Atrocity

by C. M. Sutter

  We aimed our lights at the ground and stayed to the sides of the road. Every once in a while, I checked our surroundings by stopping where I stood and shining a full circle around us before continuing on.

  “We’re coming up on that large oak tree. Keep your eyes peeled for a dark spot on the path.”

  “Got it. I’m watching closely. So if we find oil, how are we going to prove it’s from the Lumina?”

  “We’ll have Forensics compare it to the puddle in Mark’s garage. A viscosity and oil weight match, mixed with whatever gunk leaks out of a car that’s nearly twenty years old, should tell us something.”

  “And with that information, we’ll have the upper hand in dealing with Mark Peters. If he doesn’t cough up what we need on Brian, he’ll be left holding the bag.”

  “Yep, and first thing in the morning, I’m getting a warrant to search both the Cox home and Mark’s house. Time is ticking away, and we don’t know Brian’s state of mind or how he’s treating Trish.”

  We slowed our steps once we were within fifty feet of the tree. If oil was present, even a small amount, Jack and I would spot it. We continued on and covered every square inch of the dirt road in a left-to-right fashion.

  “I’ve got something!” I held the flashlight on the three-inch dark spot ten feet in front of me. Jack watched his steps as he approached then knelt next to it.

  “Okay, come on over, Amber. Check in front of you before each step in case there’s more.”

  I lit my way before I stepped and met Jack at the dark spot on the ground.

  “I’m not sure how to go about this. I’d bet my bottom dollar that’s oil, but it’s sitting on top of dirt, not cement like in the garage. I don’t want to contaminate the oil by getting dirt in it.”

  “Should I call Forensics and have them come out and take a sample?”

  Jack nodded. “Go ahead and do that, I think it’s for the best. I’ll get some pictures and check for more spots.”

  I made the call to our weekend forensic team, and Jerry Gundrum said he was on his way but we had a half hour to wait. I returned to Jack’s side. “Jerry is coming. He said he had to gather a few things first.”

  Jack started down the path. “I’ll pull my car in closer, otherwise he’s going to have a long hike with that heavy equipment case.”

  I caught up. “I’ll tag along.”

  With the Challenger closer to the spot we had marked, Jerry would have only a short distance to walk after parking the van behind Jack’s car. We waited in the vehicle and watched through the side mirrors for headlights approaching from behind. At that point, a positive match to the oil spots was what we needed. It would be the only leverage we’d have against Mark Peters.

  Jack gave me a sideways glance and let out a deep sigh. “No word on the Lumina from any law enforcement agency?”

  “Nothing has come in. That sounds like Brian has found himself a place to hunker down.”

  “Probably. I’ll call the judge in the morning for that warrant. You and Kate will go to Brian’s last workplace and conduct an interview. Talk to the people he worked closest with and his immediate boss. From what Trish’s family told me, Brian isn’t a guy who likes to take orders. I’ll have Clayton and Billings canvas the neighborhood around the Cox home. Hopefully somebody knows what kind of relationship Brian and Trish had.”

  “But what is his end game? He certainly doesn’t intend to kill his wife, does he?”

  “I have no idea, Amber. We’ve never met the guy, and it’s tough to get a sense of someone’s motivation or personality based solely on hearsay. What worries me is how everything will go down once he is caught. Animals don’t like being cornered, and they usually come out fighting.”

  I stared at the side mirror as we talked. Moments later, I saw headlights approaching from behind. “It looks like Jerry is here.” I opened the car door. “Let’s do this and get the heck out of Dodge. I’m ready for a good night’s sleep.”

  Jack and I climbed out of the Challenger and met up with Jerry at the back of the forensics van.

  He gave us a nod. “Boss, Amber. What have we got?”

  “Oil sitting on top of dirt. I’m not quite sure how to pull a sample myself without mixing the two.”

  “Understood. Better to leave that type of thing to the experts.”

  I gave Jerry a wink. “That’s why we called you.”

  Jack tipped his head toward the Challenger. “It’s in front of my car. My hope is to compare this sample with one in the garage of Mark Peters and get a match. That should be enough to tell me if the leaks are from the same vehicle, right?”

  “Same oil weight and length of time between oil changes. It could be old, thick, and full of sludge. We should be able to tell if the samples match.”

  “Good. That’s all I needed to know.”

  We held our flashlights as Jerry knelt over the small black puddle. He shook his head.

  “This is going to be a challenge since the oil has seeped into the dirt. The sample will be contaminated, boss.”

  “Damn it.” Jack pressed his fingertips into his forehead.

  “Wait, what about this?” I pointed at the tiny amount of oil that had splashed onto a leaf at the edge of the stain. “How much do you need for a sample?”

  “Not much.” Jerry picked up the leaf with his gloved hand. “A little light, please.”

  I shined the beam on the leaf while he studied it. “I think this will work.” He placed the leaf in a sterile plastic container and sealed it. He took a sample from the stain in the dirt too. “Did you see any other puddles that might give us better results?”

  “Nope. The car must have sat in that same spot until Brian backed it out of here. I think that’s it, Jerry. Follow us to the home of Mark Peters. We’re going to need a sample from that puddle in the garage for a comparison.”

  I raised my brows in surprise. “We don’t have a warrant yet, Jack.”

  “And we aren’t going in his house. He didn’t have time to close the overhead before we hauled him away. We’re doing a wellness check on the property, that’s all.”

  Chapter 13

  We finally made it back to the sheriff’s office at nine thirty. I was beat, but Jack had put in a twelve-hour day, possibly more. What I had thought would be a leisurely afternoon at home had turned out to be a longer workday than most. Jerry took his samples to the lab and said he’d have his conclusion by morning. Until then, my intentions were to get a good night’s sleep.

  Jack gathered his belongings while I waited. He’d drive me home since Jade had dropped me off that morning. The Mother’s Day brunch with Mom and Bruce seemed like forever ago.

  We crossed the parking lot, and I climbed into the passenger seat of Jack’s car. The ride home would take ten minutes, then Jack would have to backtrack to his own house. He said he didn’t mind.

  “So how do you like the Challenger? I think it’s pretty cool, especially now that I’ve ridden in it a few times.”

  Jack clicked his blinker and turned right on Indiana Avenue. “It’s great, but I’ll admit, I still miss my Charger. That gal and I had a history, you know.”

  I nodded. “You sound just like Jade. She definitely loved that Cobra of hers. Someday I’ll get something sporty too.”

  “Yeah?” Jack grinned. “Is Jade rubbing off on you a little?”

  “She’s a force. It’s hard not to adopt some of her ideas. Dad was the same.”

  “That’s a fact. Tom Monroe certainly loved fast cars.” Jack shook his head as if memories were flooding his mind. “Your dad was a legend in both Washburn and San Bernardino Counties. That man’s absence is felt by a lot of people every single day.”

  I turned my head and stared out the window as my eyes began to well up. Jack reached across the console and squeezed my shoulder.

  “It’s okay to miss your old man, Amber. Hell, I miss him like crazy too.” Jack pulled in my driveway and shifted into Park. “Okay, Detective, go inside and ge
t some sleep. I intend to keep all of you busy tomorrow.”

  I opened the door and climbed out. “Good night, Jack, and thanks for the sweet words about my dad.”

  “They aren’t hard to say when they’re true. Good night, Amber.”

  I closed the car door and walked up the sidewalk, then turned back and waved before going in the house. I knew that just as Jade had always said, Jack would never walk or drive away before knowing I was safe and sound.

  I was surprised to see Jade and Kate still up and watching the news. I dropped my holster and purse on the breakfast bar, opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, and joined them in the living room. “Isn’t sleep a rare commodity in this house? Why are you guys still up?”

  Jade wrinkled her brow and paused the news. She checked the time. “And didn’t I drop you off at the sheriff’s office something like nine hours ago? You should talk.”

  “Yeah,” Kate chimed in. “What have you been up to since I went home?”

  “Jack and I returned to the dirt road where you found the Jeep. After visiting Mark Peters and seeing an oil spill on the cement floor of his garage, Jack had an idea.”

  Jade leaned forward and rubbed her hands together. “He always has great ideas. What was it?”

  “Mark Peters wouldn’t admit anything about his missing Lumina and why there was fresh oil on the garage floor where nothing was parked. We went back to the dirt road with flashlights and looked for evidence of an oil leak on the ground.”

  “Meaning Mark met Brian at that spot earlier, left the Lumina behind, and Brian dropped him off back home. That way all Brian had to do after kidnapping Trish was go to the dirt road and swap cars,” Kate said. “One hundred percent premeditated.”

  “Exactly.”

  Jade sipped her wine. “That sounds totally logical. So did you find oil?”

  “Sure did, so we called Forensics, and Jerry Gundrum came and took a sample. Then we went back to the Peters house and took a sample from the puddle on the garage floor.”

  Kate looked startled. “Wait a min—”

  “Don’t even start with me. I had to go along with what Jack suggested. He is my superior, you know. He said we had to do a wellness check on the house since Mark would be sitting in lockup for another twenty hours.”

  Jade laughed. “That totally sounds like Jack. He likes hanging out in that gray area. So for now it’s hurry up and wait?”

  “Yeah, until the oil samples are confirmed as a match. That’s when we’ll have something to hold over Mark’s head.” I turned to Kate. “We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow according to Jack. I’m heading to bed after the news.”

  Jade resumed the news that had been on pause for ten minutes. “What the hell?”

  Breaking news interrupted the ten o’clock broadcast. The reporter told how another woman from St. Paul had been reported missing, which totaled four in the last two months. Three of those women had been located, lying dead among trash, but the perpetrator had never been caught.

  “J.T. and I were supposed to work that case, but we were in Ohio at the time. Now another woman went missing? That’s telling me the perp stayed in the area and is still abducting women.”

  “It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the same guy, Jade,” I said.

  “The MO is the same. Look at the picture of that woman.” Jade paused the TV again. “The three before her also had blond hair and fair skin. The age fits too—late twenties. I wonder if Spelling will get a call.”

  I guzzled my beer and placed the glass in the dishwasher. “I’m sure the families were and still are frantic. It’s really scary. That’s why I like living in small-town USA.”

  Jade snickered. “Right, and aren’t you guys trying to find somebody who nearly killed his father-in-law, on Mother’s Day of all days, and then abducted his own wife?”

  I yawned. “I guess you have a point. Too bad we can’t pick up North Bend and move it far away from any big-city influence.”

  Kate stood and rolled her neck. “But today’s events happened in Slinger, and it’s a smaller town than North Bend.” She headed for the stairs. “Come on, Spaz. Let’s go to bed. Night, guys. See you in the morning.”

  I shook my head before going to my own room. “Didn’t Spaz start out as my cat?”

  Jade shrugged. “Yeah, but I guess you aren’t cutting the mustard for him anymore.”

  Chapter 14

  Cole left the house at seven o’clock that morning. Anxious to find out if the second procedure on Candy had given him the results he was looking for, he couldn’t wait a second longer. The last three women were weak and had died within hours, but they didn’t have Candy’s willpower. She was a fighter, yet too resistant, which made the second procedure necessary. Deeper and harder brain stimulation might have been all she needed.

  He reached the dingy basement room twenty minutes after leaving his comfortable home in the Minneapolis suburbs. With the keys in hand—they were always hidden under the car’s floor mat—Cole unlocked the paint-peeled wooden door, secured it behind him, flipped the light switch, and descended the stairs.

  Candy lay motionless on the table, unlike yesterday when he arrived. Cole cursed under his breath.

  The procedure failed again. She must be dead.

  He approached her with hesitation. He didn’t want to see that blue tint of death on her lips or nail beds. He didn’t want to feel the cold skin that rapidly took over. He walked to her side and touched her arm—it was warm. He leaned over her face, and her lips were pink. She was alive, just unresponsive. His heart skipped a beat.

  He removed the bandages covering her eyes and replaced them with saline wipes. He’d gently clean her blood-caked lids and open them. He held a mirror under her nose and checked—she was definitely breathing. He hoped for the success he hadn’t seen in quite some time. He dabbed her crusted eyelids until they were clean. With his thumb, he lifted her lids. Her eyeballs were bloodshot. Cole used the dropper and squeezed saline water into her eyes to moisten them and reduce the redness. He called out her name and flicked his fingernail against her skin—no response.

  It could take a while before she wakes up, even days. That’s time I don’t have.

  Cole unbuckled the leather strap from her right arm. He lifted her arm and let go. It fell to the table with a thud.

  Hmm… no response or reflexes at all.

  He secured the strap again and went to his worktable. Moments later, he wheeled over an IV pole with a glucose bag hanging from it. He prepared her arm, stuck the IV needle into her vein, and taped the tube to the inside of her elbow. He attached the IV, which allowed glucose to enter her bloodstream. It would give her the nourishment she needed.

  Cole placed a chair and a small table ten feet from Candy and took a seat. He faced her left side, where he would see any movement that could possibly indicate she was waking up. Next to him sat a travel mug of coffee and one of his favorite textbooks on catatonia. Once comfortable, he began to read. He resigned himself to the fact that he could be waiting for hours. He’d stay until noon then leave and return that night. If she hadn’t wakened by then, he’d find a place to dump her where she’d surely die. He’d chalk that effort off as another failure.

  He checked his watch every half hour. Time ticked by, and Candy didn’t move. Cole crossed the ten-foot space and stood next to her. He lifted her left eyelid and pressed the button on the flashlight in his hand. He held it over her eye, and her pupil constricted. Maybe she’d come around after all. Reflexes that she had no control over were beginning to respond to stimulation. He was hopeful.

  Cole replaced the glucose bag with a fresh one and left at noon. He’d return later when darkness would conceal his movements. No matter what condition Candy was in, she’d be leaving the basement room that night.

  Chapter 15

  Morning came too quickly. I was still tired and slapped at my cell phone to shut off the annoying buzzer. I forced myself out of bed and down the hallway. A cup of coffee
and a hot shower would help wake me up. I jumped at the sight of Jade sitting at the breakfast bar in the dimly lit kitchen.

  “Damn it, Jade, you scared the shit out of me. You’re lucky I wasn’t armed.” I reached in my robe pocket and pulled out my cell phone.

  “Now what?” Jade sipped her coffee with an amused grin.

  “I need a picture of you sitting there. I’m sure you’ve never gotten up before me in my life.” I pressed the camera button.

  “You’re weird.”

  “Who’s weird?” The basement door opened, and Spaz scurried through with Kate right behind him. He ran to his food dish then gave me a scowl.

  “What? You aren’t my cat anymore. Tell your new owner to feed you, you traitor.”

  Jade chuckled. “Cats are fickle and have no loyalty to anyone.”

  Kate shrugged. “He’s seems pretty loyal to me.”

  “Give it time. He’ll turn on you too as soon as someone better comes along.” I poured cups of coffee for Kate and me.

  “So back to my question, who’s weird?”

  Jade swatted the air. “It’s nothing. I just told Amber she was weird because she took a picture of me sitting here.”

  Kate leaned against the breakfast bar. “I’d say you’re the weird one. What gives? You’re never up before us.”

  I nodded. “See, that’s why I took a picture of her. It’ll have a time stamp on it as proof that once in her life she was out of bed with the sunrise.”

  “I’m making a bowl of cereal. Who wants some?” Kate looked at Jade and me.

  “Don’t go to too much trouble on our account.” Jade rolled her eyes and pushed back her chair. “Let me give you a hand since I know how to make cereal too.”

  “I’m hitting the shower first. Don’t pour milk in mine. I’ll do it myself when I come back out.”

  Forty-five minutes and two bowls of Nutty Crunch cereal later, Kate and I said goodbye to Jade and left the house. I was anxious to get our day started and even more anxious to find out about the oil samples. If the samples matched, Jack would certainly tighten the noose around Mark’s neck. If we were lucky and Jack applied enough pressure on Mark, we might find out Brian’s location.