Page 39 of So Silent

She screamed, trying to drown out that noise with a louder noise, but it floated above her cries, found that tiny little spot on her eardrums that no one else had, that tiny little spot that gave her better hearing than anyone she knew, and just dug.

She covered her ears with a pillow, but the sound still attacked her. She buried her head underneath her couch cushions, but it was still there.

She couldn't take it. She couldn't sleep like this. She had to get out of here. She'd rent a hotel room in the city, and in the morning, she'd come back and try to figure out what was making that sound. If it was one of the neighbors, she'd talk to them and see if they would let her find the source and fix it for them. Hell, she’d drop a couple grand on a new appliance if it meant her head wasn’t torn to pieces every night.

She got up and got her keys and her purse. She was in her pajamas and bunny slippers, but that was fine. She didn’t give a shit what she looked like right now.

She walked into her garage and clicked her car on. The loud crack of the locks disengaging hid the crack of her larynx as it was split open by the killer’s knife.

Her last thought as she fell was relief that her headache was gone.

Chapter Nineteen

Michael ordered Chinese food for dinner. Faith appreciated that. She always ate takeout Chinese when she was feeling down about a case. Michael only ordered it when he was with her and only when she was feeling upset. It was one of the little things he did to show Faith he cared. He was a good friend.

But she didn’t need a friend right now. She wasn’t down about the case, she was down about herself. She wasn’t upset because this killer was elusive, she was upset because she was chasing shadows. She needed someone to make her feel better about herself, and there was one person on Earth who could do that better than anyone.

So, after dinner, she stepped onto the balcony while Michael showered and called David.

David was normally in bed early on a worknight, but he answered on the first ring. That was one of the ways he showed he cared. He would always pick up for her.

“Hey, baby,” he said. “How’s it going?”

Faith grinned. Just hearing his voice made things a hundred times better. “Hi, David,” she replied. “Um… not so good. I’m really not doing well on this one.”

“Uh oh. What’s going on?”

“Um…” she sighed. “I’m just not on my a-game. It really sucks because when I’m not on my a-game, people die.”

“People die because murderers kill them,” David said firmly. “Not because of anything you do.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know. But—”

“No buts. You are not the reason that anyone is dead, understand me?”

“I know, but—”

“Nope. This conversation doesn’t move forward until you tell me that you know it’s not your fault that anyone is dead.”

“I know. I know it’s not my fault. I just…”

“Uh uh. Say it. You have to hear yourself say it, or you'll keep feeling guilty."

She smiled softly. He knew her so well. “I know it’s not my fault that anyone is dead.”

“Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me what’s going on.”

She sighed. “I mean, that’s pretty much it. Someone’s killing women, and I’m chasing every squirrel that runs across my path. Meanwhile, the real killer is moving around unseen because I’m too busy chasing false leads.”

“Well, it’s your job to follow every lead, right? Not all of them are going to lead anywhere. You have to eliminate the impossible before you find the whatever remains that must be the truth.”

She grinned. “Nice Conan Doyle reference.”

“Thank you. See? I read the books you give me.”

She giggled. “Good to know. I’ll make sure to get you four or five really thick ones for our anniversary.”

“Why do you think that I don’t like reading? I have a doctorate. I’m smart.”

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