Page 37 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)

Kinsley Aspen

July

T he library's double-glass entrances were dark mirrors, reflecting only the faintest outline of Kinsley’s figure. The glow from the emergency exit signs inside bled crimson through the doors.

If Melanie had Bailey inside, every second mattered.

Alex had sought out campus security, and they had fortunately supplied him with a set of master keys. Kinsley kept a tight hold on them so the metal wouldn’t make noise. It was Alex who reached out to pull on the handle gingerly, confirming the front entry was locked.

“We could be wrong about this,” Alex murmured as he stepped back to survey the immediate area. His face was half-illuminated by the distant parking lot lights. “Melanie could have taken Bailey somewhere else on campus. Somewhere far away from all the buildings.”

“Dispatch is working with Bailey’s cellular company to locate her phone,” Kinsley replied as she slipped the correctly labeled key into the slot.

She turned it until the lock disengaged before holding out the keys to Alex.

“Until then, we have officers searching the grounds. We need to clear this building, anyway. Might as well start now.”

Kinsley and Alex had already discussed and agreed that he would approach through the back entrance.

She couldn’t help but believe that Melanie wouldn’t be in the right state of mind to lock the door behind her.

Either she had used the back entrance, or Alex was right—Melanie had taken Bailey somewhere else.

“Blake, you're with me,” Kinsley instructed, her voice low. “We go in quietly. If Melanie is unstable enough to have taken Bailey by force, there's no telling what she might do if cornered.”

“Copy that,” Officer Blake replied, his hand resting on his holstered weapon.

Alex gave them a short nod before disappearing around the corner of the building, his footsteps fading into the night. Kinsley withdrew her weapon from the holster before wrapping her left hand around the door handle.

Kinsley slowly pulled the entrance open, mindful of any sound that might alert Melanie to their presence.

The library's recess lighting cast a dim glow throughout the main floor, just enough to navigate by but insufficient to banish the deep shadows between the tall bookshelves.

Blake followed close behind, ensuring the door closed without a sound.

Kinsley signaled for him to separate from her, taking the right flank. She turned her radio down to its lowest audible volume before making her way deeper into the library. Each step was weighted with anticipation, the silence pressing against her eardrums like a physical force.

A stifled sound broke through the stillness.

Kinsley paused, concentrating to determine the source of the noise. She tilted her head slightly, finally catching the muffled sob coming from her left. She kept her weapon angled down as she moved cautiously between two bookcases, following the sound of crying as it grew marginally louder.

“…all your fault. All of it.” Melanie’s voice rose with each word. “I thought Hannah was having an affair with my husband. You don’t even attend the university. Why would…”

Another anguished cry escaped Melanie, prompting Kinsley to stop at the end of an aisle. She peered around the edge, taking in the situation.

Melanie was pacing in front of a sitting area, her steps uneven and frantic.

Bailey was sitting in one of the cushioned chairs, her upper body hunched forward as if trying to minimize her presence.

She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and her tear-streaked face was pale under the dim recess lighting.

There was no sign of Alex, though Blake would have heard Melanie’s voice by now. Kinsley glanced over her shoulder. No sign of either man, but there wasn’t any time to waste.

Melanie possessed a firearm.

“Why did you go and sleep with my husband? Why?”

“I-I never…” Bailey's stuttered response came between ragged breaths. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“You never meant to hurt me?” Melanie's laugh held no humor, just raw pain. “You slept with my husband, and you never meant to hurt me?”

“Victor told me your marriage was over,” Bailey whispered, her voice breaking. “He said he was going to file for divorce. That's what he told me. I swear. I wouldn't have?—”

“You're a liar!” Melanie's abrupt shout echoed through the empty library. “Victor would never have said that. Never!”

Kinsley was just about to step forward when she noticed a round mirror suspended from the ceiling.

It gave her a clear view of the situation.

Unfortunately, Melanie had the same advantage if she became aware of her surroundings.

At the moment, however, she was too preoccupied with Bailey, allowing Kinsley more time to decide on the best way to manage the situation.

“You took everything from me,” Melanie whispered, her voice dropping to something almost gentle. “My husband. My dignity. And…”

Melanie stepped forward at the same time that Kinsley caught movement in the aisle next to her. Officer Blake came to a stop, his gaze meeting hers through the bookcase. He nodded slowly, alerting her to the fact that he would wait for her signal.

“It’s your fault that Hannah is dead,” Melanie murmured over Bailey’s sob. “An eye for an eye. Isn’t that what they say?”

Bailey squeezed her eyes closed as the barrel of the small-caliber handgun was pressed to her temple. Melanie’s action had Kinsley calling out to her.

“Melanie, drop your weapon,” Kinsley ordered as she stepped around the bookcase. She had intentionally exposed herself in full view to avert Melanie’s attention from Bailey. “Now.”

Kinsley raised her weapon, her throat dry with the realization that she might have to squeeze the trigger. She didn’t want to take another person’s life.

Melanie's attention snapped toward Kinsley. Unfortunately, the woman’s firearm remained pressed against Bailey's temple. Neither woman noticed when Alex stepped out from behind a bookcase on the far end.

“Stay back,” Melanie warned as she anchored her weapon with both hands. She even widened her stance, as if to indicate she was all in on her decision to take Bailey’s life. “I mean it. I’ll shoot her in the head.”

“And then what?” Kinsley asked to keep Melanie’s attention diverted from Alex. He was edging closer to disarm her. “Will it erase your husband’s infidelity? Bring Hannah back? I can answer that for you, Melanie. Nothing you do here can take you back in time.”

Melanie’s hands began to tremble violently, tears streaming down her face. The desk lamp cast harsh shadows across her features, turning them almost skeletal with grief and rage.

“I didn’t mean…”

“We know it was a mistake, but going through with this will only make matters worse,” Kinsley advised her, silently praising Bailey for remaining still. “Please, Melanie. Drop the gun.”

The distance between Alex and Melanie was less than fifteen feet. If Kinsley could manage to have the woman lower her weapon, or at least remove the barrel from Bailey’s temple, then Alex stood a good chance at disarming her.

“Have you considered that Bailey is innocent, Melanie?” Kinsley kept her voice calm, gentle even, though her arms remained rigid, her aim unwavering. “The only one who betrayed you was Victor. Don’t let him be the reason you take another life.”

A flicker of something—recognition, perhaps—crossed Melanie's face before dissolving back into anguish.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it? Nothing matters. I?—”

“This isn't who you are, Melanie,” Kinsley said, trying once more to distract her. Lying to Melanie was a strategic choice, but it was the only option left. “Did you know that Victor is outside waiting for you? He admitted to having an affair with Bailey. He admitted to tricking her into believing he didn’t love you, but he says he instantly regretted his words. He made a terrible mistake, and he wants your forgiveness, Melanie.”

Kinsley had made some progress, and Melanie started to lower her weapon.

However, she finally sensed movement behind her.

She hastily glanced over her shoulder to find Alex just inches away, and her panic clearly grew.

The gun wavered dangerously, no longer pressed directly against Bailey’s temple, but still aimed in her general direction.

It was Officer Blake’s quick thinking that changed the course of what could have been a disaster.

He tossed a heavy textbook to the ground, away from himself, staying out of the line of fire.

The weapon in Melanie's hand dipped slightly in response, her grip loosening, giving Alex the chance to act quickly. He stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and twisted it with enough force to stop her from pulling the trigger.

He disarmed her in one fluid motion.

As Bailey hurried from her chair towards Kinsley, Melanie had already fallen to her knees.

Alex passed the weapon off to Blake before fastening handcuffs around Melanie’s wrists.

The sound of the cuffs snapping shut seemed to shatter something inside the woman.

She collapsed to the floor, leaning against Alex’s legs, sobbing with such force that her entire body shook.

“I’m sorry,” Melanie cried out as Alex knelt beside her. “S-so sorry.”

Kinsley kept one arm wrapped around Bailey while holstering her weapon. A broken moan that seemed torn from Bailey’s soul made itself known.

“It's okay,” Kinsley murmured reassuringly as she turned to guide Bailey toward the front of the library. “You're safe now. It's over.”

Officer Blake could be heard giving an update over the radio. The next few hours would be spent at the station processing Melanie, but it would be months, if not years, before Bailey and her parents found their footing in life without Hannah.

“It's my fault. All my fault.” Bailey’s fingers clutched desperately at Kinsley's shirt. “It should have been me.”

Nothing Kinsley said aloud could appease Bailey's guilt. Her grief poured out in waves.One sister had died because of a case of mistaken identity.A marriage had been destroyed by betrayal.

Lives had been forever altered by choices that seemed inconsequential in the moment they were made. The weight of it resonated deep within Kinsley, touching that secret place where her own burden lay hidden.

Every decision carried with it a consequence. Those punishing results rippled outward to touch lives in ways that couldn't be predicted or controlled. Some ripples remained constant. Others became tsunamis, destroying everything in their path.

“How do I live with this?” Bailey asked as they approached the front entrance of the library. She stopped before Kinsley could open the door. “How do I live with this guilt?”

“You learn to carry it,” Kinsley replied softly, her heart heavy with her own secrets.

There was no point in being dishonest. Not a day would pass that Bailey didn’t punish herself for the choices she made that led to the death of her sister.

“You find ways to cope. This will always be a part of you, Baily. But it’s up to you to make sure it doesn’t define you. ”