Page 9 of Silencing Stolen Whispers (Kinsley Aspen #2)

Kinsley Aspen

July

K insley pulled the Jeep to a stop behind her younger brother’s truck and turned off the engine. She didn’t bother opening her door. The Scriven family’s complicated dynamics troubled her, and she couldn’t shake off her unease that the disturbing scene foreshadowed her own family.

She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly. Three hours of her afternoon had vanished while reviewing traffic cam footage that revealed nothing.Absolutely nothing.

Bailey Scriven had taken the back roads to her parents' office, avoiding the busy intersections where city cameras might have recorded her VW. The footage showed nothing about where Bailey had been between leaving the cabin and reaching her parents’ law firm.

As much as Kinsley would have liked five more minutes to herself, family dinner wasn’t going to wait.

Taking note of the vehicles parked in the driveway, everyone else had already arrived.

Noah's well-maintained Audi was on the far right, Dylan's pickup truck with the dent in the passenger door was directly in front of her, and Owen's motorcycle was tucked safely at the edge of the concrete.

Everyone was already inside, and she was—once again—the last to arrive.

“So much for breaking bad habits tonight,” Kinsley muttered to herself as she reached for her purse.

Leaving the wrapped banana bread on the seat next to her, she ensured that the side pocket inside her purse was zipped shut. She planned to give the envelope to her father without anyone noticing the transfer. He was keeping the notes for her just in case anything came of them.

Unlike the previous messages, this one had been left on the counter at Carol's Café. The first note appeared on her desk at the station, but she couldn’t exactly ask around if anyone had been near her desk.

The second envelope had been on her Jeep's windshield, and so on, until a pattern had started to emerge—there was no way to identify the sender.

There was never a demand for money.

There was never a threat to expose her.

Just the stark reminder that someone was aware of her crime.

If their goal was to torture her with anxiety and fear, mission accomplished.

She hadn't slept well for nearly two years and was constantly aware of her surroundings. However, a flash of insight struck her as she reviewed today’s traffic cam footage.

She hadn't been thinking broadly enough.

If the messenger had left the note at Carol's, he or she had to have been nearby.

The café was on Main Street, which was monitored by at least three different cameras. If she could retrieve that footage and identify the people who entered and exited around the time her coffee was prepared, she could finally identify her tormentor.

Kinsley shifted in her seat, grabbing tonight’s dessert. When she straightened, she spotted movement on the porch.Noah had stepped out of the house.

Dread settled in her stomach.

Her older brother never waited outside unless something was seriously wrong. He usually kept a calm demeanor, but tension radiated off his shoulders. His blue eyes met hers through the windshield.

Kinsley hopped out of her Jeep, studying her brother as she slammed the door shut before making her way up the stone path to the house. She forced a smile on her face before calling out a greeting.

“Alex and I caught a case this morning, but I come bearing homemade dessert.” Kinsley lifted the foil-wrapped loaf as if it were some kind of peace offering. “Banana bread, with double the walnuts. Lily will be a very happy little girl.”

Noah’s expression softened upon hearing his daughter’s name, but the reprieve was short-lived.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Kin?”

The air between them suddenly grew several degrees colder.

Kinsley's smile faltered and then disappeared completely. She lowered the banana bread to her side. She wasn’t going to admit anything willingly. There was a good chance that whatever upset him involved one of their siblings.

“Tell you what?”

Noah's jaw clenched, but she held her ground.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you went to Dad about Calvin Gantz.”

Hearing the killer’s name fall from her brother’s lips was like a physical blow. He had never spoken aloud about what happened that night, and she desperately wanted to keep it that way.

Kinsley rested her hand on his arm and led him toward the far end of the porch, away from the open windows and the front door. She placed her purse and the dessert on the wooden railing.

“Listen to me very carefully, Noah. Dad has no idea that you helped me that night. You’re in the clear,” Kinsley emphasized, needing him to understand the importance of her words.

“We both agreed we would never speak about what happened, and it’s going to stay that way.

When we go inside, we’ll say that you were convincing me to join the family up at the cabin in August. I’ll?—”

“As much as you might want to believe we’re in the clear, we’re not.

I know about the notes, Kin. I was looking for a pen in Dad's office drawer yesterday. Lily and I were visiting him at the office. She was doing homework, and she left her pencils in my car.” Noah ran a hand through his short blond hair, causing it to stick up in uneven spikes.

“Eight notes, identical envelopes, and all with your name on them in some weird blocky handwriting. We’re nowhere near being in the clear, Kin. ”

“You opened them?”

“Of course, I opened them.” Noah's whisper was sharp as he glared at her with what could be termed as disappointment. She sensed it was more in frustration. “Jesus Christ, Kin. You should have called me.”

“And what would you have done, Noah?” Kinsley glanced over her shoulder, afraid that Dylan or Owen would overhear them.

Or worse, Lily. Kinsley closed her eyes for a brief moment, wanting desperately to bring this conversation to a close.

“Yes, I’ve received some notes. I thought it was in my best interest to give Dad a dollar.

I confessed to him what happened that night.

I shot Gantz. I explained that he threatened Lily, and I believed with all my heart that he would follow through with his threat to hurt her.

Dad knows that I dragged his body back to his car, drove it up north, and let it sink to the bottom of Terrapin Lake. Me, and me alone.”

“Kin, you can’t?—”

“I can,” Kinsley insisted, not willing to change her mind. “I did, Noah. My actions, my responsibility. It’s done. Dad knows, and if it ever comes down to it, he’ll represent me.”

Noah pressed his fingers against his closed eyes briefly. When he finally met her gaze, it was obvious he was furious with her decision. And…fearful?

Kinsley's throat tightened so much that she couldn’t speak. He turned away from her, both hands gripping the yellow wooden railing for support. His shoulders rose and fell with each controlled breath.

“Noah,” Kinsley said softly, “I told Dad exactly what I needed to tell him—and that I was receiving anonymous notes. You said it yourself. It’s the same message over and over and over again. Not once did this individual mention your involvement. I don’t think it’s real.”

Kinsley reached for his shoulder but stopped short of touching him.

“Dad doesn't know you were there that night, and I don’t think this person does, either.”

“And how does that work, Kin? If someone knows what you did, they must know I was involved, too. I answered your call. I came straight to you that night. I helped you sink his body and his car into that godforsaken lake.” Noah turned to face her.

“I would do the same thing if you called me tonight, no question. That’s not what this is about.

You can’t keep me in the dark, Kin. I can’t get caught off guard. ”

For the first time since that fateful October, Kinsley realized just how much Noah had been affected by her actions. She had killed a man, and her brother had helped cover the crime. Noah had to live with her sins, too.

“I’m sorry,” Kinsley replied with genuine remorse. “I didn’t think?—”

“I don’t want your apologies, Kin. I would die to protect my daughter, my family.

You. That was never in question, and it’s not up for debate now.

” Noah reached out and drew her to him. She rested her head on his chest, allowing the small bit of comfort that she had been denying herself for so long.

“I love you, kid. What you chose to do for my daughter is something that I can never repay. Yesterday, I was just…blindsided.”

Kinsley slowly pulled away, needing him to know one truth.

“Noah, if it ever comes down to it, I will turn myself in before I let them touch you. I'll say I acted alone. I'll say I lied to you about what happened that night. I'll say whatever I need to say to keep you and Lily safe.”

“Why don’t we deal with that when…if…the time comes, alright?”

The heavy moment between them was broken by the sudden vibration of her phone in her purse. She wasn’t upset about the interruption, either. The thought of sitting down with everyone after such an emotional discussion made her sick to her stomach.

Kinsley retrieved her phone. Alex’s name appeared on the bright screen, and she didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Shouldn’t you be having a conversation with Wally about headbands?” Kinsley asked in greeting.

“That’s all on you, remember?” Alex prompted, though he didn’t give her a chance to reply. “Wally is on his own tonight. Jade Patel finally returned my call. She's coming into the station.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Kinsley ended the call before reaching for the foil-wrapped bread. She handed it off to Noah with a small smile. “I’ve got to get to the station. Hopefully, this makes up for it.”

“I’ll cover for you,” Noah said as he took the peace offering and walked beside her to the porch steps. He would always have her back, just as she would do the same for him. “Don’t worry. They’ll understand. I take it that you picked up the Scriven murder?”

“Yeah,” Kinsley replied as she walked down the porch steps. She grabbed the strap of her purse to keep it from swinging too wildly as she turned to face him. “How well do you know Katherine and William Scriven?”

“They deal with corporate law, so the only time I run into them is at conventions.” Noah grimaced, though, which meant that he still had an opinion. “Cutthroat. Meticulous. Best in the business.”

“We shattered their world today,” Kinsley murmured in remorse, recalling Alex’s words. “It was…devastating.”

“And I will forever be grateful that you saved me from the same experience, Kin.” Noah gave her a small, reluctant smile. “All I ask is that you keep me in the loop. Okay?”

Kinsley could practically feel the note in her purse burning a hole through the leather.

She wasn’t exactly hiding anything else from her brother.

He knew how many letters she had received over the last nine months.

If anything came of her review of some random security footage, she would keep her promise to update him.

“I give you my word.”

Kinsley made her way across the driveway. So much for her plan to start fresh at family dinner.There was always next week.Another chance to try again.

To be better.