Free Before She Dies (Slaughter Creek) by Rita Herron

Prologue

    Sometimes people had to die for a good cause.
    Soldiers did it all the time. And he was a soldier now as he always had been. A soldier who never questioned his orders.
    Take a life. He aimed his gun and fired.
    Go into combat. Done.
    Spearhead this project at Slaughter Creek Sanitarium.
    Here he was.
    The tall mountain ridges jutted out like knives over the valley, an image that made him smile. His choice of weapon was a M24 sniper ripple, but he was equally adept with his hands and knives.
    He had used all three to kill before.
    And he would do so again if needed.
    Anything to protect the assignment now entrusted in his hands.
    And to ensure that the small population of Slaughter Creek, Tennessee, remained oblivious to what was about to be unleashed upon them.
    Set apart from the rest of the world by the thick forests, the winding roads and steep hills kept strangers away and created a private oasis for the patients inside the lunatic asylum.
    Well, maybe not exactly an oasis for the nutcases and head jobs but privacy as they received therapy and counseling and learned to manage drug treatments to enable them to fit into society and behave like a sane person should.
    He wove down the narrow road through a tunnel of trees, the dark skies and unseen dangers lending an eerie feeling as if he might be walking into the devil’s lair. Civilization had not yet cornered this part of the world where mountain lions and bears still roamed freely. Where hikers and campers ventured only in designated areas marked for camping.
    Where anyone could hide and go unnoticed.
    The winter wind blew leaves and twigs across the road, the trees swaying, dark gray clouds indicating a snowstorm on the way. The first flakes hit the ground as he eased through security, a dozen more crystals topping the barbed wire fencing that made the hospital feel like a prison instead of a safe place to recover from whatever mental affliction seized the poor lost souls inside.
    He rolled up the drive, parked in front of the building, then stared at the monstrosity. The sharp turrets and muddy gray stone structure looked like a haunted castle from some gothic horror show.
    A smile creased his face.
    Yes, Slaughter Creek was the perfect place for what they had planned.
    And the best part -- no one would ever know what was going on.

Chapter One
    Slaughter Creek – where the great battle between the Cherokees and the Creeks was fought.
    Where people now live in peace and harmony.
    Peace and harmony. That was exactly what she needed, Norma Nettleton thought as she drove past the town’s welcome sign.
    This small community tucked in the Tennessee mountains was going to be the perfect place to raise a child. She pressed a hand over her bulging belly as a sharp pain squeezed her abdomen.
    Well, technically two children, since she was having twins. Two baby girls to love and adore, and to bind her and Ben together as a family.
    Not that the unborn babies had done that so far. Far from it.
    Instead of bringing them closer, the stress of the unexpected pregnancy coupled with Ben’s job loss and worry over money had splintered their relationship.
    But being here near her family was bound to ease the transition from single couple to parenthood.
    Her mother and father had moved to Slaughter Creek three years ago and claimed it had changed their lives. The people in the town had folded them into their close-knit community with love and kindness, and the clean air and good living, far away from the crime and drugs in the city, had restored their faith in people.
    According to her mama, everyone in Slaughter Creek knew everyone else. If you were sick or had a problem, there was always someone there to hold your hand.
    Unlike the cities she and Ben had lived in. Of course, they hadn’t stayed in one place long enough to get to know anyone. Because Ben had jumped from job to job.
    A sign of the times, he’d said. The building business was down.
    Their bank funds were