Page 93 of Silent Bones
Noah gave a nod, resisting the urge to glance at Callie again.
“Commander Calder's expecting you,” the man said. “Third floor. You can take the stairs or the elevator.”
They took the stairs.
The silence between them stretched as they climbed, boots tapping over the rubberized steps. On the third landing, Callie finally spoke. Her voice was low, flat.
“Are you sure you want to apply the pressure now?”
Noah looked over. “I think we both know it’s overdue.”
She didn’t answer. They just kept walking.
Bill Calder’s office was at the end of a long hallway paneled in knotty pine, with framed photographs of bald eagles and backcountry lean-tos hanging neatly between fire code signs. The door was already open.
Bill stood when they entered, straight-backed in his khaki uniform, silver hair neatly combed, collar pins gleaming. The badge on his chest looked like it had never seen dirt. Or daylight.
“Your visits to us are becoming quite frequent.” His voice was warm but firm. The kind of voice that had practiced strength for decades.
“I know. Thanks for making time for us again.”
Noah shook his hand. It was strong, steady. Too steady.
“We won’t take much of your time,” Noah said.
“Nonsense.” Bill gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“No, we’re good,” Noah said, glancing at Callie. She hadn’t moved toward the chair.
Bill sat. “Well then. I assume this isn’t a courtesy call.”
“You assume right,” Noah said. He pulled the small notepad from his jacket. “It’s about August of last year.”
Bill raised his eyebrows; polite surprise, not outrage. “You’re reopening the Wallface case?”
“I’m not reopening anything,” Noah said evenly. “Just trying to understand a timeline that keeps getting thinner the deeper we go.”
Bill leaned back, fingers tented. “I already told you, Avery wasn’t there on the night of the murders, so I don’t see what this has to do with her. She was working at the visitor center in Newcomb. She had a shift the next morning. You can verify it.”
“I’m not asking where she was that night,” Noah said. “I’m asking why she wasn’t with them. Because up until last year, she was. Constantly. The day after Wallface, she started distancing herself. Publicly. Vocally. Like someone knew they’d dodged a bullet and wanted out of the blast zone.”
Callie shifted. Just barely. But Noah caught it.
Bill’s face didn’t move. “Avery made a decision. Those other kids… they were reckless.”
“Are you referring to the incident at Wallface?” Noah said.
“Why would I?”
“Because Avery and the others were there, weren’t they? Last year in August on top of the cliff, in a restricted area.”
He didn’t deny it but he didn’t confirm.
Noah narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “Look, Bill, we can play this pissing game of who carries more power, or once I have the redacted files completed, I can bring them by then. We already have enough to open the case into last August’s incident.”
Bill sighed. “Look, she told me what happened that night. She came forward. She was disciplined. But she was honest. The others lied.”
“And you kept it quiet?”
