Page 11 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)

“Courtney Huber.” Jade rattled off the woman’s cell phone number, which Alex typed into his notes without using the stylus attached to the tablet.

“She’s in her last year of law school, too.

I don’t want you to think that Hannah and I had some falling out.

I mean, we had some disagreements, but it had nothing to do with me wanting a new roommate.

I just thought it would be beneficial to have someone with the same study schedule as mine. ”

“But you did have a falling out with Hannah,” Kinsley countered, keeping her tone gentle. “Bailey mentioned it to us, as did her parents. Would you like to share with us what the argument was about?”

“A few months before graduation, Hannah was thinking about dropping out.” Jade let her hands fall forward, keeping the tissues balled in her fists.

She blew at her bangs in irritation. “I talked her out of it, and now I’m not so sure that was the wisest thing to do.

She’d be alive if she hadn’t rented that cabin in the middle of nowhere. ”

Kinsley shot a glance at Alex, who was in the process of placing his tablet on the table.

Jade’s original statement hung in the air, completely unexpected.

Dropping out of law school directly contradicted the picture the Scrivens had painted of Hannah.

While she had contemplated the act of cheating, leaving behind everything she had worked so hard for hadn’t even been brought into the equation.

“Look, Hannah’s parents were ruthless. They didn’t like me much, and I didn’t like them.

They pushed and pushed and pushed…they just didn’t know when to stop.

” Jade began tearing the tissues into little balls as she continued to talk about her friendship with Hannah.

“When I first met her, she was a stressed-out ball of anxiety. We didn’t even hit it off, at first. But then we bonded over some cat memes, and… ”

Jade’s voice trailed off as her eyes filled with tears again. She stared at the ceiling and blinked rapidly to contain them.

“We struck up a friendship. Eventually, we got an apartment across from campus. Then everything changed after she met Nick. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him.

I just thought that he was using her as a means to gain entry into the industry.

He would fawn all over her parents every time they came to the college. It was enough to make anyone sick.”

“Nick broke things off with Hannah, though.” Kinsley didn’t really want to veer into the ex-boyfriend territory just yet, but it was best to follow Jade’s cues. She would be more willing to share information on her own terms. “Why would he do that if Hannah was his ticket to a corporate law firm?”

“Rumor had it last semester that Nick was seen numerous times with Sienna Webster.” Jade brought her hands close to her body and eventually crossed her arms. “Sienna is the daughter of Kenneth Webster, the defense attorney who represented that actress from Medora.”

Kinsley was beginning to get the whole painted picture.

Kenneth Webster was a prominent lawyer who intentionally sought out highly publicized trials. If Jade was telling the truth, Nick Ryder was sinking his claws into whichever family could fast-track his career.

“Look, Hannah had a lot of problems, but…it must have been a robbery, right?” Jade said somewhat desperately. “The news is saying that she died from blunt force trauma to the head. I can’t imagine anyone…”

“Jade, we need to go over the timeline once more to make sure we understand what happened in the months leading up to last night,” Kinsley said as she glanced down at the screen of the tablet that Alex had set on the table.

“Hannah heard the rumor about Nick and Sienna Webster. Nick broke things off, and Hannah then considered dropping out of law school. And even though you convinced her to finish, you still requested that she move out so that Courtney Huber could move in. How long after that did you recommend to Hannah that she rent a cabin for a month to study for the bar exam?”

Jade frowned and hugged herself a little tighter. The silence that followed stretched thin, and Kinsley wasn’t sure they would garner any more information from the woman.

“What are you leaving out, Jade?”

“I’m not leaving anything out,” Jade exclaimed with irritation as she sat a bit straighter in her chair.

She glared at them before leaning forward, though she kept her arms crossed.

“I got tired of it all being about her, okay? She never stopped complaining. Her parents pushed too hard, her sister could get away with anything, and Nick was only using her…on and on and on. If it wasn’t about them, then she complained about her studies, her grades, and…

I couldn’t take it anymore. My mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer five months ago.

The treatment costs are astronomical, and I’ve been picking up extra shifts at the library when I can.

Hannah couldn’t see past her own problems. Every conversation circled back to her mother’s expectations, her father’s disappointment, her sister’s carefree attitude, or not being good enough for Nick.

Every single conversation. That doesn’t mean I wanted her… ”

Jade began to cry again, but she pulled herself together before Kinsley or Alex could advance the interview. They were definitely on borrowed time.

“I told Hannah that I wouldn’t be her emotional dumping ground anymore,” Jade admitted with a small shake of her head. She wiped away her tears and inhaled slowly as she made headway into gaining composure. “She moved out. Courtney moved in.”

Bailey had practically conveyed the same verbiage. Kinsley got the sense that both women were holding something back.

“And when was the last time you spoke with Hannah?”

“We texted one another about five weeks ago, when Hannah decided that she wanted some peace and quiet. I told her that she was making the right decision.”

“Did Hannah ever share with you that she considered hiring someone to take the bar exam for her?” Kinsley asked as she kept a close eye on Jade’s reaction. They had kept that particular card close to their vests, and doing so had clearly been the wisest choice. “Jade?”

The change in Jade’s demeanor was subtle but unmistakable. Her breathing pattern shifted, and she barely moved while digesting the question.

“No,” Jade finally replied, her voice steady but slightly higher than before. She was clearly lying. “Hannah wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you sure about that? You said yourself that she was under a lot of pressure,” Kinsley reminded her while Alex reached for the tablet.

Jade’s eyes followed his movements. “Also, Bailey mentioned that Hannah had asked for the woman’s contact information.

I guess the individual offering such services frequents the bar located across the street from the campus.

I believe it’s the same local pub next to your apartment building. ”

“I don’t know what Bailey is talking about, because Hannah would never cheat.” Jade was like a different person from the one who had been extremely emotional sitting across from them. She didn’t flinch, she held their gazes, and her conviction was seemingly unshakable. “It’s a ridiculous claim.”

“Thank you for coming into the station this evening, Miss Patel,” Kinsley said at last, bringing the interview to a close. She pushed her chair back. “We may have additional questions as our investigation continues, but you’ve been quite helpful.”

“Of course,” Jade replied, the relief in her voice barely concealed. She had reverted to her previous persona as a young woman who had lost a friend. She stood and retrieved her purse before hesitantly making her way to the door. “I hope you catch whoever did this.”

Kinsley and Alex followed Jade into the hallway. The woman didn’t hesitate to press the elevator button and disappeared from sight as soon as the doors opened.

“She’s lying through her teeth about not knowing Hannah entertained the thought of cheating,” Kinsley murmured before taking a sip of her now cold coffee. She grimaced, wishing she had enjoyed more of it. “I think we need to figure out who is offering such services, don't you?”

“Blackmail?”

“Maybe,” Kinsley replied as she reached back into the room and turned off the light, making a mental note to collect the unopened bottle of water first thing in the morning.

“It would at least give us a motive, though I have a hard time believing Hannah would resort to blackmail. Maybe it’s the other way around. ”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked as Kinsley closed the door.

“What if Hannah did reach out to the woman, but ultimately decided against paying her? Hannah was the daughter of Katherine and William Scriven. Maybe the woman was trying to extort Hannah. She didn’t pay, and she suffered the consequences.”

“It’s a possibility,” Alex admitted, making no move to join Kinsley when she would have proceeded to their desks. She faced him to remind him of their covert mission in the morgue, but he derailed her train of thought with his inquiry. “What’s going on with you, Kin?”

“What do you mean?” Kinsley asked cautiously.

“You've been off all day. Distracted. Something's eating at you, and it's not just this case.”

A defensive response hit the back of her throat, but she swallowed it.

“I'm fine,” Kinsley replied instead, offering him a smile. “I’m not looking forward to framing Sergeant Waylon, if that’s what you mean. Wally isn’t afraid of anyone, and there is a good chance that he will accuse Dominic in front of everyone this Sunday. What then, huh?”

“Is it about Shane?” Alex asked, his voice softening slightly. He hadn’t taken the bait, but she hadn’t realized that he was focused entirely on another hook. “About the rumors?”

“What rumors?” The question came out sharper than Kinsley had intended, her pulse quickening against her will. “What are you talking about?”

Alex's expression shifted from surprise to understanding. He then pressed his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose in regret.

“Shit. You haven't heard.”

“Heard what, Alex?”

“Shane's been seeing the new veterinarian. Chloe something.” Alex let his arm drop in defeat. “I thought you knew, Kin.”

The reality of Shane moving on shouldn’t have come as a shock. After all, she had ended things between them close to two years ago. There was nothing in it for him to wait, and she hadn’t given him any indication that she had changed her mind in recent months.

“Good for him,” Kinsley managed to say.

“Is it?” Alex's gaze remained steady. He frowned, as if realizing that they had gotten off topic. “If you didn’t know, then why have you?—”

“I think I messed up, Alex.” Kinsley didn’t specify what she meant by her admission, and Alex obviously assumed she was still talking about Shane. “I think I made a really bad decision, and now I’m stuck with the consequences. I hurt him, and I can’t take that back.”

“You are not a bad person, Kin,” Alex said gently. She closed her eyes, wishing more than anything she could clarify the meaning behind her words. “We all make decisions on the spur of the moment. Tell Shane that you made a mistake, and see if he is willing to give it another go.”

“It’s too late,” Kinsley replied with a light shrug. “Shane is in our department, and it’s against policy to get involved with another detective.”

Kinsley stopped herself from pointing out that Alex had learned that lesson the hard way. Her anger shouldn’t be directed at him. She was furious with herself for taking Gantz’s life while being profoundly relieved that her beautiful niece would never suffer the same fate as his victims.

Kinsley’s sin was her own.

“Sometimes, Alex, we just need to live with the consequences of our decisions.”