Page 31 of Silencing Stolen Whispers
Kinsley Aspen
July
Friday — 3:47 pm
The final month of Hannah Scriven's life revealed a concerning pattern. While she lacked someone in her life whom she could confide in, she had also made herself unavailable to others. Jade was dealing with her mother's diagnosis and treatment, Bailey was caught in family tensions between her sister and parents, and Hannah's relationship with Nick had fallen apart, despite them spending most of law school together.
Kinsley capped the marker as she studied the murder board.
There were still gaps in the timeline.
In early May, Hannah's breakup with Nick Ryder was marked with a stark red X. Next to it, Kinsley had taped a printout of their final text exchange. Her gaze lingered on Nick's last message.
That's the problem. You don't listen. Never have.
Next to that entry was the fallout with Jade. Their increasingly hostile text messages displayed a fractured and toxic friendship. Kinsley reread one of Jade’s last accusations.
You're the most selfish person I've ever met.
The words were raw with resentment.
Everything was clustered in May, even the argument with Bailey at the library. Were the slashed tires merely coincidental? Alex had discovered the teens were arrested one week after that incident, which was why they would seek out the teens and their parents first thing Monday morning to confirm that Hannah’s vehicle was included in their targets.
In the meantime, Nick Ryder was waiting in the interrogation room with his lawyer.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sit this one out?”
Kinsley turned to find Alex approaching, carefully balancing two mugs as he navigated between the desks. It was obvious that his hangover had subsided, though she doubted he would touch a drop of alcohol tonight.
Alex extended a mug toward her. The caramel-colored liquid inside was distinctly different from the black coffee in his own cup. She gratefully accepted the hot beverage, the warmth seeping through the ceramic and into her palms after tossing the marker on her desk.
“No. I’m fine. Dad sent one of his junior attorneys,” Kinsley replied, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. She closed her eyes in bliss, wishing she could remain at her desk a little longer to enjoy her afternoon pick-me-up. “It’s hard for me to believe that Nick Ryder didn’t deliberately hire my father’s firm to represent him.”
“Coincidence.” Alex set his mug on his desk to roll up his sleeves. “When I tracked him down, I didn’t even mention your name.”
“Then why not hire his new girlfriend’s father to represent him today?”
“Didn’t you hear? Kenneth Webster is moving his firm out to Los Angeles.”
Kinsley noticed Alex scanning the information displayed on the murder board. She gave him time to absorb the new details, though he came to a different conclusion than she had a few minutes ago.
“It seems like everything comes down to Fawn Ginkel.” Alex gestured toward the break in Bailey’s movements yesterday after she left the cabin. “What if Bailey was in on this scheme with Fawn? What if Fawn was using Bailey as some sort of negotiator? Maybe Hannah was going to turn them in.”
“It would certainly explain why Bailey tried calling her sister so many times in the days leading up to her death.”
“We need to figure out Fawn Ginkel’s true identity,” Alex said as he lifted his mug and downed half the contents in one fluid motion. Once he had taken a massive hit of caffeine, he then stored his firearm in the side drawer of his desk. “Ready when you are.”
Kinsley stared one last time at the murder board. Something in those broken relationships had gotten Hannah killed, and one of the possible suspects was sitting in their interrogation room. Seeing as she had already stored her own weapon, all she had to do was follow Alex toward the interrogation room.
He held the door open, letting Kinsley enter first. The first thing she noticed was how Nick Ryder abruptly ended his conversation with his attorney. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. It seemed like he had dressed to impress them.
His sandy brown hair had a slight wave to the short strands, and his eyes were dark brown. His gaze was fixed directly on her. There was now no doubt in her mind that he had intentionally sought out her father’s firm.
“Seth, it’s good to see you,” Kinsley greeted the junior attorney as she rounded the table. She smiled as she shook his hand. “Did Debbie enjoy the firm’s annual picnic last month?”
“We had a wonderful time,” Seth replied after reclaiming his seat. “Your mother makes a mean apple pie.”
“That she does,” Kinsley agreed as she followed suit and settled in comfortably while Alex shook hands with both men. “Mr. Ryder, I’m Detective Kinsley Aspen. You’ve already spoken to my partner, Detective Lanen. We appreciate your cooperation in this case. First, let me say we are very sorry for your loss. We know that you and the victim were no longer seeing each other, but I’m certain that doesn’t lessen your grief. You were with Hannah for three years, is that correct?”
