Page 29 of Silencing Stolen Whispers
After Shane left the break room, Kinsley turned to face the counter.
She had no one to blame but herself for Shane moving on. Sitting on the sidelines while observing him build a life with someone else was nothing short of what she deserved.And while she genuinely believed that to be the truth, she no longer wanted to be an observer. It was time for her to regain some semblance of control.
Starting tomorrow morning, she would refuse to let an unknown tormentor control her life. She was done living in fear of receiving another note as the nineteenth of a new month approached.
No more.
It was time for her to turn the tables.
From this point on, everything that happened would follow her own terms, not be driven by someone else's hidden agenda.
11
Alex Lanen
July
Friday — 1:07 pm
The heavy silence in the law library was quite stifling, but Alex had expected such an atmosphere before walking through the double glass doors. What surprised him, however, was the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The enticing scent wasn’t something he associated with a library.
Surprisingly, the ground floor featured several seating areas that resembled a charming café more than a traditional campus library. Plush armchairs and small wooden tables were arranged in informal nooks, ideal for studying or quiet conversation. Most of these small areas were occupied by summer students, and there was additional lighting provided by lamps rather than overhead fluorescent lights.
Alex straightened his tie and approached the reference desk while scanning the surrounding area for Jade Patel. She hadn’t been at her apartment when Kinsley stopped by earlier thismorning, and they had a lot of follow-up questions now that Courtney Huber had spilled the truth regarding Fawn Ginkel.
Alex’s footsteps were muffled by the thin industrial carpet as he approached the round desk. The woman behind the counter had a stack of legal textbooks in front of her, and she appeared to be sorting them in a particular order. He could appreciate such organizational skills.
“Excuse me.” Alex kept his voice appropriately soft as he spoke. “I’m looking for Jade Patel. Is she working today?”
“I'm afraid Ms. Patel isn't working today. She’ll be here Monday at nine o’clock,” the woman replied without missing a beat. She had either committed next week’s schedule to memory or was the one who drafted it. “Are you new to the faculty? Is there something I can help you with?”
Alex unclipped his badge from his belt.
“Detective Alex Lanen, Fallbrook Police Department. I'm investigating the death of Hannah Scriven.”
The woman’s hand drifted to her heart, her fingers splaying across her crisp blouse as if to physically contain her reaction. She shook her head in what could only be termed remorse.
“I’ve been here for over fifteen years, detective. We’ve never lost a student like this,” the woman shared, lowering her voice even more so that it didn’t carry to the nearby sitting areas. “Do you have any leads? I’m not sure if you know this, but the campus is having a vigil for her tonight.”
“Yes, I’m aware,” Alex said, intentionally avoiding her previous question. He retrieved the small notebook from his jacket pocket. “You are…?”
“Melanie,” she replied, her gaze drifting to his pencil. “Melanie Young. I’m the Head Librarian here.”
“Did you know Hannah Scriven personally?” Alex asked, now understanding the reason behind her knowledge of Jade’s schedule.
“Not personally, no.” Melanie removed her reading glasses, folding the temples so she could hold them more easily in her right hand. “Hannah was a fixture here last semester, though. Especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays, during the study group in section four.”
Melanie gestured toward the right side of the building. He hadn’t noticed before, but there were wooden signs designating each sitting area by number. He realized there were probably sign-up sheets for each day of the week.
Alex jotted down the information.
“How would you describe Hannah’s demeanor last semester? Did she seem anxious, distracted, maybe worried about something specific?”
“That’s cute, detective. Law students always come across as stressed or anxious,” Melanie replied with a small smile. “It's part of their natural state. Was Hannah focused? Yes. I’d even go so far as to say more than most, but everyone around here knows that she is…was…Katherine and William Scriven’s daughter.”
“Did you ever observe anyone bothering her? Arguments, unwanted attention, anything unusual?”
“I make it my mission to not tolerate such disturbances in my library.”
