The Cure

To my parents, Ron and Sandy,

and my sister, Pam,

for their undying love, support, and encouragement

Special thanks to Mike Koenigs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, for sharing with me what it’s like to enter a prison and enclose oneself in a confined space with a ruthless killer, all in the name of science.

You’re a braver man than I.

PROLOGUE

ERIN PALMER SHOVED the tip of a huge slice of pizza into her mouth and ripped off a piece hungrily. “Mmmm,” she said. She was starving.

She was already on her second bite while her parents and little sister, A

“That was amazing, Erin,” said her father, in an exaggerated tone. “You’ve got hands like a magician.” He turned to Erin’s mom. “Did you see that, Cheryl? She was so fast, it almost seemed like there was a piece already missing when the waiter put it on the table.”

Her father was teasing her, but Erin knew he wasn’t really troubled by her bad ma

“We do have talented children,” noted her mother in amusement.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try te

Erin groaned. Her parents wouldn’t miss one of her games for the world, but she knew her dad wasn’t a fan of soccer, even though he claimed otherwise. “I thought soccer was your favorite sport,” she challenged playfully.

“It is,” replied her dad with an impish grin. “I mean, if I had the choice between wi

“You should take the lottery, Daddy,” suggested A

Kids, thought Erin. There were just certain things they didn’t get. While Erin was almost twelve, her little sister was only eight and a half. “He was just kidding, A

“Well … maybe a few games every four years during the Olympics,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Ah-ha,” said Erin triumphantly. “I knew it wasn’t really your favorite sport.”

“Erin, any sport that you or A

The Palmer family continued chipping away at the massive pizza, although at an ever-diminishing rate as their hunger began to ebb. When they had finished, and were waiting for the bill, Ted Palmer a

“How come?” said A

“I have to check up on Mrs. Sinclair’s puppy. A black Lab. I spayed her late this afternoon and Mrs. Sinclair asked me to keep her ’til morning.”

“What’s her name?” asked A

“I told you,” replied her father with a straight face. “Mrs. Sinclair.”

“Daaad,” squealed A

“Catherine.”

A

Her father nodded. “Really. I swear it. I might have gone with something else. But then again, she’s not my dog.”

“Is she cute?” asked A

Ted Palmer rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding? Have you ever seen a black Lab puppy that wasn’t absolutely adorable? They don’t make them any other way.” He paused. “The truth is that dogs actually evolved to be cute. To be irresistibly adorable and appealing to humans; the species at the top of the food chain.”

As a veterinarian, he had explained the theory of evolution many times to his daughters. Erin totally got it, but she wasn’t sure A

“Interesting,” said Erin’s mom. “Never thought about it, but I guess the first species that evolved to become man’s best friend got a pretty good deal.”

“A great deal,” said Ted Palmer. “There are almost eighty million dogs in this country. And most of them are treated like royalty. Meanwhile, wolves, which are superior to dogs in every survival characteristic there is—with the exception of their appeal to humanity—are an endangered species.”

“What about cats?” asked A

“Good point. Cats have a different friendship with humans than dogs, but they haven’t done too badly either.”

“I think I might want to be a vet someday,” said Erin out of the blue.

A slow smile came over her father’s affable face.

“Yeah, me too,” chimed in her little sister.

“Sure,” said her mom wryly. “No kid ever dreams of being a patent attorney.”

“Not true, Mom,” said Erin quickly. “Um … that was my second choice.”

“Sure it was,” said Cheryl Palmer with a grin.

“Girls, you’re both very young,” said their dad. “If you decide to become vets, that would be great. But a lot can happen between now and then—so you should keep your minds open to other things.”

“Like becoming a patent attorney?” said Erin.

“Now let’s not get crazy,” said her father, fighting to keep a straight face.

Her mother threw a balled-up napkin at him while both girls giggled.

Minutes later they had left the restaurant and were heading toward Ted Palmer’s office, sure they would never need to eat again. Night had fallen and the sky over the serene town of Medford, Oregon, was spectacular, as usual. There was no industry for many miles around, and although the Oregon rains came all too often, when the sky was clear the star field and moon were dazzling.

The Palmer Pet Clinic was located in a secluded wooded area about a quarter of a mile from any other sign of civilization along a narrow, semi-paved road. Douglas fir trees and ponderosa pines surrounded the clinic and towered above it. It was a serene, tranquil setting that Ted Palmer thought pets and their owners alike would appreciate. He had decorated the inside with posters of puppies and kittens in humorous poses and had painted each room either a light blue or mint green.

They pulled around back, and as soon as her dad unlocked the door, Erin and her sister raced ahead to where they knew the black Lab would be—past two exam rooms, through an i

The cage of interest was on top of a long table in the middle of the room. A

She let out a bloodcurdling scream. A scream unlike anything Erin had ever heard come from her sister. A primal scream as loud and shrill as only a girl of eight could produce.

The puppy had been butchered. Mutilated.

Erin saw the dog only seconds after her sister and thought her heart would explode. She fought to take a breath and comprehend what she was seeing. She couldn’t bear looking at the poor animal, but she couldn’t look away. Physically couldn’t. As though she were paralyzed. The animal had been crippled and both of its floppy black ears had been sliced off. Its downy-soft black fur was matted with dried blood over the entire surface area of its small, broken body.