Amish Country Murder. Mary Alford

       ONE

      Her memory before waking up in the basement the night before was blank. Her head ached. Vision blurred. Dried blood caked the makeshift bandage secured around her head. She was completely at her kidnapper’s mercy. And he had none.

      Thinking clearly with her heart threatening to explode from her chest was nearly impossible, but she had to try.

      Her hands were zip-tied in front of her body. Beneath her, the cold of the cement floor seeped deep into her limbs. She was tethered to a support beam by a rope around her ankle.

      He’d blindfolded her, but she’d pulled it free the second he was gone. She’d been in and out of consciousness most of the day, her body broken from the things he’d put her through.

      The room was dark now. A twelve-by-twelve-inch window displayed the blackness of the night outside.

      Through the drilling pain in her head, a niggling of something far more terrifying was just out of her reach. A nightmare waiting to be revealed. Last night, when she’d awakened to find the monster standing over her, she thought she’d heard another woman scream. Her stomach clenched. She prayed it was but a hallucination.

      “Is anyone there?” Her frightened voice echoed through the basement and received no answer.

      As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember anything from her past beyond waking up in this basement to him. Not how she’d come to be here, or what she’d been doing before he took her. Nothing. Yet one thing was clear. Without help, she would not walk out of this basement alive.

      Outside, a car slowed. The garage door chugged up and fear spiraled throughout her body. He was home.

      Somewhere in the house, a door opened. Closed. Her heart pumped fear-induced adrenaline through her body as footsteps approached upstairs.

      Light crept in from above and terror filled her to capacity. She closed her eyes and clamped down on her bottom lip to hold back a scream. The hurt he’d inflicted on her the night before had threatened to break her. He’d enjoyed every bit of her pain. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of hearing her scream again.

      The steps leading to her torture chamber creaked. Each sound grated along her frayed nerves. She willed this to be a nightmare she would wake up from any minute.

      His loud breathing filled the room. Vague memories of a safer place crept in. Real? Imagined? She wasn’t sure, but she needed to believe it existed, because going there had helped her reclaim her name earlier. Catherine. She was Catherine.

      The shrill sound of a phone ringing came from upstairs. He snorted in anger, furious to have the fun postponed. She could feel his gaze boring into her.

      He never spoke. Not once since she’d woken last night to him standing over her had he said a single word to her.

      With a growl, he forced the blindfold back over her eyes. But not before she’d caught a glimpse of him. He was dressed in dark clothing, a ski mask covering his face. His eyes were dark and disturbing—filled with evil. They would haunt her forever.

      He trudged up the steps and slammed the door hard. Catherine listened carefully, almost certain he hadn’t locked it behind him.

      This was her chance. If she wanted to live, she had to break free of her restraints and escape before he returned.

      Catherine jerked the blindfold down. He’d tied the double knot around her ankle so tight it had rubbed her ankle raw. Her limbs were weak. She barely had the strength to grasp the first knot. She wanted to live. Wanted to see… Her memory would not fill in the blanks, but she was certain there were people out there who loved her.

      Tugging as hard as she could, Catherine worked on the first knot with her fettered hands. No matter how hard she tried, she could not free it.

      Tears stung her eyes. She scrubbed them