Page 29 of Silent Prey

Lena looked up, and for a moment she held Sheila’s gaze. There was fear in those eyes and an undeniable sadness. Her lips quivered, but she quickly bit down on them and gave a shake of her head. Sheila could tell she was holding back, perhaps even from herself.

"No...I...I didn't see anything," Lena mumbled, her gaze returning to the depths of her untouched tea. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye and fell into the tea, sending small ripples across its surface.

Sheila let out a quiet sigh. She understood their pain, their fear and the walls they were building around themselves to keep the horrifying reality at bay. And yet, she also knew they needed to break those walls if they were to get any closer to the truth.

“Did Diana have any enemies?” Finn asked.

Haley immediately shook her head. “She was a nurse; she helped people. Who would want to hurt her?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Sheila said. Again, she found herself studying Lena, sensing that the troubled woman knew something she was holding back. "Can you think of anyone who might want to harm her?" Sheila asked.

“She doesn’t know anything,” Haley said, frowning at Sheila. “Besides, don’t you think she’s been through enough for one night? Don’t you think we both have? I’m tired of all these questions.” She rose, setting her tea aside. “Come on, Lena. Let’s get out of here.”

"Haley," Sheila said, rising out of her seat, "we understand you're going through a lot right now and we apologize if our questions seem intrusive. But we're trying to help.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not working. Come on, Lena.” Haley took Lena’s arm, and Lena reluctantly rose, looking both weary and embarrassed.

Think, Sheila. Don’t let them just walk away.

“Wait,” Sheila called just as the two women were about to step out of the room.

They both paused and turned toward her. Sheila could see the irritation in Haley's eyes and the overwhelming dread in Lena's.

“Lena,” she said, meeting the younger woman’s troubled gaze. “If you remember anything at all, anything different or strange that happened today, even if it seems unimportant…” She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, “it could help us find who took Diana from you.”

Lena looked at her for a long moment, her dark eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I didn’t see who attacked Diana,” she said.

“There, you see?” Haley said. “Now, if you’re done interrogating us—”

“But what happened did make me think of someone,” Lena added. She swallowed hard, ignoring Haley’s frustrated stare.

“Who?” Sheila asked. “Who did you think of?”

“Over at Elmer Heights University—that’s where we all go—there’s this one professor. Professor Hallstrom. He teaches some…very interesting biology classes.”

“Interesting how?” Finn asked.

“Come on, Lena,” Hailey said, grabbing her friend’s arm.

“Let her speak,” Dana said.

Hailey rolled her eyes and reluctantly released Lena.

Lena took a slow breath, composing herself. “He likes to do animal dissections—a lot of them. And when I heard of the antelope heart…” She shook her head. “It just reminded me of something he would do. Something he would…enjoy.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“According to this,” Finn said, studying his phone, “Diana Morales and Gerald Hallstrom weren’t friends online, but that didn’t keep Hallstrom from commenting on a number of Diana’s posts. Seems like he had quite a bit of interest in her life.”

"Anything connecting him to the other victims?" Sheila asked her gaze on the apartment complex where Hallstrom lived in downtown Salt Lake City. It was late at night, and the street was bathed in the yellowish glow of the street lights. The only sound was the occasional passing of a car on an adjoining street and the beat of a bass from one of the buildings.

“Quite a lot, actually,” Finn said. “Amanda Hayes and Kaylee Jensen both took his classes years ago. And Bethany Cole grew up on this block, so he would have had ample opportunities to run into her.”

Sheila frowned, taking in the information. "But what's his motive? Why would he want to hurt these women?"

"Dominance, maybe," Finn suggested, his gaze still fixed on his phone screen. "Hallstrom's known for his strong opinions about the natural hierarchy of things. Humans over animals, men over women. He’s got a blog and it’s quite…colorful."

“We’d better go talk to him, then,” Sheila said, opening her door.

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