Page 15 of When 're Silent

“You’re no fun,” Finn sighed, stillusing his terrible approximation of an English detective’s accent from theVictorian era. “I promise to behave myself.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ameliaagreed, laughing. “We won’t get Dr. Carter’s lab results for a while, so weshould head out in the meantime.”

The blade of suspicion pointedunwaveringly toward Professor Hemingway. All that was left now was to look himin the eye and question him.

“And we should do it fast,” Ameliasaid. “I have a horrible feeling that if we waste any time, more bodies willhit the floor.”

“Fast, I can do,” Finn said,standing up and rushing out of the door alongside his partner.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The engine of the unmarked policecar roared like a caged beast straining against its confines as Finn Wrightpressed his foot mercilessly onto the accelerator. Beside him, Amelia Wintersgripped the dashboard with white-knuckled hands, her eyes fixed on the blur ofscenery whipping past the window.

“I know I said fast,” Amelia saidwith a jolt, “but I didn’t mean warp speed.”

“I’m driving incredibly safely,”Finn replied.

“Last time you said that,” shegroaned, “you ended up in a ditch submerged in water and I had to save you.”

“As I remember it,” Finn grinned,knowing he was near to their destination, “we saved each other.”

“Finn...” Amelia said, her voicechanging as the world whizzed by outside.

“Why do I get the feeling you’reabout to pry?” Finn smiled.

“No... I... You haven’t mentionedyour court case for a while, and I was wondering if...”

“It had been resolved?” Finnsighed. “Sadly not.”

“I still can’t believe they aretrying to blame you for what happened to the hotel,” Amelia said, shaking herhead.

“It was over a year ago now,” Finnanswered, somberly. “But there are some at the FBI who have it in for me. Theynever liked me taking the initiative, especially when I was chasing Max Vilne.They thought I was reckless going in alone and facing him, but the hostagewould have died, otherwise.”

Finn slowed the car as they movedoff a main road and passed a green sign for the university. As the car slowed,he turned and smiled at Amelia before returning his eyes to the road ahead.

“If they find me culpable for thefire damage during Vilne’s original arrest back home,” Finn said. “Then I’ll beout of a job and financially ruined. So you might have to put up with mepermanently...”

“That wouldn’t be so bad,” Ameliaanswered. “When will you know?”

“Weeks now, I think,” he said. “Butsince Vilne escaped, I wanted to bring him in before that happened. Now, he’sstill out there, and we’re on another case.”

“Every case is important...”

Finn didn’t say anything, but heknew she was right.

Oldbridge University loomed ahead,an institution steeped in history and academic prowess, now tainted by thesinister shadow of murder. As Finn swerved into the university grounds, hismind raced with the possibilities that lay within these ivy-clad walls. Theancient parchment pieces and the suspect’s possible connection to both victimswere their only leads, pointing them unerringly towards Prof. HaroldHemingway—a man whose knowledge of such artifacts would have been enough toexplain the antique pen, signet ring, and parchment at the death scenes.

“Left here,” Amelia instructed, hervoice cutting through Finn’s concentration as he navigated the serpentine roadsthat snaked through the campus. “Did they make this place a maze so that peoplecouldn’t run out on their classes so easily?”

Every second mattered, and yet theuniversity seemed to conspire against them, its layout a puzzle that addedprecious time onto their journey.

The antiquated stone buildings ofOldbridge rose around them like silent sentinels of a bygone era, their facadesetched with the wisdom and wear of centuries. Finn couldn’t help but feel theweight of all those years in the atmosphere of the place, a stark reminder ofhow small a piece they were in the grand tapestry of history. Yet, it was inthis place of learning where evil had threaded its way, and it was here thatthey would hope to confront it.

“Over there, Hemingway’s office isin the North Wing,” Amelia said, pointing towards a particularly imposingstructure that seemed to watch over the others with an air of austereauthority.

Finn swung the car into a parkingspace with a precision born of years spent in high-pressure situations.

“I think I brought up my lunch,”Amelia said. “Next time, I’ll drive.”

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