Amish Country Murder (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Mary Alford

  With his breath coming in short spurts, Sutter paused and listened. What if they were too late? He couldn’t give in to those doubts.

  Moving deeper into the woods, he tried to get his bearings. If he remembered the layout correctly, eventually he’d end up on the main highway heading out of town. Proctor had said Donnell lived outside Eagle’s Nest.

  Please, help us.

  As he continued forward, he spotted something on the ground and knelt to pick it up. A prayer kapp. Catherine’s. She’d been here recently. He stuffed it into his pocket and continued walking.

  If Donnell had a car waiting along the road, they could end up anywhere.

  In the distance, Sutter heard the sound of a vehicle driving by. Was he too late?

  Hurrying on, all he could think about was how hard Catherine had fought to live. He couldn’t let her die.

  Headlights flashed beyond the trees. He was almost to the road.

  Desperate, he scanned the woods in front of him. A tree branch snapped nearby. Before he had time to react, something slammed against his temple. Sutter fell forward to his knees. The killer kicked him hard.

  As he lay on the ground, Donnell bent next to him. “You’re too late. She’s already dead.”

  Sutter’s world threatened to collapse. With an eerie chuckle, the man in the ski mask raised his arm and swung the gun against his head. All thoughts disappeared as the blow sent Sutter into immediate darkness.

  Her face appeared before his eyes. So pretty. So filled with possibilities for the future. Then gone.

  He struggled to free himself from the blackness. Blurred images appeared before him. Cleared. Trees above gave peekaboo glimpses of stars. His thoughts came into focus. Catherine. He had to keep fighting for her.

  Struggling to his feet, Sutter felt his stomach heave. He grabbed his head as pain threatened to make it explode.

  He fought through the agony and nausea. She needed him and he wouldn’t let her down.

  You’re too late. She’s already gone...

  Please, God, no.

  Barely able to keep his feet beneath him, Sutter flipped on the flashlight he’d carried with him. Donnell knew he was here, and he needed an edge. In the wet ground two sets of footprints headed left. She was still alive and operating under her own power.

  He had no idea where he was other than near the road. Sutter couldn’t give his location when he didn’t even know it himself.

  As he continued following the footprints, his vision blurred. He blinked and focused hard. She needed him.

  A noise close by made him freeze. Sutter clicked off the flashlight and listened. Someone was near.

  “Hurry up. They’re waiting for you.” The sickening excitement in the man’s voice came through clearly. He couldn’t wait to get Catherine to his lair.

  Sutter carefully followed Donnell’s voice. Through a break in the trees, he spotted them. They were almost to a vehicle. Time was running out for Catherine. He loved her. He couldn’t lose her now. Not to this monster.

  EIGHTEEN

  He placed the gun on top of the car and opened the door, leaning in to retrieve zip ties. He planned to restrain her. She couldn’t let that happen. This was her last chance. Catherine snatched the gun and ran as fast as she could in the direction they’d come from. All she could think about was Sutter.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Douglas snarled. She glanced back and found him just a few feet behind her. His eyes were burning with rage and something glinted in his hand. The knife. Fear slithered into the pit of her stomach. She knew what he would do to her.

  The woods were almost within reach. She couldn’t stop. And then a figure appeared from out of the trees. Sutter!

  She all but fell into his arms. “I have you,” he murmured, his voice full of tenderness.

  Sutter pulled her behind him. “Drop the weapon,” he ordered Douglas, pointing the gun at him.

  The killer stopped a few feet away, the knife poised in front of him.

  “Now,” Sutter ordered. Douglas didn’t obey. He lunged for them. Catherine screamed.

  Sutter fired. He hit his target, but that didn’t slow him down. The man charged again, the knife slashing the air around them. It struck Sutter’s hand and tore through the flesh.

  Sutter seized Douglas’s hand with his injured one, struggling to keep his hold through the slippery blood.

  They wrestled for control of the knife for an endless moment, then Sutter shoved Douglas away and aimed again. “Stay where you are and drop the knife!”

  Acting like a crazed animal, the killer just kept coming. Sutter fired off two more rounds, striking him in the midsection. He dropped to the ground.

  Sutter kicked the knife out of Douglas’s reach. “Stay still. I’m calling for help now.”

  Their assailant writhed on the ground, holding his stomach. Catherine couldn’t take her eyes off the man who had caused so much harm.

  Sutter called for an ambulance, then knelt beside him. He took off his jacket, balled it up and then used it to apply pressure to the wound.

  “That’s Douglas Harper,” Catherine said, and dropped to her knees next to Sutter. “He’s Elizabeth’s husband. He’s supposed to be dead.”

  Sutter whipped around to her. The shock on his face confirmed how unbelievable her story was.

  “I finally recognized his voice. Though I hadn’t spent much time with Douglas, I know that’s him.” She pointed to the man who’d hurt so many innocent people.

  Sutter glanced down. Douglas had lost consciousness. “Stay with me,” he said, and shook the man hard. Douglas’s eyes opened, then closed, and his head rolled to the side. “You’re not going to die on me. I’m not letting you off so easy.”

  A siren screamed through the night. Lights flashed around them as an ambulance rolled to a stop close by. Two paramedics jumped out and raced toward them. One took over for Sutter.

  He stood and reached for Catherine’s hand. They moved away and watched the men working to save Douglas’s life.

  “Proctor knew him as Larry Donnell. He lent him his car in the past. Apparently, Harper made a copy of the garage key and stole the vehicle,” Sutter told her.

  While her mind whirled, the paramedic pulled Douglas’s mask off. For the first time since she’d awakened in the basement, she finally knew the killer’s identity. And it was her brother-in-law. She even caught a glimpse of the birthmark on his arm.

  “How is this possible? He’s supposed to be dead.” She remembered Elizabeth’s letter and told Sutter about it.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was abusing her. He must have faked his death and come back to his original killing grounds.”

  “He’s lived here before?” She couldn’t take it in. Though she’d spoken to Douglas only a handful of times, he’d always seemed so gentle.

  “Proctor said Harper told him he’d lived here in the past,” Sutter said. “We’ll look into it, but I’m guessing it was around the same time Melissa Holt died.”

  Catherine couldn’t imagine what her sister had survived at her husband’s hands. “Why didn’t Elizabeth see who he really was before she married him?”

  “I’m sure he was good at hiding the monster inside.” Sutter faced her.

  Catherine wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. She loved him so much...but she had to let him go.

  Pulling away, she managed a smile for his sake. Sutter held her gaze. He’d just started to say something when two men emerged from the woods, Sheriff Collins and James.

  Sutter explained about Catherine’s recollection.

  “Amazing,” the sheriff said, as they watched the paramedics work on Douglas. “I heard from Cole. He’s almost to Donnell’s—I mean Harper’s house. He’ll call when he has news.”

  All Catherine could think about were her
sisters. Were they still alive?

  “That looks pretty bad.” Sheriff Collins pointed to Sutter’s bloody hand. “You’d better let the paramedics have a look.”

  With Douglas stabilized, the sheriff motioned one of the men over.

  The paramedic cleaned the wound and bandaged it. “We’re going to get him to the hospital now,” the man reported. “He’s still touch and go.”

  “I’ve asked Megan and Aden to head to the hospital. They’ll stand guard over Harper until he’s able to talk.” Sheriff Collins’s phone rang and he excused himself.

  Catherine barely waited until he’d finished speaking. “Are they...?” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her heart threatened to explode from her chest. Without thinking, she reached for Sutter’s hand, needing his strength.

  The sheriff smiled and the worst of her fears evaporated. “They’re both safe. Abigail and Elizabeth are on their way to the hospital now.”

  “I want to see them,” she told Sutter.

  “I’ll give you a ride,” Sheriff Collins said. “Let’s go back to the station and we can take the cruiser.”

  Once they reached the sheriff’s station, Catherine found Lily seated next to Bernie, quietly coloring.

  “You’d be so proud of her,” Sutter said, as she gathered the child close. “Lily was the one who told me you were missing.”

  Catherine couldn’t believe it. “She did?”

  He smiled at her surprise. “Yep. She came into the interview room and said ‘Dada.’ She’s one brave little girl.”

  Tears filled Catherine’s eyes. She was so proud of Lily. “I can’t wait for her to be reunited with her mamm.”

  With Lily clinging to Catherine’s hand, they went back to the station. While James got into the passenger seat of the sheriff’s cruiser, Catherine buckled the little girl into her car seat, then slipped in next to the child with Sutter by her side.

  She reached for his hand and held it as they drove to the hospital.

  Dr. Rolland was there waiting for them in the lobby. He escorted her, Lily and Sutter up to her sisters’ room.

  “They’re both doing surprisingly well, all things considered. And I’m confident their injuries will heal in time.”

  The doctor stopped outside a door and knelt beside Lily. “Honey, your mom has some bruises and cuts, but she’s going to be just fine.”

  Lily’s huge eyes scanned his face. She slowly nodded.

  With Lily clutching one of her hands, Catherine reached for Sutter’s with the other. She needed his strength now more than ever.

  Two beds were set up close to each other. Elizabeth was in the first, Abigail next to her.

  The minute they spotted Catherine, both sisters burst into tears. Catherine ran to Elizabeth and hugged her close, while Sutter lifted Lily onto her mom’s bed. Lily wrapped tiny arms around her mother as she wept.

  “He told me he killed you,” Elizabeth said to Catherine.

  “He lied.” She squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, then glanced over at Abigail. “I’m so sorry you were involved in this.” Catherine reached her other sister’s bed and gathered Abigail close.

  “I can’t believe he faked his death.” Abigail shuddered. “I was so afraid he would kill Elizabeth. He has so much hatred toward her.”

  Catherine turned to her twin. “I’m so glad you are both okay.”

  Over the top of Lily’s head, Elizabeth whispered, “He hurt me so much.” She glanced down at her daughter. “I was afraid he’d do the same to Lily one day and so I left him. I moved us into a hotel under my maiden name in a town as far away from Douglas as I could get,” she said with a shudder.

  “How did you know Victoria Robbins?” Sutter asked. Catherine had wondered the same thing.

  “She is Douglas’s cousin, though the two weren’t close. I met Victoria once when she came for a visit several years ago. We became close and corresponded frequently. I told her about Douglas’s abuse, and she offered me a place to hide where she believed Douglas would never find me. Victoria even gave me a spare key.”

  She pulled in a shaky breath. “Only Douglas found me and talked me into coming back to him. He told me things would be different. For a while they were. Until after Lily was born and he went back to hurting me. Then when Douglas died, I just wanted to get away from all the terrible memories. I wrote Victoria and asked if I could come for a visit, but she never answered, so I drove here and found out she’d passed away before I arrived. I had nowhere else to go...and so I stayed.” Tears spilled from her eyes and she wiped them away. “I’m so sorry I got you involved in this, Catherine.”

  “You didn’t. This isn’t your fault, Elizabeth. Douglas is sick.” Catherine held Abigail close. Sutter and his team would figure out the rest of the details. In time, she would find a way to forgive Douglas for what he’d done to her family. To the other innocent women, who’d died. After all, forgiveness was the Amish way. And she would be forever grateful to Gott for bringing her sisters home safely.

  * * *

  “Why’d you kill Melissa Holt?” James asked. On another floor in the hospital, Harper had recovered from surgery and was only too happy to speak with them from his hospital bed.

  “She rejected my advances. I had to kill her. I gave her a white silk scarf and was so sure she’d want to be with me, only she laughed in my face. Said I was too disturbed for her. So I waited until she started home after babysitting one night. I snatched her from behind, took her to a deserted house and...made her pay for what she’d done. Then I killed her and left her where I knew she’d be found, along with the note,” he said, a sick grin on his face as he relived the kill.

  “I couldn’t believe I wasn’t caught. I moved away to play it safe. But the desire to kill again never disappeared. When I settled in Saint Ignatius, I met Elizabeth and we married. For a time, I controlled the urge.”

  Sutter made a note to check on other murders matching the Dead of Night Killer’s MO. Yet throughout the interview, all he could think about was Catherine. He’d left her sitting with her sisters. Dr. Rolland wanted to keep both Elizabeth and Abigail overnight for observation.

  “You’ve killed others since Melissa?” James asked. Many serial killers loved to brag about their kills.

  A smile spread across Harper’s face. “I was almost caught. Some police officers from Utah came to speak to me in Billings. They asked a bunch of questions about...” He didn’t finish. “I knew I had to do something. So, I killed this homeless guy who hung out around the rig. He was close to my height and weight. I put my wedding ring on him and faked the accident. Since I hadn’t been to a dentist in years, and that was in another state, I knew they’d never locate those records. So I made sure there wouldn’t be anything left but the ring to identify. I moved back to Eagle’s Nest. Got a couple of part-time jobs.” He shrugged. Then he’d started killing again.

  “When did you realize Elizabeth had moved to the area?” Sutter asked.

  “A little before I took her. I spotted her in town at the diner, where I was cooking barbecue out back for Howard Bradford. I managed to duck out of sight before she spotted me, but her presence was like a gift. I’d finally make her pay for leaving me. I came up with the idea of taking Abigail after Catherine got away. I knew I could get her back eventually, and killing three sisters would be my greatest accomplishment. It would make me one of the greatest serial killers in history.” Harper’s eyes glinted at his would-be accomplishments.

  Disgust rose in Sutter’s throat. “Only you couldn’t hurt your child.”

  Harper’s expression sobered. “No. She’s my baby.” For the first time, Sutter actually saw some human emotion from Harper.

  “How’d you know to find us at the Warrens’?” Sutter asked. He had to understand how Harper kept locating them.

  Harper smiled smugly. “Howard likes to talk. Janine told him some
things about the case in confidence, but Howard was easy to maneuver. Then, of course, I worked across the street from the station. That’s how I managed to get away from you the night I came into the station and Catherine ran away. I slipped inside the diner. Howard gave me a set of keys. You had no idea I was so close.”

  The killer had been under their noses all this time. As Sutter listened to Harper talk about his kills, one thing became clear to him. He was done. He’d looked into the mind of the last killer he ever wanted to face. He was ready for good things in his life. Ready for Catherine.

  Sutter rose abruptly and grabbed his partner’s attention.

  “Can I speak with you for a moment outside?” he asked.

  “Sure. Let’s take a break.” James followed him out into the hall. “What’s up?”

  Saying goodbye to his partner of four years wasn’t going to be easy. “I can’t do this anymore, James.”

  His partner didn’t seem all that surprised. “You’re leaving.”

  Sutter nodded. “I am.”

  “Is this because of her?” James asked. “You love her?”

  He did. Sutter hadn’t realized how much until he thought about letting her go. He’d left things uncertain between them, but he didn’t want there to be any more doubts. “I do, but it’s about more than falling in love with Catherine. I need to do this for me, too.”

  “It won’t be easy. Are you ready for that?”

  Sutter was halfway to the elevator already. “I am.”

  NINETEEN

  The door opened. Closed. Catherine had been sitting next to Elizabeth’s bed. Both her sisters were sleeping. Even Lily, content at last, had curled up beside her mamm and fallen asleep. Though the little girl still wasn’t saying much, Catherine was convinced that in time, with Gott’s help, Lily would recover.

  She turned. Sutter stood by the door. She wasn’t even aware of rising, but she did. The uncertainty on his face made it hard to speak. Catherine struggled to keep it together, knowing what was coming.