so. The updates and painting are done on the house, so they’re finally leaving the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.”

  I laughed. “Has anyone actually counted all ten thousand lakes and documented them by name?”

  Mom gave me a disapproving frown and waved away what I thought was a funny comment. “Anyway, I’m sure they’ve only made peace with the small-town lifestyle because Natalie is preggers again. They’ve missed Finn’s baby years and haven’t gotten to enjoy their role as grandparents.” Mom gave both of us the eyeballs. “According to Carolyn, you girls haven’t spoken to Natalie in ages.”

  I let out a long sigh. “Mom, Natalie is a stay-at-home mom with a five-year-old and apparently a baby on the way. Her life is much different than ours. Jade and I don’t have kids, and our jobs keep us very busy. We’ve drifted apart over the years.”

  Mom dismissed my excuse. “But you girls were best friends growing up.”

  Jade piped in. “And we lived next door to each other. Natalie lives on the south side of Milwaukee now. Life isn’t as convenient as it used to be. When was the last time you saw Carolyn?”

  Mom huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Carolyn and Nick have lived in Minneapolis for the last five years. I can’t interrupt my daily schedule all willy-nilly and head to Minnesota on a whim. I did have coffee with Nick, though, when he was here a few weeks back getting the remodeling arranged. Check out the selfie I took of us together.” Ann pulled out her phone from her purse and scrolled through the picture gallery. “See, isn’t this a great shot?” She held her phone toward Jade and me.

  “Yeah, it’s awesome, Mom, but just like you, we can’t run to the south side of Milwaukee just to stay in touch with Natalie, especially when we both have full-time jobs. Half the time I’m in a different state. Anyway, it’ll be nice to get reacquainted with all of them.” Jade turned toward me. “When was the last time we saw Nick and Carolyn?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t remember. I think it was when they sold their house here in North Bend and moved to Chicago.”

  Mom pushed her food from one side of the plate to the other. I was sure it had gone cold a long time ago. “They sold that house twelve years ago, Amber.”

  “Whatever. It isn’t like they’re family. Are you ready to go, Mom? I’m sure you’re anxious to dig into those police novels.” I waved my hand to get the waitress’s attention. “Can we have the check, please?”

  Ten minutes later and with a half dozen air kisses, Jade and I said our goodbyes and headed out.

  “That was almost as bad as visiting the dentist. No wonder we limit our visits with them to mostly holidays.” Jade turned the key in the ignition and bolted out of Cedar Inn’s parking lot.

  I chuckled. “I guess it is Mom who drives me nuts more than Bruce. I mean, he’s just weird, but Mom is exhausting. It’s scary, you know.”

  Jade gave me a quick glance. “Yeah, what is?”

  “That Mom is like that. Do you think she’s losing it?”

  “In the old-age sort of way?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Heck no, she’s in her early fifties, Amber. Mom has been like that since we were kids.” Jade smirked. “Why do you think Dad divorced her?”

  I rolled my eyes but knew it was the truth. “Here’s a heads-up since you’re older than me.”

  “Yeah, what?” Jade merged onto the freeway and headed toward town.

  “I’ll shoot you if you ever start acting like Mom.”

  Jade laughed. “Promise?”

  “I promise.” My phone buzzed against my hip. I fished it out of my pants pocket and looked at the screen. “Hmm, Kate just texted me. She must be bored at home all by herself.”

  “It serves her right. She could have come along.”

  “Yeah, but she has it made—no obligations to anyone in the area.” I tapped the text icon and read what Kate had written. “Crap.”

  “What?”

  “Jack wants me and Kate to come to work.”

  “Seriously, on Mother’s Day? Did she say why?”

  “Nope. Can you take me to the sheriff’s office? I’ll ride home with Kate later.”

  “Not a problem.” Jade whipped into a parking lot and turned around. “Text her back and tell her I’m dropping you off so she doesn’t wait for you.”

  I fired off a quick text then checked Jade’s blind spot. “You’re clear on my side.”

  The Mustang’s tires squealed when she pressed the gas pedal. “Oops, I guess this girl has more juice than I gave her credit for.” Jade grinned as she turned onto Washington Street and headed east.

  Two left turns and five minutes later, Jade pulled into the sheriff’s office parking lot. Besides the normal weekend crew’s vehicles, I saw Jack’s Challenger parked in his designated spot. I scanned the lot for Kate’s Civic but didn’t see it yet. Jade slipped alongside Jack’s car and shifted into Neutral.

  “Ah, the memories.”

  I grabbed my purse and reached for the door handle. “You can always come back, you know. It would be a blast, and the three of us could carpool.”

  “Sounds nice, but I’ve moved on. There are enough killers out there to keep me busy until I retire in twenty years.”

  I climbed out and stuck my head back in the door before closing it. “In the last few years, we’ve had more tha
n our share too. Thanks for the ride, Sis. I’ll catch you later.” I watched as Jade backed up, turned around, and gunned it, squawking the tires again. She flashed me a thumbs-up out the driver’s-side window and disappeared down the road.

  Inside the building, I took the stairs to our floor and saw Kathy Osborn sitting behind the dispatch counter. I stopped to chat for a minute before entering the code into the bull pen door. “Hey, Kathy, do you know what brought Jack in today?”

  She shook her head. “It’s scary, Amber. Sounds like a Mother’s Day celebration gone bad.”

  I wrinkled my forehead. “What does that even mean?”

  “A call came in several hours ago that shots were fired in a house on the outskirts of Slinger. Jack took off on his own and had me dispatch all available patrol units to the home. Apparently a Mother’s Day gathering for three generations was interrupted by a daughter’s soon-to-be ex-husband. According to Jack, she already had an order of protection against the husband for her own residence but not her parents’ house. He took advantage of that and barged in during their Mother’s Day festivities. The father-in-law charged him—not the smartest idea when a pissed-off man is aiming a gun at the entire crowd.”

  I shook my head. “Oh my God, then what?”

  “Then he took the wife at gunpoint after firing into the shoulder of his father-in-law. Jack has already interviewed the family. Patrol stayed behind to cover the house and search the area. Slinger Fire Department sent the ambulance to the home, and they’ve already taken the father-in-law to St. Joe’s. At this point, the crazy husband and his wife are in the wind, and nobody knows what direction they went.”

  “Holy cow, that’s intense. Patrol hasn’t come up with anything yet?”

  “Nope, but they need to stay on their toes since the man is armed and angry—a scary combination. Jack wants all hands on deck and out searching. There are a lot of side roads in farm country. Unless we get a chopper out looking, it could take a while to find the guy.”

  “And a BOLO has been issued?”

  “Yes, on a gray 2008 Jeep Cherokee. Nobody at the house knew the plate number, so Jack had Luke pull it up. So far, nothing has hit.”