Page 56 of Silent Neighbor

"This is Deputy Mercer," he said as soon as the call connected, his words coming out in a rush. "We have a possible hostage situation at Razor's Edge. Suspect is armed and dangerous, believed to be the Coldwater killer. We need immediate backup and a helicopter for aerial support."

He listened intently as the dispatcher acknowledged his request, asking for more details. Finn provided what information he could, all the while scanning the cliff face, hoping against hope to spot some way up.

As he ended the call, promising to update them if the situation changed, Finn felt a mix of relief and frustration. Help was on the way, but would it arrive in time?

He put the phone away and quickened his pace. The cliff continued its unbroken expanse, but Finn refused to give up. There had to be a way up, and he was going to find it.

As he rounded a large boulder, something caught his eye. There, partially hidden by the play of shadows on the rock face, was a narrow defile—a steep, twisting path leading upward.

Finn's heart leapt. This was it.

Without hesitation, he began to climb. The path was steep and treacherous, loose rocks skittering away under his feet with each step. Finn's hands scrabbled for purchase on the rough stone, his muscles straining with the effort.

He was acutely aware of his lack of experience. This was nothing like the climbing wall at the police academy gym. Here, each movement could mean the difference between life and death. One misstep, one moment of lost concentration, and he could find himself plummeting to the unforgiving ground below.

But Finn pushed on, driven by the urgency of the situation. With each hard-won foot of elevation, he silently urged himself forward. Don't think about the height, he told himself. Don't look down. Just keep moving.

As he paused on a narrow ledge to catch his breath, Finn's thoughts turned to Sheila and Jessica. Were they okay? He hadn't heard a gunshot, but that didn't mean much. It was entirely possible that the killer had already dispatched Jessica while Sheila watched helplessly from a distance.

If he had, however, he wasn't going to get away with it. Finn would see to that much, at least.

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