The Midnight Slasher

By Mel Shore

Butch may have been a cold-blooded killer, but he was also a victim of circumstance. He was raised by a grandmother who was a religious fanatic and an abusive father who was an alcoholic. When he was still a young boy, he ended up in a foster home where he suffered beatings and worse. It wasn’t until he joined the military that he learned how to get his revenge. He became a ruthless killer for hire who really enjoyed his work. In fact, he loved his work so much that he raped and killed blonde women just for the sheer pleasure of it. It was an ironic twist that one of his assignments was to kill a blonde female for a wealthy scientist, but this job was just the tip of the iceberg.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melshore Authors
• Release date: Jul 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301486205

Mel Shore

Mel Shore is a pen name used for Science Fiction/Thriller books. Not listed here is her first novel Red Can Be Deadly and is only available in a print version at www.amazon.com/author/mshore.Mel loves to read and enjoys reading fiction novels of almost any genre. She lives in Houston, TX with a cat named Brendyl, her daughter and two of her grandchildren. Other hobbies include portrait art, computer graphics, creating collector dolls, woodworking projects and cooking.Other books by this author are children's books under the pen name Elayne Shore.To view her profile and a list of those books go to www.amazon.com/author/elayneshore

Book preview

Deadly Obsessions:

The Midnight

Slasher

By Mel Shore

Cover by Dakota Trace

Copyright © 2019 by Mel Shore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

Published by Melshore Authors at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Second Edition

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this novel to my favorite author Dean Koontz, the man who was my original inspiration, His novels are a shining example of what a true storyteller is capable of. Not only are his characters believable, but the stories themselves are also plausible and possible. Thanks for showing me how it can be done.

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROLOGUE

1 - MIDNIGHT SLASHER

2 – RACHEL

3 - BUTCH

4 - BRUNO

5 - EVIL ANGEL

6 - ARNIE

7 - ROSE

8 - CHANGING TIMES

9 - SAM EGBERT

10 - A NEW SOURCE

11 - JOCELYN

12 - FISH BAIT

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the self-publisher websites for making this publication possible. I also wish to thank a fellow author and friend who designed my book cover. She writes erotica novels under the name of Dakota Trace.

FORWARD

This book is a work of fiction and the incidents that are included are from the author’s imagination. Unfortunately, some of the incidents have actually happened in real life, but any resemblance to individuals, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. This novel is not intended as a blueprint for anyone to copy the details and the author does not condone or endorse any of these incidents. Hopefully, the reader will realize that no matter how bad their own situation might be, things could always be a whole lot worse.

PROLOGUE

The bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence of the dark, deserted beach - - - then stopped abruptly! A burbling, choking sound was drowned out by a sinister, raspy whisper saying, I told you not to scream, bitch!

Almost immediately, the silhouette of a man’s head appeared at the top of the concrete wall that separated the sandy beach from the pedestrian walkway. The head moved rapidly from side to side, apparently checking to see if anyone had heard the scream. Within seconds, the head disappeared behind the wall.

Several minutes later, a silent shadow moved until a man’s head was once again outlined against the night sky, turning quickly from side to side. He was obviously scanning the surrounding area for any sign of movement. Evidently convinced no one was nearby, the shadow appeared to grow until the unmistakable silhouette of a huge, muscular man loomed over the wall. Moving swiftly despite his enormous size, the shadow detached itself from the wall and sprinted to the stone steps leading to the apparently empty parking lot overlooking the beach. Taking the steps two at a time, his huge shadow eventually merged with the darkness near the building that housed the restrooms used by beach dwellers.

In the stillness, the sounds of a car door opening and the grind of a car starting were unnaturally loud. A mid-sized car severed itself from the darkness near the building and moved slowly towards the parking lot exit, the headlights off just in case someone was nearby and watching. The hum of the car engine and the crunch of the gravel beneath the car’s tires were the only sounds to penetrate the silence, as the car turned into a deserted side street near the parking lot.

When the car was several blocks away and the driver felt reasonably safe, he turned on the headlights just before merging with the early morning freeway traffic. It was too early for most commuters, but his car blended into the sparse traffic and he became just another anonymous driver. The other drivers were completely unaware that there was a killer in their midst!

1 - MIDNIGHT SLASHER

Death stalked the city streets - - - and the news media called him ‘The Midnight Slasher’. No one knew his true identity or that Butch was better known as 'The Butcher', even though the killer had never earned a solitary dime behind a meat counter or worked a single day in any slaughterhouse. His friends had shortened his name to Butch, but that name had nothing to do with his haircut.

A news reporter was responsible for bestowing that name on a vile creature that was brutally killing young, beautiful women over a period of several months. How the reporter came up with the name was that the Slasher’s victims all died from multiple stab wounds sometime in the middle of the night. The autopsies indicated that they all died somewhere around midnight, which was apparently his favorite time of day.

When the Slasher stalked his prey after dark, one of his favorite things to use as camouflage was a parka with an attached hood. He would pull the hood over his head to obscure his features and to blend seamlessly into the shadows. The large hunting knife he always kept hidden until he was ready to strike. Using a dark-colored parka was only one of the many techniques he learned during his tour of active duty in Vietnam to conceal his presence.

Even though the shapely blondes were not his only victims, they were Butch’s favorite pastime. Once he satisfied his erotic fantasies, his favorite part was watching the life force drain from his quarry. The bright light that seemed to shine in their eyes would fade into a dull, opaque look. Sometimes he would dump the lifeless bodies into a nearby dumpster. At other times he would just leave the body lay where they died like a discarded candy wrapper.

No one knew that the Slasher had claimed another victim until just before dawn. That’s when Ed and Judy Silverman’s early morning jog ended with the grisly discovery of the partially nude mutilated body of a young, shapely woman.

Their early morning routine consisted of a cup of coffee, a short jog on the beach, a shower (sometimes showering together to save time, although sometimes it led to other things), then breakfast before leaving for their respective jobs.

On this particular morning, they never got their shower and didn’t eat breakfast until sometime around noon. They spent the next several hours repeating their story to the police, the homicide detectives and the special investigator sent by some unnamed branch of the government.

Ed was the one who spotted a woman’s hand protruding from an opening between the concrete barriers. The barriers themselves were overlapping concrete sections similar to the dividers used in highway construction. The overlapping design of the wall was to prevent sand from covering the pedestrian walkway, with just enough room between the sections for a person to walk through and have access to the beach.

When Ed saw the outstretched hand, his first reaction was that she might be an early morning sunbather or some teenager who had spent the night on the beach with her boyfriend. But, something struck him as odd about her hand and the way it was positioned. For one thing, the hand was twisted in an unnatural position. Secondly, there were dark stains on the hand that looked too much like blood!

Having served in the Army as a military doctor, he had his suspicions about what he would find when he decided to investigate, but he was unprepared for the gruesome sight that hit his stomach like a sledgehammer! Seconds before he lost his morning coffee and the remains of his dinner from the night before, he managed to gasp, Oh, my God! CALL THE POLICE, JUDY!

Judy, who had remained on the walkway, could tell by the look of horror on Ed’s face just what lay hidden behind the concrete barrier. Her face drained of color, turning white as the running shorts covering her long legs. She ran to a nearby coffee shop and burst through the door shouting! C-call t-the police! she stammered. Ed just found a d-dead b-body on the beach!

Looking up from pouring a cup of coffee for the only customer seated in the coffee shop, Agnes took one look at the hysterical woman and knew this was no joke! After instructing the other waitress to call the police, Agnes approached the wide-eyed woman to calm her down by talking in a soothing and rational voice.

Agnes helped Judy into a nearby booth, and then placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her. Going behind the counter, Agnes retrieved a small flask of her own private stash of vodka and poured a generous amount into Judy’s cup of coffee.

Here, she said as she placed the cup in Judy’s hands. This will help to calm you down. Can you tell us what happened?

W-we were out for our morning jog , Judy explained after taking a small sip of the doctored coffee". M-my husband thought he saw something behind one of the concrete barriers, but he didn’t say what it was. I-I looked and saw a woman’s hand sticking out from between those concrete barriers! It was just lying there covered with something that looked like b-blood, but that’s all I could see. E-Ed, that’s my husband, told me to wait on the walkway. H-he didn’t have to tell me twice, that’s for sure!

Anyway, when he went behind that wall, his face turned white as a sheet. I’ve never seen anyone look so horrified by anything before in my life! It didn’t take a whole lot of imagination to realize what he’d found! I heard him say oh, my God, just before h-he told me to call the police! That’s when I ran here! "

Janet, the younger waitress hung up the phone and announced, The cops are on their way! They want you to stay here so you can tell them exactly where you found – um- this woman. Can I get you anything while you’re waiting, like another cup of coffee or something else?

No, thank you, Judy answered. I just want everything back the way it was before E-Ed found that – that thing!

Would you like me to go see if your husband is okay, lady? , asked the customer still seated at a table, listening to the distraught woman. I spent some time in Vietnam and I know how rough it is on a person to find someone like that. He’s probably pretty shaken up and maybe I can help!

Thank you , Judy answered. I-I don’t think I could go back there right now if my life depended on it! He’s down there just across from the restrooms. He shouldn’t be hard to find.

It was only a few minutes, but time seemed to stretch into eternity before the police arrived. Judy was still sitting there at the table, fighting the hysteria that lingered close to the surface of her emotions when two officers arrived. In fact, it wasn’t until the two uniformed officers walked into the coffee shop that she was able to take a deep breath, and bring her emotions under some measure of control. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, now that help had finally arrived.

The two officers took one look at the pale, frightened woman and knew they had found at least one of their witnesses. It was obvious that not only was she the only customer in the coffee shop at that early hour, but she was also the only female in the jogging shorts described by the waitress who called.

In any kind of criminal investigation, if a witness becomes hysterical important clues could be overlooked or forgotten. The officers were trained to know it was imperative to keep the witness calm and rational. They could tell at a glance that this woman was hanging on to her control by a very thin thread. A wrong word or tone of voice could send her right over the edge. Since the senior officer was usually better at this kind of interrogation, the younger officer decided to question the two waitresses to get their statements of the morning’s events.

I realize this has been quite a shock, the senior officer told Judy in a calm, soothing voice, but I really need you to tell me what happened. Just take your time and start at the beginning.

M-my husband and I usually jog along the beach, she started to explain, when Ed, that’s my husband, saw something by one of the concrete barriers. H-he told m-me to stay on the walkway while he checked it out. H-he went behind the wall a-and h-his face turned white as a sheet. All I could s-see was a woman’s hand, just lying t-there on the sand! When he t-told me to call the police, he didn’t have to tell me what he found! I knew it had to be a-a d-dead b-body!

Is your husband still there? , the officer questioned.

Y-yes, officer , she answered. I’m sure h-he was planning to stay there till the police arrive.

If you would like to stay here, the officer gently informed Judy, you can just tell me approximately where to look. I’m sure I’ll be able to find him.

N-no! , she replied. I’ll take you. I need to see if Ed is all right! H-he really looked bad when I left him there.

Getting up from the table took every ounce of courage Judy had, but she was determined to try because she knew Ed needed her. Her legs felt like rubber and her heart thumped like a big bass drum, but she pushed herself up and stood for a minute to summon her reserves of strength. The officer could see that Judy needed his support, so he gently placed his arm around her shoulders and helped her to the door.

Down this way, Judy directed the officers. You can even see him from here. See that man sitting there? That’s Ed!

Standing next to Ed was the early morning customer from the coffee shop, his face as white as Ed’s with a look of absolute shock and horror. He