Page 4 of Silent Trail

"Not much," Natalie said, staring out the window. "I'm busy, he's busy—it's not like when I was a kid and we were living in the same house, you know?"

Sheila nodded. "I get it. It takes so much more effort now to plan things. It doesn't just happen incidentally—you have to plan it, look at your schedule, find something that works for both sides. Life was so much simpler when we were kids, wasn't it?"

Natalie murmured noncommittally as she studied her phone. Studying Natalie in the mirror again, Sheila found herself yearning for the closeness they once shared. Each attempt to reach out, however, felt like grasping at smoke.

"Look at those mountains," she said, gesturing toward the jagged peaks that loomed like ancient sentinels in the distance. "Always makes me feel so small, y'know?"

Natalie nodded, her gaze following Sheila's. "Yeah, I've always loved the view."

Encouraged by her sister's response, Sheila pressed on, trying to find a way to relate with Natalie. "I know what it's like, you know—feeling trapped by your own body. After my head injury, I couldn't train like I used to. It felt like my whole world had been turned upside down."

She hesitated, then added softly, "But, in a way, I think it brought us closer. If I hadn't gotten hurt, I wouldn't be here now, helping you with cases and…well, spending time together."

Natalie's brow furrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line as Sheila's words hung heavy in the air between them. For a moment, silence reigned once more, broken only by the hum of the engine and the rhythmic thump of the tires against the asphalt below.

Finally, Natalie spoke, her voice tight with restrained emotion. "I appreciate that. I do. But it's not quite the same, is it?"

Sheila swallowed hard, the knot in her throat tightening as she searched for the right words.

Natalie's smile was wistful, tinged with a sadness that made Sheila's chest tighten. "I know you mean well, Sheila. But the truth is, your injury doesn't affect your everyday life like mine does."

The stark honesty in Natalie's words struck a chord within Sheila, forcing her to confront the reality of their situation. A month ago, she had been the one adrift, searching for purpose in the wake of her Olympic dreams shattering due to a head injury that could have proven life-threatening. It was Natalie who had thrown her a lifeline, inviting her to join the investigation and, in doing so, setting her on a new path. Now, as she considered a future in law enforcement, it was her sister who found herself struggling to make sense of the hand fate had dealt her.

As Sheila searched for the right words to respond to Natalie, her sister's phone rang, disrupting the moment.

"This is Natalie," Natalie said, her gaze sliding to the window. She listened for several moments, saying nothing. "Okay. Yes, I understand. We'll be there as soon as we can." She hung up and looked at Sheila. "That was Finn. We need to head to Coldwater Community College ASAP."

"Three-C?" Sheila asked, recalling the nickname many locals had for the college. "What's waiting for you there?"

"A body," Natalie answered, her jaw set and her voice serious. "And judging by the number of times she was stabbed, I'd say it was very personal."

CHAPTER TWO

Sheila gripped the steering wheel as she guided the van into the parking lot of Coldwater Community College, her knuckles whitening with each turn. She could feel the weight of silence pressing against her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Natalie, sitting beside her, stared blankly at the passing scenery, her mind seemingly far away.

Why won't she talk to me? Sheila wondered. I know she's devastated to be in a wheelchair...but does she blame me for it?

It was late summer in Utah. The morning sun cast a warm golden glow over the college campus, but its comforting embrace seemed wasted on Sheila. She more than ready to drop Natalie off and get on with her day.

As they drove through the campus, Sheila was struck by how many police cruisers were already on site, their blue and red lights flashing in stark contrast to the morning calm. Clusters of students stood around, exchanging worried glances and whispered speculations. Classes must have been canceled for the day—no surprise, given what had happened.

"I wonder what they're all thinking," Sheila said, breaking the silence. She couldn't bear the quiet any longer, and she hoped that she might draw her sister out now that they had something external to focus on.

Natalie, however, didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the chaotic scene unfolding before them. Sheila sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her sister's continued detachment. All she wanted was to drop Natalie off and escape to the gym, where she could push herself harder than she had since her head injury. Maybe there, amid the grunts of exertion and the dull thud of fists hitting bags, she could find solace from the relentless thoughts of failure that haunted her waking hours.

"Park right here," Natalie finally murmured. "I think I see Finn."

Sheila did so. Then she turned off the engine and got out of the van, walking around the vehicle so she could open Natalie's door for her. Natalie, however, had already opened the door, and there was a faint hum as the lift lowered her wheelchair to the asphalt.

"I'm not entirely helpless," Natalie said, a small smile playing on her lips as though nothing was amiss between them. Sheila forced a smile in return, playing along with the fiction.

As Sheila took a step back toward the driver's side, Deputy Finn Mercer appeared around the building, his stride confident but his expression tense. When he caught sight of them, he hesitated for a moment, his step hitching as he spotting Natalie. It was subtle, but Sheila had a feeling her sister hadn't missed it, either.

He's not quite sure how to behave around her, Sheila thought. He's not used to taking orders from someone in a wheelchair.

"There you are," Natalie said, her voice giving no hint that she had noticed his hesitation. "Just in time to show me to the crime scene."

Finn cleared his throat, his eyes shifting to Sheila for a moment before returning to Natalie. "Actually, there's something you should know first," he said. "I just learned there was another murder two days ago at Elbridge College."

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