“Please, call me Sutter,” he said.
Her forehead wrinkled, almost as if she were trying to pull out something from her memory and couldn’t. She dropped her attention to her hands. He regretted that his presence made her nervous.
Sutter opened his notepad. “I know this is hard for you, Catherine. We’ll take it slow. If you need a break, let me know. I want you to answer each question the best you can. Okay?” he asked gently.
Again she nodded, but her body grew tense.
“First, Dr. Rolland tells me you weren’t able to remember your last name?”
Once more, her frightened eyes locked onto his. A breath burst from her body while dozens of questions flew through his head.
“That’s right,” she said in a whisper.
Dread crawled into the pit of Sutter’s stomach.
“Can you tell me where you live?”
A deep frown marred the skin between her brows as she shook her head. Sutter did his best not to show the alarm growing inside him.
“The doctor mentioned he believed you’re suffering from temporary amnesia.” He pointed to the bandage. “I’m sure in time your memories will return. In the meantime, we’ll take a photo of you and see if we can identify you from it.”
She seemed to grow more uncomfortable at the prospect of having her photo taken. Did she have a record? While his cop instinct didn’t believe it, they’d have to check it out. All the other victims had lived in Eagle’s Nest. Some went to school. Others worked. None had a criminal record.
Catherine pleated the sheet nervously while Sutter’s sinking feeling grew. She was all they had to find a serial killer. Would her memories return in time to save another victim?
“I know this is hard, but I need you to try to remember the man who took you. What did he look like? Where did he keep you hostage?”
Her lips trembled as she explained about the frightening basement and the monster who hid behind a mask she’d caught only a glimpse of after removing her blindfold. The killer had made sure she couldn’t identify him.
“He enjoyed my pain. When I screamed or showed fear, he laughed.”
Sutter stuffed down his rage at anyone treating her so cruelly. He had to stay focused. Couldn’t let emotions take control. They needed to catch this villain before he harmed anyone else.
“What can you tell me about his build? Was he tall? Short?” He kept his attention on her expressive face and wondered if she had any idea how strong she truly was to have escaped the Dead of Night Killer.
“Tall. At least that was my impression. He was taller than me and I am pretty tall. But he wasn’t heavy or thin.” She shrugged. “I’d say somewhere in between.”
Sutter leaned forward and smiled. “You’re doing great. Do you need a break?” he asked. He didn’t want to push her too hard.
She shook her head. “I just want to get through this.”
He understood the wish. After interviewing many victims throughout his career, he knew reliving the pain they’d suffered was never an easy thing.
“Alright. You said his face was hidden, but his eyes were dark. Do you remember anything else about him?”
Catherine fisted her hands at her sides and pulled in a breath. Her terror appeared etched on her face, all but guaranteeing she would never be the same again, and his heart broke for her. Like the other victims, she hadn’t asked to be a player in a psychopath’s macabre game.
“I remember that he smelled like smoke.”
Sutter stopped writing. “You mean like cigarette smoke?”
“No, more like wood smoke.” She stopped for a breath. “And there was a dog. It started barking whenever the man returned…” She didn’t finish. Didn’t need to. He understood that’s when the torture would begin.
“Do you recall how many days you were in the basement?”
Placing a hand against her temple, Catherine closed her eyes for a moment. “I think one, but it’s all a blur. I was in and out of consciousness.”
If she’d been gone for more than a day, why hadn’t someone reported her missing by now?
Sutter jotted down her answer. “What happened earlier? How did you manage to escape?”
She straightened her back. “I would not be alive now if it weren’t for Divine intervention,” she said with conviction, and stared into space as she started recounting the events. Sutter admired her faith. At one time, his had been as strong.
“I heard him pulling into the garage. He came down to the basement and I knew what was coming.” She shuddered visibly.
Sutter listening intently as she described how she’d tried to free the rope from her ankle but wasn’t able to. Finding the knife had saved her.
Catherine stopped to gather breath.
“I know this is difficult, but you’re doing great,” he assured her. “How long do you think you were in the car?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “I’m not sure. I woke up before he stopped. When he opened the trunk, I kicked him as hard as I could and ran.”
And then the killer had shot her. She’d almost died.
Sutter closed the pad. “Do you know where you were when he took you?”
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “I don’t remember anything from before I woke up in that basement…” Her voice broke into a sob.
In an instant, Sutter’s sinking feeling morphed into distress. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, not knowing who she was.
“Dr. Rolland believes your loss of memory is due to the blow to the head and will clear up in time.” Sutter hoped to sound convincing, but he was really worried. For her. For the next victim. “Why don’t I get the doctor for you.” He stepped out into the hall to search for the doctor and spotted him coming his way.
“Is Catherine okay?” Dr. Rolland asked, correctly reading Sutter’s reaction.
“She’s pretty upset about her loss of memory.”
“That’s understandable. Let me examine Catherine further and then I’ll speak with you again.” With a pat on Sutter’s shoulder, he went inside.
Running a hand across his eyes in frustration, Sutter paced the hallway in front of her door.
None of the other victims had been struck in the head. Why Catherine? Had she fought back?
When the doctor came back out a short time later, Sutter hurried over to him. “Is she okay?” he asked.
Dr. Rolland nodded. “I believe so. In time, with rest and a safe environment, Catherine’s memories will return. She was pretty keyed up, so I gave her something to help her sleep. I’ll check back in a little while. In the meantime, I’m sure she’d appreciate a friendly face when she wakes.” He smiled before heading down the hall.
Sutter slipped back inside Catherine’s room. Her eyes were closed. Though she appeared at peace, he understood how difficult the road ahead would be for her.
He snapped a photo of her and sent it to Sheriff Collins to have him show it around the area. Hopefully, someone would recognize Catherine soon.
Too restless to sit, Sutter moved to the window and stared out as a perfect spring morning dawned. The mountains in the distance drew him in. He’d worked in lots of different locations, but here in the wild Montana countryside, he