by Mary Alford
The sound of his phone ringing intruded into the tender moment. Regretfully, he let her go. The number blurred before his eyes. He focused hard. Sheriff Collins.
“How are you feeling?” the sheriff asked. “I heard the perp managed to get in a good lick.”
“I’ve been better. James said you picked up Proctor.”
“We did. I’m letting him sweat for a bit until James arrives.”
“I’m anxious to hear what he has to say,” Sutter told him.
“Me, too. But that’s not the reason I called. I wanted to let you know I have some good news. We found out where Catherine is from.”
Sutter sat up straighter, grabbing his side. “You did?”
“Yep. I received a call from Ryan just now. She’s from the Saint Ignatius community.”
“Hang on a second, I’ll put the phone on speaker so Catherine can hear.” Sutter punched the button and said, “Okay, Sheriff.”
“Catherine, you’re from Saint Ignatius, and your last name is Fisher.”
Sutter glanced her way. He could tell she recognized it immediately.
“Your parents are Fannie and Abram Fisher. You aren’t married. You live on the dairy farm your family has worked for several generations. Ryan showed your photo to the bishop, who was able to identify you. He’s going with Ryan to the Fishers’ home now. I wanted you to know what we’ve found out so far.”
Tears shone in her eyes. “I remember. Thank you, Sheriff Collins.”
“As soon as we have more, I’ll call you back.” Sutter could hear the sheriff talking to someone else. He caught the words “that’s interesting,” and sensed Sheriff Collins had more to say. He took the call off speaker and listened.
“I have some news about Proctor,” the sheriff said to Sutter. “Megan managed to track down a friend of Melissa Holt’s from high school. Turns out Melissa used to babysit for Proctor.”
The news was shocking. They had a way to tie Proctor to the first victim. “Was there a romantic relationship going on?” Sutter asked.
“Not as far as the friend remembers,” the sheriff said. “But she keeps in touch with Melissa’s parents. She’s going to ask them if they remember anything further. I told her to have them call me directly.”
“This is big,” Sutter murmured with a sigh. For the first time since this started, he felt as if they might solve this case, after all.
“I checked on the possibility of Proctor owning other property around town where he might have stashed Elizabeth. There’s no record of either him or June having an additional house.”
It wasn’t the news Sutter hoped for. Still, they had Proctor. The car he owned was used in a recent attack. Proctor was involved in the killings somehow.
A weight lifted from Sutter’s shoulders. Finally, something made sense. They were getting answers. He prayed they didn’t come too late to save Elizabeth.
FOURTEEN
Fisher. She repeated the name in her head. She was Catherine Fisher. She remembered their farm at the edge of the Saint Ignatius Amish community. The mountains in the distance were a perfect reminder each day of Gott’s bounty.
Catherine watched Lily and Katie as they played together. They reminded her of herself and Elizabeth at that age. Growing up, they’d been inseparable, though Elizabeth was always the more outgoing of the two.
When they’d begun their rumspringa, things changed.
She glanced Sutter’s way and found him watching her.
“Are more of your memories coming back?” he asked, correctly interrupting her expression.
She nodded. “I remember my parents and our home. Elizabeth. My younger sister, Abigail.” The hurt she’d experienced when Elizabeth told the family she was leaving the faith was still fresh after all these years.
“Elizabeth’s husband was older than she. Once she made the decision to leave the Amish way of life and marry Douglas, they lived in Saint Ignatius for a while until Lily was born. Then Douglas was hired on at an oilfield near Billings and they moved away.” She swallowed at the memory. It was like losing her sister again.
With Elizabeth still close, Catherine would visit her whenever she managed to get away. After the move, she’d received the occasional letter.
“I’ll let James know. We should be able to ask your parents about Douglas’s last name,” Sutter murmured.
Catherine still remembered the letter she’d received from Elizabeth several months ago. She’d known before she opened it that her sister was hurting. The twin connection she and Elizabeth shared throughout their lives made words unnecessary.
“What is it?” he asked, his eyes on her face.
“Elizabeth wrote about her husband’s death.” She recalled how shocked she’d been to hear the news. “Douglas was coming home early one morning. The weather was bad. His car ran off the road and he hit a tree head-on. The car caught fire and there was nothing left. Elizabeth had to identify Douglas’s remains through his wedding ring.” Her sister had needed her. Catherine didn’t hesitate to go.
Her forehead wrinkled. There was something more. “Elizabeth knew the owner of the house where we stayed. They’d met before. Became friends.”
Sutter considered her answer. “Did she know Victoria had passed away?”
Catherine tried to remember, but couldn’t. “I’m not sure.” She swung toward him as another memory returned. “I’d just arrived. That day. I hadn’t been there long before he broke in.”
He held her gaze, his shock evident. “We’ve been working on the belief that the killer was stalking you, but that’s not what happened. It was Elizabeth he was after. He hadn’t expected you to be there. You were just an added bonus.”
The reality of those words sank in. Her introduction to the killer had been some terrifying game of chance.
At the sound of a throat being cleared, they both turned.
“Sorry to interrupt.” James hovered beside them. “I’m on my way to sit in on the interview with Proctor. Aden’s returned from taking Noah to retrieve his buggy. He and Cole will be here with you should anything come up.” James slipped into his jacket.
Holding his side, Sutter staggered to his feet while gripping the chair arm for support.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Catherine, and followed his partner out into the afternoon.
She barely heard what he said. All she could think about was her sister. Why had the killer targeted her? Elizabeth hadn’t been in Eagle’s Nest all that long. What about Lily? The child had been sleeping at the time. She hadn’t seen what happened.
There was something Catherine was still missing. Something important.
* * *
“He’s escalating,” James said, once they were out of earshot. “Let’s hope this Proctor fellow is our guy. We need to contain this, and now.”
“You’re right.” Sutter conveyed what Catherine had remembered about her sister.
“How did the killer know Elizabeth was here? She couldn’t have been in town for long. The house is some distance outside of Eagle’s Nest. Somehow or other, she came in contact with him. We just have to figure out how.” James looked Sutter over. “You need rest. If this isn’t Proctor, then the real killer is still out there, and he’ll keep coming. Depending on what happens with the interview, I think we need to move Catherine to a different location as soon as possible.”
James obviously had doubts. Sutter felt the same way. Was it simply because the killer had been so relentless up until now? It seemed odd that he’d allowed himself to be captured so easily.
“I agree. From the note he left earlier, I’m positive there’s another victim out there. He’s trying to tell us, or more importantly, Catherine, something in that last note.” Sutter’s gaze fell on the charred spot where the killer had set the fire, the attack still fresh in his mind.
James swung back to
him. “I’ll let you know the minute we have anything from Proctor.”
“Thanks. Let’s hope he’s our guy. We need this to end.”
“And I’m not sure how much longer Elizabeth has,” James said, his tone ominous. With those chilling words hanging between, he waved and headed toward his vehicle.
As he watched his partner drive away, Sutter glanced around at the brilliant afternoon. The day had been free of snow. Spring was coming slowly to the West Kootenai community.
The same uneasy feeling from earlier swept through him again and he scanned the area closely. Nothing appeared out of place. He was on edge. Feeling vulnerable.
The door behind him opened. Catherine stepped out next to him. “Is everything alright?” she asked, her gentle voice washing over him.
Sutter tried to keep his misgivings to himself. “Yes, everything is fine.”
She stood beside him. He could feel her eyes on him. “I hope this man is the one you’re looking for and we find Elizabeth soon, because I can’t bear to tell Lily her mamm isn’t coming home.”
He glanced her way. She’d been through so much. Sutter couldn’t let her lose her sister, too.
She wrapped her arms around her body to ward off the chill. “You should come inside,” she said. “It is a cold day and you are not well.”
He smiled at her consideration. Every time he looked at her, he lost a little more of his heart. More than ever, he wished he wasn’t flawed.
“In a moment. I need to make a call.” Not the truth, but he didn’t want to worry her.
She held his gaze and he held his breath. Without thinking about what he was doing, he touched her face. Saw her reaction. Catherine had feelings for him, too. Sutter’s chest grew tight. More than anything he wanted to kiss her again, yet too many things stood in their way. Her missing past. Her faith. His lack of it.
Catherine stepped back, regret clear on her face.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. He had no right to pull her into his drama. No right to hope for more.
“It’s oke.” He barely caught her answer. Catherine didn’t look at him. “I must help Rachel with the meal.”
She whirled on her heel and went back inside without another word, closing the door on him and his turbulent heart.
It hurt to know she was part of the world he’d cut from his life for good. When this ended, she’d return to her home. He’d go home to DC for the next case. There’d be another monster to catch. More deaths. More pain.
For the first time in a long time, his work didn’t hold the same attraction. Since he’d left his family behind, he’d convinced himself he was happy with his decision, but nothing could be further from the truth. He’d been angry at God for taking his brother. Blamed himself for not showing up for Thomas.
Sutter stared up at the mountains in the distance. “I’m still so angry with You. You let him die,” he murmured, his voice tight. “Why’d You make him pay for my sins?”
The silence of the countryside was his only answer. God was no longer responding to his prayers.
“Don’t let her die,” he pleaded, all his anger gone. “Please don’t let Elizabeth die.”
A noise close by pulled him from the prayer. Movement in the woods near the house. As much as he wanted to investigate, James was right. He wasn’t strong enough to take on the killer alone. Sutter tapped on the window and caught Cole’s attention. He motioned the man outside.
“Anything wrong?” Cole asked.
Sutter focused on the spot where he’d heard the noise. “I’m not sure. I heard something.” He pointed.
Cole listened. Nothing but silence. Still, Sutter was positive something or someone was there.
“It could be an animal,” Cole offered.
“Possibly.” Yet Sutter wasn’t convinced. “Can you and Aden check it out?”
Cole nodded and cracked the door, gesturing to Aden.
As the two deputies headed toward the nearby woods, Sutter stepped inside and locked the door. He went over to where Catherine watched near the window. “It could be nothing,” he said, yet in his mind, nothing was further from the truth.
All of his doubts were confirmed when a round of gunshots came from the direction Cole and Aden had headed.
Sutter swung to Noah. “Keep close to her and lock the door behind me.” He drew his weapon and started for the door, but Catherine grabbed his arm, the fear on her face was clear.
“I’ll be fine. Stay here with Noah.” He glanced to Noah before heading out the door.
Sutter entered the woods and spotted the two deputies up ahead. As he approached, he noticed something laying on the ground. Horror sped through him when he realized it was a woman dressed in Amish clothing. “She’s been shot.” Cole told him. “I felt for a pulse. She’s still alive. I called 9-1-1.”
Sutter knelt beside the young woman.
“Something must have gone wrong,” Aden said. “The bullet’s entry wound is on the side of her body. I’m guessing she fought back and we interrupted the attack.”
“Up ahead!” Cole yelled and pointed in front of them. “I see something. He’s getting away!”
“You and Aden go. I’ll stay with her.” Sutter took off his jacket and placed it over the woman. She appeared so still. Her eyes were closed, and she was obviously unconscious.
Fishing out his phone, Sutter called the sheriff. “He’s here and he shot another woman.” Grabbing a breath, Sutter explained what had happened.
“I’m on my way,” Walker assured him.
Sutter ended the call without answering, while he tried to make sense of what had happened. The killer had been here seconds earlier. He’d deliberately left the woman for them to find.
Sutter focused on the victim. Dark hair. Young. Bruised and bloodied, her face was marred by cut marks. The killer had tossed her white prayer kapp next to her. In one hand, she clutched the familiar red paper...and something more. Another photo.
He didn’t dare move anything for fear of disturbing DNA evidence.
Sutter covered her free hand with his. He wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. “I’m here with you. Hang on.” When she didn’t respond, he whispered a disjointed prayer. “Help her,” he prayed. “Please help her.”
His heart broke as he held her hand and watched. With the prayer still ringing in his ears, the woman’s eyes shot open unexpectedly. The haunted look on her face would stay with him forever.
“It’s okay. Don’t try to move. Help is on the way.”
She continued to stare at him with huge, tormented eyes. Sutter couldn’t comprehend the horror she’d gone through.
Her gaze shifted slightly to something over his shoulder. Terror flooded her face. Sutter’s hackles rose as he whirled with his weapon in his hand.
The same man from earlier, dressed completely in black, stood in the shadows. His face was covered by a mask. The woman made a muffled sound, unable to scream, as the killer lunged for him.
Sutter fired off several shots. At least one hit its mark. With a bloodcurdling screech, the man was forced back, snatching at his arm.
Both deputies ran toward them, weapons drawn. The killer jerked their direction and began shooting. While the deputies took cover, the killer, realizing he was outmanned, ran toward the mouth of the woods.
Aden and Cole reached Sutter’s side.
“You’re safe,” Sutter told the woman. “He’s not going to hurt you ever again. I need you to hang on. Help is on the way.”
With a final squeeze of her hand, Sutter rose to his feet and faced Cole. “Stay with her. Aden, come with me. He could be going after Catherine again.”
FIFTEEN
The second round of shots had been close. Coming from the same direction she’d seen Sutter heading.
When she’d heard them, Catherine couldn’t help herself; she ran
to the window. Sutter was hurt. He could be in danger.
Catherine stepped out onto the porch before Noah could stop her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. Standing at the side of the house, the killer had his gun pointed at her once more. She turned toward the house to escape as the flashback from the nightmare at the creek froze her in place.
The bullet missed its mark and sent a trail of fire along the side of her cheek. Catherine dropped to the floor, her heart threatening to explode. Dazed, she stared up at the porch roof, her breath coming in short gasps. Her cheek stung. She touched the spot. Saw blood on her fingers.
Someone stood over her. Him! The eyes glared at her from behind the mask. He had a gun in his hand and he pressed it against her chest. Not like this. Not without knowing her sister’s fate. Not without... Sutter’s handsome face swam before her.
“Over there!” She recognized Sutter’s frantic voice.
She closed her eyes as the man pulled the trigger. Click!
The expected pain didn’t come. Another round of gunshots exploded around her.
She opened her eyes. He was gone. She was alive. The weapon must have jammed.
Thank You, Gott.
“Catherine.” Sutter’s anguished face entered her line of sight. “You’re bleeding.”
Getting words out past the stunned feeling enveloping her was hard.
“Let’s get you inside.” He helped her to her feet. With his arm around her waist, they moved across the threshold. He locked the door and guided her to the sofa.
“Are you oke?” Rachel asked and then swung to her daughter. “Katie, take Lily to your room and stay there.”
Both girls’ eyes were huge as saucers as they did as Rachel asked.
“Let me take a look at your cheek,” Sutter told her. His fingers gently probed the area.