Amish Country Murder

by Mary Alford

  Catherine sank down on the bed. Would there ever be a time when she would sleep through the night in peace? At this moment in her life, she couldn’t imagine it.

  * * *

  Though it was late and Noah’s day would come early, Sutter had enjoyed their quiet conversation. He hated to see it end. Many things about Noah reminded him of his brother, Thomas.

  “This should keep you warm.” Noah brought in a handmade quilt along with sheets and pillows, and placed them on the sofa.

  Then he settled in the rocker next to Sutter again. “How long has it been since you left the faith?”

  The question took him by surprise. He never spoke of his past with anyone. Kept it hidden away from the world. None of his colleagues knew he’d once been Amish.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “How did you guess?”

  “It’s not so easy to pick up, if that’s what you’re worried about. I noticed from the way you reacted when you arrived. You had that look in your eyes. Almost like you’d come home.”

  Sutter struggled for the right words. Couldn’t go there tonight and not tell Noah all the ugly details of his past.

  Before he brought out an answer, the quiet of the night ended abruptly. The crack of a gunshot near the house propelled him to his feet.

  “This isn’t hunting season, right?” Sutter was pretty sure he knew the answer before Noah confirmed the truth. That shot wasn’t fired by a hunter. Fear chased through Sutter’s limbs. Had the killer found them in this quiet setting?

  Sutter called it in. “Sheriff, I have a shot fired near the Warren place. I need immediate assistance.”

  Sheriff Collins didn’t hesitate. “We’re on our way now. Are you all safe?”

  “Yes. I’m going to check outside. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  “Be careful. If this wasn’t a random shot, but the Dead of Night Killer, he’s there for a reason. He wants Catherine.”

  Sutter ended the call and shoved his arms into his jacket, the sheriff’s warning ringing in his mind.

  “Do you have a weapon?” he asked Noah.

  “I do.” The Amish man grabbed his shotgun from where it hung on the wall and loaded it.

  “Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone but me.”

  Sutter checked the magazine in his Glock, opened the door and listened. Nothing but the sounds of the night. Were they wrong about the shot being anything but innocent?

  “Be careful out there. You said yourself this guy has nothing to lose.”

  While Noah’s warning sank its teeth into his troubled thoughts, Sutter stepped out into the cold night. Locks slid into place behind him. He faced the darkness alone.

  There was a chance the shot had come from one of the neighbors. Perhaps to warn off a predator? But the hair rising on both arms made him dismiss that hope.

  He didn’t dare turn on the flashlight he’d tucked into his jacket pocket. If this was their killer, Sutter didn’t want to give him a warning he was coming. He headed toward the barn, where he estimated the shot might have come from. The snow had started back up again with nightfall, making it next to impossible to see much more than a few feet in front of him. The freshly fallen blanket on the ground muffled his footsteps.

  When he reached the barn, Sutter stopped to listen. The silence of the countryside settled around him.

  Drawing in a breath, he stepped from the shelter of the building. He reached the edge of the woods without incident. Shining the flashlight over the ground, he found no sign anyone had been there recently.

  He moved deeper into the woods, because he couldn’t let it go. To his right, the beam picked up something that sent panic into his core. Footprints. Heading straight toward the house.

  With his heart in his throat, all he could think about was the danger to the people inside.

  He ran as fast as the snow would allow. With his breath coming in short bursts, Sutter tried to recall the layout. The two bedrooms were at the back.

  Reaching the clearing, Sutter flipped off the flashlight. Darkness surrounded him as he moved to the back of the house. After flattening himself against the wall, he slowly peered around the corner.

  His eyes adjusted. Nothing moved. Sutter flicked on the flashlight again and scanned the snow-covered ground. That single set of footsteps continued on around the side.

  With his Glock ready, Sutter counted to three in his head, then whipped around the building. Before he had time to assess the situation, a shape lunged for him. The weight of a man’s body crashed into him, knocking Sutter off balance. He fell backward and hit the ground hard. His headed bounced off snowy earth. The man was on top of him right away.

  With his face concealed by a ski mask, hatred radiated from those dark eyes as the man waved a gun in Sutter’s face with one hand and latched on to his throat with the other.

  Sutter smashed his Glock hard against the intruder’s head, but it didn’t slow him down any. As the steel grip tightened around Sutter’s throat, he felt himself losing consciousness quickly.

  Mustering all the strength he could, he swung the Glock again. This time his assailant’s hand loosened from around Sutter’s throat. He shoved him hard and the man rolled off him. He was free.

  Over his labored breathing, Sutter heard sirens drawing closer. The man’s head jerked toward the sound. He shot to his feet and sprinted around the side of the house.

  Sutter managed to get to his knees. The noise of an object being slammed against the front door had him staggering to his feet. The man was trying to break into the house, even with the cops so close.

  Coughing and gasping for air, Sutter went after him.

  He rounded the front of the house. A round of gunshots sent him ducking back against the wall. Bullets whizzed past him, close enough for Sutter to feel the breeze left in their wake.

  After a couple seconds of silence, he slowly eased around the corner again.

  He reached the porch. The man had vanished. Keeping Catherine safe was of the upmost importance. Weakened from the attack, Sutter accepted he was in no condition to pursue the killer. He dropped to his knees and banged against the door.

  “Noah, it’s Sutter.” The words were barely audible. Noah swung the door open and helped Sutter inside.

  All he could think about was Catherine. The next victim. Would his weakness cost someone else her life?

  FIVE

  Her eyes snapped open. Something had woken her. With her pulse drumming in her ears, Catherine listened. Nothing but silence.

  Throwing back the covers, she shivered in the chill of the night, but swung her legs over the side of the bed anyway. Darkness consumed the room. There were no streetlights in Amish country.

  A window above the bed reflected the moonless night. Bits of snow fell. Catherine’s heartbeat thudded as an uneasy feeling scattered goose bumps up her arms.

  Just a dream... She tried to convince herself. The past’s nightmare bleeding into the present.

  Drawing a deep breath, she eased back under the bedding and closed her eyes. As hard as she tried, sleep proved elusive. The silence of the room crowded in. Her heart refused to settle down. She thought about the happy place where she’d gone when the pain became too much. A meadow covered with wildflowers. She’d sit and stare at the beauty around her for hours and know Gott was in control no matter what she faced.

  A sound near the window scattered the peaceful thoughts. Fear crawled into her head when a shape appeared outside the glass. A man. Him! The evil in his eyes was as clear as the night she’d escaped from him.

  She screamed. Then screamed again. The killer’s face disappeared. Multiple voices sounded just outside the house.

  Catherine raced to the bedroom door. Her hands shook so much that she fumbled with the doorknob. Someone pushed it open. Sutter. She ran into his arms.

  �
�It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he said, as he urged her from the room and closed the door.

  But it wasn’t. “He’s out there. I saw him.”

  “I know. Sheriff Collins and his men just arrived and are looking for him now.” He held her at arm’s length and examined her face. “You’re shivering. Come, sit by the fire.” Sutter guided her to one of the rockers close to the stove.

  Rachel came over and tucked a blanket across her lap. “I’m going to check on Katie to make sure she went back to sleep and then I will put on some coffee to help warm you up.” With a smile, she left them alone.

  “Denki,” Catherine murmured. She felt frozen solid from the inside out as Noah stood watch near the window. She leaned forward, grateful for the warmth of the fire heating her face and hands. The killer had been right outside her window. She couldn’t comprehend it.

  Turning, she noticed Sutter was rubbing his neck.

  “You’re hurt.” The familiar red marks on his throat confirmed the truth. Sutter had faced down the killer once more.

  “It’s nothing.” He sought to assure her, but then told her about the shot that had drawn him out, followed by the attack.

  “He will not give up until I’m dead,” she said, her body vibrating with fear.

  Sutter reached for her hand and held it. “That’s not going to happen.”

  She believed he meant it. If only she felt as confident that anyone could stop this killer from getting to her.

  Despite the fire’s warmth, the chill wouldn’t go away. “I’m afraid it will,” she murmured, hating the power the killer held over her.

  Stutter folded both her hands in his. “I know you are, but you’re not alone, Catherine. I’ll never leave your side. I know this is scary, but believe it or not, we are making progress,” Sutter said. “He’s getting reckless. Desperate. Taking big risks, like coming here tonight. It’s only a matter of time before he slips up and we catch him.”

  She wanted to believe him, but with a killer breathing down her neck, letting herself have hope seemed foolish.

  “I can’t go back there.” Her voice shook. Thinking about the cold basement, the shackle on her leg, the excruciating torment he’d put her through, reduced her to tears. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the pain. Hear the screams from... Her head shot up. The screams she thought she’d imagined from the other woman... They were real. There had been someone else in the house that first night, she was positive. But she’d searched. The basement had been empty. Was she losing her mind?

  “Catherine?” Sutter’s full attention was fixed on her face.

  She closed her eyes, concentrating hard. The woman’s scream ripped through her memory again. Someone else had been in the house when Catherine awakened the first night, but not in the basement. The scream had come from above.

  He’d been so angry. Forced to abandon his plans for Catherine and deal with the woman.

  “Oh, no.” Bile rose in her throat as she remembered.

  “What is it?”

  She turned frightened eyes to Sutter. “There was someone else in the house the night I was taken. A woman. At first, I thought I’d imagined her screams, but I didn’t. They were real.” Catherine frowned, trying to focus. Something else lay hidden at the outskirts of her memory. Something to fear.

  His eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  Catherine struggled with doubts of her own. She’d been confused and in bad shape. She remembered awakening to find him standing over her. Then the scream. After that, she’d lost consciousness. When she’d awakened, the house had been quiet except for the continuous barking of the dog throughout the day. Still, she was certain. “I’m positive. There was another woman in the house.” Had she inadvertently abandoned her to a killer’s games?

  Reality slowly dawned. “Do you think he killed her?” she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  “So far, another body hasn’t turned up. Maybe she’s still alive and he has her stashed in another part of the house,” Sutter said soberly.

  Hope rose inside her. Catherine shut it down. Hope was something she couldn’t allow right now. “You have to find her, Sutter. She needs help.” Her gut told her this woman wasn’t just a random victim. There was more to the story than Catherine’s memory could provide. She knew this woman well. Their lives were connected somehow. She had to pull the connection out of the darkness soon, before it was too late. Before the woman who’d cried out for help became the latest victim in the Dead of Night Killer’s macabre game.

  * * *

  A knock on the door jerked Catherine’s attention away from him.

  “It’s probably my partner and the sheriff,” Sutter said, letting her go while Noah left his spot near the window to open the door. Sheriff Collins and James, along with DCI agents Trevor and Garrett, came inside.

  Sutter introduced Noah to the men.

  “How are you holding up?” James asked, once he reached Catherine. His partner’s concern didn’t come as a surprise. James was one of the most caring people Sutter knew.

  “I’m alright,” she managed to answer, but nothing was further from the truth, in Sutter’s opinion.

  “Crime scene’s right behind us,” the sheriff said. “The suspect was gone by the time we reached the back of the house. I have men searching the woods, but I imagine he had a car stashed nearby.”

  Lack of sleep—and the injuries he’d sustained at the killer’s hands—only intensified Sutter’s frustration in hearing the Dead of Night Killer had once more slipped from their grasp.

  “I have no idea how this guy knows Catherine is here, but we can’t let her stay,” James said.

  Sutter was ready to agree until a thought made him pause. “Unless that’s exactly what he thinks we’ll do. Shift locations.”

  James stared at him for a long moment. “You believe he’ll be expecting us to move her after what happened. She’ll be more vulnerable in transit. You want to leave her here,” James confirmed.

  “I do.” He held Catherine’s gaze and hoped he wasn’t making a mistake that would cost her life. “At least for the time being. The perp will be watching the activity.” Sutter swung to the sheriff. “Do you have some deputies who could act as decoys? Have them dress in similar clothing. When everyone leaves, he’ll see them and think they’re Catherine and me.”

  Sheriff Collins nodded. “Deputy Megan Clark and Cole Underwood are searching outside. I’ll have them change into civilian clothes.” He turned away and made the call.

  “Alright, but at the first sign of trouble, she’s out of here, for everyone’s sake.” James motioned to the kitchen where Noah and Rachel poured coffee.

  Sutter understood. The last thing he wanted was to bring harm to this innocent family.

  “Agreed.” He pressed Catherine’s arm. “Tell them what you told me about the other woman.” Sutter still couldn’t fully believe the Dead of Night Killer had taken two women so close together. There was still so much about the villain’s patterns they didn’t know.

  As Catherine recounted her memory of the other woman’s screams, his mind whirled with possibilities.

  James’s shocked gaze sought Sutter’s. “That sure doesn’t fit with the Dead of Night Killer’s MO. And it doesn’t bode well, either.”

  Sutter read between the lines what James wasn’t saying. The killer might have taken the woman’s life by now...unless there was something special about her. In the past, the Dead of Night Killer disposed of his victims quickly. Usually within two days.

  “She doesn’t deserve to go through this,” Catherine insisted, and pressed an unsteady hand against her chest.

  Sutter’s heart went out to her. Catherine knew firsthand the pain this woman would face.

  “We’ll do everything in our power to bring her home safely,” James said. “But something about there being another w
oman doesn’t add up in my mind,” he told Sutter.

  “Such as?”

  “Well, how did he find this victim so quickly?”

  It was a valid question. The six victims they knew about had been abducted over a longer period of time. “Maybe he didn’t,” Sutter said, and looked to Catherine. “Is it possible you were with this other woman when you were taken?”

  Her eyes widened. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s possible, I guess.”

  It made sense, but without Catherine being able to fit the pieces together, they had no way of knowing for sure.

  “There’s the crime scene team.” Trever motioned toward the window and the approaching headlights. “We’ll give them a hand.” He and Garrett headed outside, while Rachel and Noah brought over coffee for everyone.

  “Rachel, this is Agent James Pennington. We work together.” Sutter made the introduction.

  James smiled at Rachel. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for letting us use your home.”

  “We are happy to help,” Noah assured him.

  Sutter took a sip of his coffee and slipped back into the rocker next to Catherine. She appeared ready to drop, but unfortunately, they needed answers, and she was the only one capable of giving them.

  “Have you remembered anything else?” He hated to push, but if there was another victim, her time was running out. “If there’s anything at all, I need you to tell me.”

  With her face ashen, she focused on the coffee cup in her hand. “I’m not sure if it’s real or something my brain conjured up.”

  “At this point, it doesn’t matter. Tell me what you’re thinking. We can sort it out from there.”

  A log shifted in the stove and she jumped at the sound. She seemed ready to flee at every little noise. He hated what the killer had done to her.

  Catherine pulled in a breath. “I remember her hair. It’s the same color as mine. And I think we are close. Friends, maybe.” She shook her head. “Only that doesn’t make sense. I didn’t see her at the killer’s house,” she said to herself.