Page 15 of Her Final Hours (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #3)
“Hello there,” he said in a soft voice. “I’m Noah.
I work for the police. I’m trying to find answers, I’m hoping you can help.
” He took a seat across from her, maintaining his distance.
Noah continued, his voice full of empathy.
“I can see you’ve been through a lot. I’m not here to interrogate you.
I want to understand. Those marks on your body,” he said, pointing to them. “Did you do that or someone else?”
There was no answer, but she touched one before her eyes widened briefly, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She glanced at Athena, seeking reassurance. Athena nodded subtly, her presence providing a sense of comfort.
No answer was given.
“Okay. Listen, one of those is the name of a girl I once knew. Payton Scott. You ever heard of her?”
She shook her head.
Noah continued, trying to be careful yet simultaneously aware that she was the freshest lead the county had since Payton’s disappearance.
“The marks around your wrists and ankles. Do you remember who did that?”
Again, he was left waiting for an answer.
“Do you recall where you were before here?”
Her eyes roamed as if trying to access the deep recesses of her mind but she came back with nothing. “Were you with any of these girls? Did you see any of them? Can you remember anything?”
The girl remained silent momentarily, her gaze fixed on a distant point. Then, her voice, quiet and fragile, broke the silence. “You said your name is Noah?”
“That’s right. Noah Sutherland.”
“I… I think I know that name. It feels… familiar, but I don’t… can’t remember why… I can’t remember anything,” she said, her head dipping.
He thought he had her for a second, then Noah’s heart sank. He maintained his composure. “It’s okay. Take your time. If anything comes to you, no matter how small or unusual it may seem, please let us know.”
Athena stepped forward, her presence a comforting anchor. “ Remember, there’s no rush,” she added, her voice gentle. “We’re here to support you.”
The girl nodded slowly, her gaze shifting between Noah and Athena. Though the path to unlocking her memories seemed uncertain and challenging, a glimmer of hope lingered in the room. If she did remember his name, did that mean Payton was still alive? If she were, she would be in her early forties.
Noah touched his chest. “Noah Sutherland. How do you know me?”
“I don’t. I…” She lowered her head and whimpered.
Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
He moved his chair forward a little, shifting gears, not willing to let the window of opportunity pass.
With a mix of trepidation and determination, and without asking, he swiped the screen and tapped his camera app, and showed the girl the deceased man’s face.
He was hoping for any reaction that could provide a clue.
“Do you know this man?” he asked, turning his phone toward her and showing her.
Her eyes fell upon the image, and the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically.
In an instant, the girl’s entire demeanor transformed.
Her body tensed, and she recoiled in her chair, almost toppling over as fear consumed her.
Her eyes widened in terror, fixated on the photo as if she had just seen her abductor.
Panic filled the room, replacing the previously serene atmosphere with a sense of urgency and distress.
Athena reacted swiftly to the girl’s response, rushing to calm her down. But Noah, driven by the need for answers, persisted, his voice laced with desperation as he pleaded with the girl to say anything.
However, the girl’s fear and trauma had reached a breaking point. Her screams filled the room, a haunting cry of anguish and terror. Athena’s assistant intervened, stepping between Noah and the girl and wrapping a protective arm around her trembling shoulders.
Athena forcefully guided Noah towards the exit, ensuring his removal from the room.
Outside, her anger and concern were evident as she confronted him. “What the hell was all that about?” she demanded, her voice tinged with frustration.
Noah’s own emotions were running high as he replied, “I had to know. I had to see if there was any connection, any reaction.”
Athena shifted from one foot to the next.
“Well, there was a reaction. The next time you decide to pull something like that, run it by me first. You might have set us back days now,” she admonished, her gaze returning to the window.
The girl remained in a state of hysteria.
Nurses and a doctor rushed into the room, preparing to administer a sedative to calm her down.
Realizing the gravity of the situation and the consequence of his impulsive actions, Noah felt a heavy weight of regret.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “But we have checked all our databases. She doesn’t show up in CODIS, children’s services don’t have anything, and her fingerprints and facial recognition gave us nothing.
We will run her DNA through a genealogy system, which will take time.
Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia are fast, but even they have their limits.
We are fumbling around in the dark here.
If she can remember that person, maybe she can remember more if we work with her, maybe under hypnosis. ”
She offered back a blank expression.
He turned away, his mind swirling with unanswered questions and a sense of missed opportunity.
Athena’s expression softened slightly, acknowledging the complexity of the situation. “You should leave now,” she said, full of concern but also dismissal. “We need to focus on stabilizing her. ”
“We’re not done with her.”
“For tonight you are.”
He nodded, silently turning and walking back down the corridor, his thoughts consumed by the girl’s reaction and the potential connection to the dead man.
Though he had hoped for answers, he was left with even more questions, a frustrating blend of uncertainty and determination lingering in his mind.
Noah released his frustration outside the hospital, gripping his phone tightly and banging a fist against his steering wheel. He didn’t want to make the call, but with so little to go on and so much of the case resting in the past, he had no choice.
He dialed his father’s number, waiting anxiously for him to pick up.