Page 16 of Silencing Stolen Whispers
“Rock, paper, scissors,” Alex muttered in disgust, leaving his business card on the table. “Bailey stopped somewhere along the way. I’m betting that location is relevant to our investigation.”
The rock, paper, scissors offer was valid. One of them would need to access the footage from the public traffic cameras, whichwould mean spending a significant part of the day dealing with the municipality.
“I’ll do it,” Kinsley reluctantly responded as she grabbed her purse and adjusted the strap over her shoulder. She suddenly wanted the day to end, and she didn’t mind sharing her thoughts on the matter. “I’m holding out hope that Bailey was just sitting in her car for a really long time before deciding to ambush her parents like that. I just…that was hard to watch, Alex.”
The Scrivens' perfect family façade had fallen apart. Instead of supporting each other, they were blaming one another. Kinsley couldn’t help but see the similarities between the Scrivens and the Aspens. After having a front row seat to resentment’s finale, she made the conscious decision that the Aspens wouldn’t repeat the script.
6
Kinsley Aspen
July
Thursday — 6:48 pm
Kinsley pulled the Jeep to a stop behind her younger brother’s truck and turned off the engine. She didn’t bother opening her door. The Scriven family’s complicated dynamics troubled her, and she couldn’t shake off her unease that the disturbing scene foreshadowed her own family.
She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly. Three hours of her afternoon had vanished while reviewing traffic cam footage that revealed nothing.Absolutely nothing.
Bailey Scriven had taken the back roads to her parents' office, avoiding the busy intersections where city cameras might have recorded her VW. The footage showed nothing about where Bailey had been between leaving the cabin and reaching her parents’ law firm.
As much as Kinsley would have liked five more minutes to herself, family dinner wasn’t going to wait. Taking note of the vehicles parked in the driveway, everyone else had already arrived. Noah's well-maintained Audi was on the far right, Dylan's pickup truck with the dent in the passenger door was directly in front of her, and Owen's motorcycle was tucked safely at the edge of the concrete.
Everyone was already inside, and she was—once again—the last to arrive.
“So much for breaking bad habits tonight,” Kinsley muttered to herself as she reached for her purse.
Leaving the wrapped banana bread on the seat next to her, she ensured that the side pocket inside her purse was zipped shut. She planned to give the envelope to her father without anyone noticing the transfer. He was keeping the notes for her just in case anything came of them.
Unlike the previous messages, this one had been left on the counter at Carol's Café. The first note appeared on her desk at the station, but she couldn’t exactly ask around if anyone had been near her desk. The second envelope had been on her Jeep's windshield, and so on, until a pattern had started to emerge—there was no way to identify the sender.
There was never a demand for money.
There was never a threat to expose her.
Just the stark reminder that someone was aware of her crime.
If their goal was to torture her with anxiety and fear, mission accomplished. She hadn't slept well for nearly two years and was constantly aware of her surroundings. However, a flash of insight struck her as she reviewed today’s traffic cam footage. She hadn't been thinking broadly enough. If the messenger had left the note at Carol's, he or she had to have been nearby.
The café was on Main Street, which was monitored by at least three different cameras. If she could retrieve that footage and identify the people who entered and exited around the time her coffee was prepared, she could finally identify her tormentor.
Kinsley shifted in her seat, grabbing tonight’s dessert. When she straightened, she spotted movement on the porch.Noah had stepped out of the house.
Dread settled in her stomach.
Her older brother never waited outside unless something was seriously wrong. He usually kept a calm demeanor, but tension radiated off his shoulders. His blue eyes met hers through the windshield.
Kinsley hopped out of her Jeep, studying her brother as she slammed the door shut before making her way up the stone path to the house. She forced a smile on her face before calling out a greeting.
“Alex and I caught a case this morning, but I come bearing homemade dessert.” Kinsley lifted the foil-wrapped loaf as if it were some kind of peace offering. “Banana bread, with double the walnuts. Lily will be a very happy little girl.”
Noah’s expression softened upon hearing his daughter’s name, but the reprieve was short-lived.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Kin?”
The air between them suddenly grew several degrees colder.
Kinsley's smile faltered and then disappeared completely. She lowered the banana bread to her side. She wasn’t going to admit anything willingly. There was a good chance that whatever upset him involved one of their siblings.
