Page 34 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)

Kinsley Aspen

July

K insley positioned herself so Nick and Sienna wouldn’t have access to the east parking lot. At least, not without first having another conversation. Now that all the candles had been extinguished and were in the process of being collected, the mosquitoes had made themselves known.

“Some new information has come to light,” Kinsley said as she slapped the back of her left hand. Her irritation flared hotter than the sting of the blood-sucking insect. She was going to be covered in welts tomorrow morning. “I was hoping you could help clarify a few things for me.”

Nick’s jaw tightened, though Sienna’s expression revealed nothing as she slid her hand through his arm. She seemed completely unfazed by the buzzing mosquitoes.

“We’ve already been over this," Nick replied, his voice clipped and cold. “Any further questions for me should go through your father’s firm. I’ve already provided a statement, and this hardly seems the appropriate venue for another interrogation.”

Sienna gave a soft, deliberate tap of her fingers against his arm. The ruby on her right hand caught the light just so as her gaze slid over Kinsley's shoulder to where Jade and Courtney still sat on the stone bench. Sienna then drifted her focus back to meet Kinsley’s gaze with renewed interest.

“I'd like to hear what Detective Aspen has to say,” Sienna announced, her voice carrying a measured cadency that all but dared Nick to disregard her wishes. “We all want to find who did this to Hannah, don’t we?”

Kinsley nodded her appreciation to Sienna before focusing her full attention on Nick. No point in beating around the bush. Most times, a direct approach received a genuine response.

“Mr. Ryder, were you aware that Hannah was having an affair?” Kinsley paused, noting his stunned reaction as the words hit him. His breath hitched just enough to confirm that he hadn’t been prepared for such an accusation. “Is that the reason things ended between you?”

A series of emotions appeared in rapid succession.

Confusion, disbelief, and then something mirroring anger.

“An affair? Hannah?” Nick’s gaze diverted to Sienna, though Kinsley figured he was buying time to get his thoughts in order. “Where did you hear something like that? Because it's complete bullshit.”

“Are you saying that you had no knowledge of an affair?”

Kinsley continued to monitor Nick’s body language for any sign of recognition or deception. She intentionally left the source unnamed, though Nick's gaze shifted over her shoulder toward the stone bench.

“I don't know what stories Jade has been spinning,” Nick said, his voice dropping an octave into a tone that was low and bitter, “but Hannah would never have cheated on me or anyone else she was with because of her past.”

Nick shifted his weight in annoyance, which caused Sienna to drop her arm.

“Never.”

“Her past?” Kinsley pressed. “Could you clarify what you mean by that?”

Nick's expression faltered, and Kinsley sensed his inner struggle about sharing personal details regarding his former lover. Sienna remained silent beside him, her stillness almost predatory in its intensity. It was obvious to Kinsley that their relationship wouldn’t last much longer.

“Look,” Nick finally said, his voice strained with reluctance, “this isn't something Hannah talked about with many people. And it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with her death.”

“I’d like to be the judge of that,” Kinsley replied, softening her tone so as not to give Nick reason to shut down this discussion.

She swiped a mosquito from her cheek, hating its buzzing sound that unfortunately amplified twofold at her efforts.

“Please, Mr. Ryder. Everything matters in this type of investigation.”

“Early in Mr. and Mrs. Scriven’s marriage, when the twins were just kids, William had an affair with a junior lawyer at his firm.

It nearly destroyed their family.” Nick slipped his hands into his pockets, the metallic jingle of his keys cutting through the infuriating buzzing noise.

“Hannah had very strong views about infidelity, Detective Aspen. She loathed it, and she would never have engaged in an affair.”

And just like that, the underpinnings of the Scriven family dynamic snapped into more precise focus. Katherine’s control. William’s compliance. Hannah’s drive. Bailey’s rebellion.

A house built on fracture lines.

Kinsley considered the implications of Nick’s response, turning it over against Jade's claims. Either someone was lying, or there was something more complicated at play.

“I'd like to know who Hannah was supposedly having an affair with,” Sienna interjected with genuine curiosity. “Since we're all being so forthcoming.”

Kinsley had already decided that Sienna would be an excellent attorney. The subtle strategy to determine whether the accusation had substance or was just a fishing expedition was truly remarkable.

“Thank you both for your time,” Kinsley said, offering a polite smile while deliberately sidestepping the question. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

Kinsley didn’t give them a chance to follow up. She had already spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Scriven about the supposed affair. They claimed to have no knowledge of it, and Katherine had even launched into a lengthy lecture about the inappropriate timing of the Fallbrook Police Department.

One thing stood out to Kinsley.

If Hannah were having an affair, whom would she have confided in? Her best friend had already shown her disappointment, although she had taken advantage of the situation. Hannah never breathed a word of the relationship to Nick, and she certainly hadn’t told her parents about her indiscretion.

That left Bailey, only she was nowhere to be found.

In fact, most of the crowd had left for the evening. A few faculty members were still in attendance, and Patty Bigsby was helping Mr. and Mrs. Scriven carry Hannah’s portrait and what appeared to be a stack of sympathy cards toward the east parking lot.

“Has Bailey Scriven exited the courtyard?” Kinsley radioed her question to the officers posted at the main entrances. She carefully scanned the area again, noting the empty benches and deep shadows. Bailey had last been seen near a large oak tree, but she was now gone. “Anyone have eyes on her?”

“Negative,” came the responses one by one. “No one matching her description has passed through here.”

Bailey might have slipped away with some of the earlier departing groups.

She had kept her distance from her parents, and she hadn’t sought out Jade or any other student.

Bailey had mostly stayed to herself, interacting only with a few faculty members.

Maybe she planned to make a quick appearance and leave quietly, but given her personality and the reaction to her mother’s speech, Kinsley doubted that was the case.

“Her VW is still parked in the east lot.”

Kinsley expressed her appreciation before once again skimming the faces of those who had remained behind.A ripple of unease spread down her spine.

Bailey had claimed to be Hannah's confidante, her best friend, despite their differences. Surely Bailey would have known if Hannah had been having an affair. Had Bailey collected something incriminating from Hannah's possessions to protect her sister’s reputation?

Or had Bailey been protecting herself?

Jade had seemed so certain about what she had witnessed—Hannah and Reeves together in a lecture hall. But what if Jade had been mistaken?

The twins were identical.

In a dimly lit classroom, from a distance, through a small window in a door...

The theory played out in Kinsley's mind with frightening clarity. What if it hadn’t been Hannah having the affair with Victor Reeves, but Bailey? What if Hannah had been protecting her sister all along, just as she had during their entire childhood?

Or worse…what if Hannah had decided to finally let her sister deal with the fallout?

How would Bailey have reacted to that scenario?

Kinsley lifted her radio, pressing the button.

“Start searching for Bailey Scriven. I need to question her before she leaves this campus.”

Kinsley didn’t wait for acknowledgment. She headed straight toward the east exit. The Scrivens were already halfway to the parking lot before she was able to call out to them.

“Have either of you spoken to Bailey this evening?” Kinsley asked after she closed the distance between them. She took a moment to clip the radio to her belt. “She?—”

“If this is about that disgusting accusation you threw around earlier, you can leave our daughter out of it,” Katherine replied tersely.

“Hannah did not have some sordid affair with her professor. She never would have compromised her position here at the university or sullied our family’s reputation.

And if you keep on this line of questioning, I will sue your entire department for slan?—”

“Mrs. Scriven, my job is to find the individual who murdered your daughter. You do what you need to do,” Kinsley advised, maintaining a firm but professional tone.

Her patience was thinning, but Hannah’s parents had already been through enough.

Kinsley then turned her attention to Patty Bigsby.

“May I have a word with you in private, please?”

“Of course,” Patty responded quietly as she handed off the stack of sympathy cards to William, mindful of her reading glasses. He juggled Hannah’s portrait to tuck the cards under his left arm. “Should either of you need anything from the university, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Ms. Bigsby, you do not need to?—”

“It’s okay,” Patty assured Katherine, even taking the time to pat the woman’s shoulder. “I’ll answer any questions the detective has if it means this monster is taken off the streets. Detective Aspen means no harm. She’s just doing her job.”

Katherine appeared to want to argue against such an opinion, but instead, she nodded curtly before exiting the courtyard. At this point, there weren’t many people left behind.

Kinsley stepped away, and Patty followed suit.

“Professor Bigsby, was Dr. Reeves having an affair with Hannah Scriven?” Kinsley asked, seeing no point in dancing around the inquiry.

“I honestly do not know,” Patty responded after a slight hesitation.

She crossed her arms defensively, her reading glasses clutched in her right hand.

“I don’t like speaking out of turn against colleagues, but I will say that Dr. Reeves has a reputation for being overly familiar with his female students. You can take that as you will.”

Kinsley got the impression that Professor Bigsby was being honest. The woman didn’t know much more than the casual university rumors that circulated among students and faculty members. There was no reason to keep her any longer, and the courtyard had emptied to just a few stragglers.

Only Bailey Scriven wasn’t one of them, and Kinsley didn’t believe for a second that such an absence was a coincidence.