Page 24 of Silent Road

Sheila leaned back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes.Photos from Bradley Greenwald's social media accounts filled the monitor before her—an endless stream of skiing shots, each more dramatic than the last.

"Nothing," Tommy said from his desk.He sounded as exhausted as she felt."I've gone through every comment on his posts from the past six months.Plenty of admirers, a few trolls, but no one who stands out as particularly obsessed or threatening."

Sheila nodded, scrolling through another page of images.Greenwald had been prolific, sometimes posting multiple times a day."Same here.The hostile comments are mostly from other photographers criticizing his technique or accusing him of staging shots."

"Could one of them be our killer?"Tommy straightened up, seeming to find renewed energy."Someone who thought he was corrupting their art form, maybe?"

"Maybe."Sheila enlarged a photo of Greenwald executing a perfect jump, the mountains stark and beautiful behind him."But most of these critics seem more interested in technical debates about camera settings and lighting than actual threats."

Tommy pushed back from his desk and stood, stretching.His shirt had come untucked, and his tie hung loose around his neck.He looked younger somehow, more vulnerable."What if we're wrong about the social media angle?What if this was just a one-off?Someone with a specific grudge against Greenwald, and now they're long gone?"

It was a reasonable question.Sheila had been wondering the same thing herself.But something about the crime scene kept nagging at her—the careful positioning, the attention to detail, the staged quality of it all.

"Nothing about this crime suggests inexperience or the messiness that comes from a heat-of-the-moment decision," Sheila said."The killer didn't just murder Greenwald—they created a scene.They waited for the perfect conditions, used the cold to preserve the body in a specific pose, even took a photo to document their work.All of that shows premeditation, planning, and a cool head.It's not easy to keep your calm while murdering someone."

Tommy frowned, looking troubled.

"What is it?"Sheila asked.

He opened his mouth to sleep, then closed it again."Just replaying the scene in my mind," he said."Trying to imagine how it all went down."

She studied him.Why did she have the impression he was lying to her?What would he be hiding?

Before she could ponder this further, her phone buzzed.Finn's name lit up the screen.

Guilt crashed over her.She'd meant to call him hours ago, check how he was doing.But she'd gotten caught up in the case, and somehow, the entire day had slipped away.

"I need to take this," she said to Tommy."Would you mind getting us fresh coffee?"

Tommy nodded, understanding in his eyes as he took both their mugs and headed for the break room.

Sheila stepped into the hallway before answering."Hey," she said softly."I'm so sorry I haven't called.Things have been..."She trailed off, realizing how inadequate any excuse would sound.

"Busy?"Finn's voice held an edge she wasn't used to hearing."Yeah, I figured.Since you haven't answered any of my texts either."

"I know, I know.I'm really sorry."She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes."How are you feeling?"

Finn sighed wearily."Well, let's see.I've been lying in this bed all day, staring at the ceiling, listening to the guy in the next room complain about his bunions.The highlight was when they brought me lime jello instead of orange."

"I really did intend to check in with you earlier."

"I know you did."He paused."Miss me?"

"More than you know," Sheila said softly."I saw you just yesterday, but it feels like it's been an eternity."

"That's what happens when you work and live with the same person."

She sighed, growing thoughtful."Maybe it's not so bad, though.Maybe it's good for us both to have a little space."

There was a long pause.Sheila started to grow worried.

"Oh, yeah?"he asked."Do you think you need that?"

"No.No more than anyone else, I mean.Don'tyouneed space sometimes?"

"When I do, I take it.Go for a jog, work out, something like that.This… lying in a hospital bed… this isn't getting a little space.This is like being put in solitary."

"Come on," she said lightly."You'll be out of there before you know it, back to solving cases."

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