Page 32 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)
Kinsley Aspen
July
K insley fixed her gaze on Jade, attempting to discern any flicker of deceit in her expression. It wasn’t as if she had been forthcoming in their previous meetings. Still, the disclosure hung between them until Courtney disrupted the heavy silence.
“She’s telling you the truth, Detective Aspen. We think Dr. Reeves might have killed Hannah.”
“What was in the envelope?” Kinsley asked as she sought out Dr. Reeves. He was no longer standing in the shadows of the old oak tree. She was going to need more information before she could detain him for questioning. “What did you give him, Jade?”
Jade began crying, only this time, she was drawing everyone’s attention away from Katherine, who had finished her eulogy and was now accepting personal condolences. The last thing this situation needed was for Hannah’s mother to hear the news of her daughter’s affair secondhand.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Kinsley gestured toward a bench about thirty feet from them. “Take a seat, compose yourself, and start from the beginning.”
Courtney guided Jade past groups of students who were beginning to scatter. Once the two women sat on the stone bench, Kinsley radioed the others. She didn’t have enough information or evidence to hold him, but she could make damn sure Reeves stayed in sight at all times.
“I need eyes on Dr. Victor Reeves,” Kinsley advised, unable to locate the professor in the crowd herself. She lowered the radio and knelt in front of Jade. “I’m going to need you to tell me everything, Jade. When did you discover the affair?”
Jade drew in a shaky breath.
“Last semester, a few weeks before finals. I’d been struggling to stay afloat, not only with my finances, but also with my course load.
I was driving home to my mother’s at least three times a week, either to take her to chemo or to help out due to the side effects.
” Jade shoved her purse between her and Courtney.
She leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees, and clasped her hands together under her chin.
“It was late, a little after ten. I knew that Dr. Reeves had an evening class, so I was hoping to still find him in the lecture hall.”
Jade paused, swallowing hard. The memory seemed to physically pain her.
“I grabbed the handle. I don’t know what made me stop, but I paused to look through the thin window of the door. Hannah was…” Jade's voice lowered to a whisper. “Hannah was sitting on his desk without her shirt, and he was standing between her legs. They were kissing. His hands were...”
She made a vague gesture, unable to finish her sentence.
“What did you do?” Kinsley prompted when Jade fell silent.
“Nothing,” Jade admitted, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “I stood there, in shock. Dr. Reeves must have sensed that someone was at the door, because while Hannah was kissing his neck, he looked right at me. I practically ran all the way across campus to our apartment.”
“Did you confront Hannah?”
“I waited up for her. The second she walked through the door, I just... exploded. I asked her how long she'd been sleeping with our professor. I even suggested it was why she'd been getting such good grades.”
Kinsley easily pictured the scene Jade had just described—two young women in a tight apartment, one defensive, the other accusatory. The ugliness of hidden secrets exposed had been enough to damage a friendship beyond repair.
“Hannah denied it at first, of course,” Jade continued, her voice cracking with emotion. “She told me that I must be mistaken. That I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
Kinsley’s knee began to ache from staying so long in a kneeling position, so she adjusted her weight slightly to rest her good knee on the cobblestone.
“I told her that I didn’t hear it from anyone else.
I saw what happened with my own two eyes.
I described everything down to the last detail, and then she just..
. fell apart.” Jade's lips quivered as she remembered the confrontation.
“Hannah started crying, begging me not to tell anyone. She admitted that their affair had started during a private tutoring session and had gotten out of control.”
“Did Hannah seem afraid?” Kinsley asked, searching for any indication that Hannah might have been coerced. “Maybe even pressured into the affair?”
Jade shook her head slowly.
“Not of him. She was afraid of what would happen if anyone discovered the truth. She kept saying that her parents couldn’t know. That they expected perfection, and something like this would destroy her family.”
The wind rustled through the trees above them, a soft whisper that seemed to highlight the seriousness of the confession. It was the deep voice over the radio that elicited a response from Kinsley. She slowly stood, giving her knee time to adjust, and took a step to the side.
“Repeat?”
“I’ve lost sight of Reeves. He was spotted heading through the east entrance, but that was right before your last radio call.”
“Check for his vehicle,” Kinsley directed as she scanned the faces of those departing the courtyard. “Alex?”
“I’m already in the east campus parking lot.”
Kinsley surveyed those she wanted to question after learning about the affair. William and Katherine were currently having a conversation with a group of students to the right, Bailey was still underneath a large oak, while Nick and Sienna were delayed by Patty Bigsby.
Not wasting any more time, Kinsley turned back to Jade and Courtney. She didn’t bother to downplay the sense of urgency.
“You agreed to keep Hannah’s secret?”
“Yes.”
“What was in the envelope that you just gave to Dr. Reeves?”
“I was giving him back his money.” Jade edged forward on the bench, as if she were about to beg for understanding.
“The day after I found out about the affair, Dr. Reeves asked me to stay after class.
He didn't threaten me, not directly. He just asked how my mother was doing with her treatments. He said he understood my struggles, and he could help me...with my grades and my finances.”
“Reeves paid for your silence.”
Kinsley had all she needed to detain Dr. Victor Reeves.
“All officers, converge on the east parking lot. Do not let Dr. Reeves leave the premises. I need that vehicle blocked, now.”
Kinsley pivoted, her gaze once again sweeping across the courtyard as the remnants of the vigil dispersed into small, somber clusters. From her vantage point, Katherine and William were still in sight. Neither seemed aware of the quiet drama unfolding at the edges of their daughter's memorial.
Kinsley searched for the only other person whose reaction to such an affair could have ended in violence.
Unfortunately, Nick Ryder was guiding Sienna Webster toward the north exit.
Kinsley quickly turned back to the bench where Jade and Courtney sat, their faces tense in the dim light.
Jade's gaze was lowered, locked on her hands, which had finally stopped trembling in her lap.
“Jade,” Kinsley said, keeping her voice low despite their relative isolation. “Did Nick Ryder know about the affair between Hannah and Dr. Reeves?”
Jade shook her head, the movement small and precise.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Jade replied, her gaze seeking out the topic of their discussion. “I don’t think Nick is capable of murder, if that’s where you’re going with this. It was Dr. Reeves who?—”
“Both of you, stay on this bench.” Kinsley directed, lifting a hand when she caught sight of Officer Drew Blake. He nodded when he understood her silent instruction to remain with the two women. “I’ll be back momentarily.”
“Detective Aspen,” Jade called out before Kinsley could take three steps.
“You should know that Hannah discovered my arrangement with Dr. Reeves. She…well, let’s just say she was really angry.
I begged her to let me take a few more payments before she spoke to him.
That’s the reason we really weren’t speaking in the end. ”
Kinsley recalled their last text exchange. Hannah had indicated that Jade had figured out a way out of her financial woes. The picture was becoming clearer by the minute.
“I think Hannah confronted Reeves.” Jade’s voice was barely audible now. “I don't know exactly what she said to him, but he came to me earlier last week to confirm that our arrangement still stood. Three days later, Hannah was dead.”