Page 26 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)
“Your daddy is very wise,” Kinsley agreed, sitting up and brushing grass from Lily's shirt. “But I think you should have been out there on the field with us. We could have used someone with your speed.”
Lily began to bounce up and down with excitement.
“Next year? Can I play next year?”
“We’ll see,” Kinsley replied as she pulled Lily in for another hug. “I think you'd leave us all in the dust.”
“What are you two plotting over here?” Noah's voice carried the warm amusement of a father used to his daughter's lively schemes. He advanced toward them with Emily at his side, both of them appearing slightly windblown after spending the afternoon chasing an energetic child around a community center. “Kin, don’t you dare let her convince you to make s’mores after family dinner on Thursday. It’s way too humid for the fire pit. ”
Kinsley mouthed s’mores to Lily, who burst out into even more giggles when she realized that her aunt would absolutely light up the fire pit, regardless of how hot it was on Thursday night. They each high-fived each other as Alex pushed himself off the ground to greet Noah and Emily.
Noah extended his arm, and the two men shook hands with easy camaraderie. Alex had been to the house quite a few times since they had been partnered together, and he got along well with all the Aspens.
“Hell of a game,” Noah said, his slight North Dakotan accent more pronounced in the casual setting.
“Feel free to join us next time.”
“Not on your life,” Noah replied good-naturedly as Kinsley made a show of difficulty getting off the ground. Lily instantly grabbed Kinsley’s hands with both of hers and pulled with all her might. “Hey, thank your mother for the banana nut bread. It was delicious, as usual.”
“Hey, Em,” Kinsley greeted with a peck on her sister-in-law’s cheek after asking Lily to go and grab them some cups of Gatorade before the refreshment stand was dismantled by one of the organizers. “Thanks for bringing Lily.”
“This was fun,” Emily replied with a smile, slipping her hands into the pockets of her sundress.
She was a petite woman with laugh lines around her eyes and the kind of natural warmth that made strangers feel like old friends.
“Hey, your mother mentioned you had an idea for your father's birthday present. Something about the new art gallery?”
The gift that Kinsey had chosen was deeply personal. Unfortunately, it was also weighted with symbolism that Gantz had tainted the night she had squeezed the trigger. But…this entire weekend had been spent in an effort to take back her life.
“It’s a butterfly sculpture, and I thought it would be a nice addition to his office. Bronze, about this big.” Kinsley held her hands apart to indicate the size. “The artist is local, and the piece is called 'Emergence'. I thought... I thought Dad might appreciate the metaphor.”
George Aspen had referred to Kinsley as his butterfly from the day she was born. He had given her the treasured nickname after she screamed in protest at every attempt at being swaddled.
She sensed the weight of Noah’s stare, even though he was in a deep discussion about the best wood to use for a backyard fence. He understood that such a gift was meant as a peace offering, and she wouldn’t be doing so if things between them hadn’t gotten back on course.
Emily clapped her hands together with delight, pulling Kinsley’s attention back her way.
“That sounds absolutely lovely,” Emily said before turning around at the sound of Lily’s voice. “Be careful, honey. Don’t spill those drinks, or your fingers will get all sticky.”
“I won’t.”
Lily ever so slowly closed the distance between them, already having a red mustache from one of the sports drinks. She carefully handed Kinsley one of the paper cups.
“Can we play catch now?” Lily was already handing her own drink off to her mother. “Aunt Kin, you promised we could play catch.”
Kinsley excused herself, leaving Alex with her brother and sister-in-law. She had found an abandoned football near the equipment table while Lily positioned herself about ten feet away. She cupped her small hands in front of her chest in a perfect receiving position. Noah had taught her well.
The football spiraled through the air in a gentle arc, and Lily caught it against her chest with a satisfying thud. Her face lit up with pure triumph, and she immediately cocked her arm back to return the throw. They were definitely going to need to work on her offensive stance.
After about five minutes, Emily called out to Lily that it was time to go. Kinsley escorted her niece back to her parents, making sure to delay Noah’s departure by a few seconds.
“Hey, that thing we talked about last Thursday? I think it’s taken care of,” Kinsley advised in a low voice so as not to be overheard. “I ran into Beck Serra at The Plow last night. Long story short, I think he was trying to dig up a story.”
She and Noah never, ever spoke aloud about what happened that night. This was the second exception in two years, and she planned on it being the last.
“Love you, sis,” Noah murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He then grimaced before pushing her away. “Go home and take a shower. You smell like Dylan after he’s spent the day on the ranch.”
Kinsley got in the last shove before he joined his family, lifting Lily up from behind and settling her on his shoulders. She was already trying to talk them into stopping for ice cream on the way home.
“Kin, come over here,” Alex called out after joining Wally and Izzy on a bench. She crossed to her gym bag, removing her flag football belt. Once it was stored, she moved over to the group. “Rebecca Chambliss has an airtight alibi for last Wednesday night.”
“Well, shit,” Kinsley muttered as she lowered herself to the ground. She began to remove her knee brace while following up with Wally. “I heard you were finishing up your report on Hannah Scriven yesterday. Anything you can tell us that might give us some guidance?”
Kinsley and Alex had already agreed they needed to follow up with Bailey Scriven. Several instances made them suspect she was hiding information, and rummaging through her sister’s personal belongings before the police could search them was a major red flag.
Unfortunately, if they pressed too hard, the entire Scriven family might lawyer up. It was best to tread lightly until their hands were forced.
“As a matter of fact, I did some testing with CC,” Wally said as he leaned forward to untie his cleats. He had given a name to the dummy used in reenactments, paid for by the city. CC stood for Cadaverous Carl. “The height of your killer is somewhere between five feet seven and five feet eleven.”
“That is quite the gap,” Alex said from his seat at the end of the bench.
“Since the murder weapon was wiped down, I can’t be sure how the perp was brandishing the poker.”
“And if the killer was holding it like a bat?” Izzy asked, although she didn’t have a stake in the case.Her tattoo sleeve was fully visible in the afternoon light, with the intricate designs seeming to shift and move as her arm muscles flexed.“Like this?”
“Five feet ten or eleven, depending on his or her arm length.”
“What about someone who isn’t athletic?” Kinsley posed the question as she set her brace to the side.
“Shorter.”
“Alex, what height was listed on Jade Patel’s license?”
“Five feet seven inches.”
“So, within the height range.” Kinsley’s knee didn’t hurt as much as she expected, and a little more stretching should help prevent any unwanted pain.
She pushed herself off the ground before brushing the grass from the back of her shorts.
“Alex, you mentioned checking Jade’s schedule with the librarian.
She’ll be working tomorrow morning, right? ”
“Yes. I also need to follow up with Hannah’s advisor. She wasn’t on campus last week, but she’s due back first thing tomorrow morning.” Alex slapped Wally on the shoulder. “I’m headed home. I’ll see the two of you later this week. Kin, I think your cell phone is ringing.”
“Thanks, Wally. Catch you later, Izzy!” Kinsley called out as she jogged over to her gym bag.
She pulled her cell phone from the side pocket and, unsurprised by the name on the screen, answered the call.
Holding the phone between her shoulder and ear, she rummaged for her keys.
“I was expecting you to ignore me for at least a week. Come over to my place, and we can share a bottle of wine. You can fill me in on everything. Just remember, Lydia—no personal details about my brother.”