Page 49 of Silent Smile

"Adjust to what?" Finn asked, his voice low and intense. "To you not trusting my judgment? To being treated like a rookie? To watching you second-guess every instinct that made us a great team in the first place?"

"Idotrust your judgment," Sheila insisted. "But I also have to consider the entire department, the whole community. It's not just about solving cases anymore. It's about doing it in a way that stands up in court, that doesn't open us up to lawsuits or accusations of police misconduct. Can't you see that?"

Finn was silent for a long moment, his eyes searching her face. "Maybe I can't. Maybe that's the problem."

Sheila stared at him, unsure where he was going with this. "What are you saying?"

He sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "I'm saying maybe this isn't working. Maybe... maybe I should transfer. Give us both some space to figure things out."

Sheila felt as if the ground had dropped out from under her. "Finn, no. We can work this out. We just need time. Remember when we worked on the Henderson case last year? How perfectly in sync we were? I trusted your instincts completely then, Finn. I still do. But now I'm looking at every decision through the lens of being Sheriff."

"Time isn't the problem," Finn said. "We've had plenty of time. The problem is, we can't be equals at work and... whatever we are outside of it. It's not fair to either of us. And it's not good for the case. We're so busy tiptoeing around each other that we're losing focus on what really matters—finding this killer before they strike again."

Sheila felt a lump forming in her throat. She was terrified of losing people, had been ever since her mother's death. That was why she preferred to keep people on the outside. But somehow, Finn had found his way in.

"So that's it?" she asked. "You're just going to walk away? From the case, from the department... from me?"

Finn's expression softened slightly. "I don't want to. But I don't see how this can work. We're at odds on every decision. How are we supposed to lead an investigation like this?"

Before Sheila could respond, Finn was moving toward the door. "I need some air. I'll... I'll see you later tonight. We can discuss the transfer then."

And then he was gone, leaving Sheila alone in the suddenly too-quiet office.

She sank into her chair, her mind reeling. How had things gone so wrong so quickly? She and Finn had always been in sync, able to read each other's thoughts, finish each other's sentences.

Now, it felt like they were speaking different languages.

As she sat there, trying to make sense of what had just happened, her phone rang. She answered automatically, her voice sounding distant to her own ears. "Sheriff Stone."

"Sheriff, it's Ranger Hollister. We've got a situation out here at the park."

Sheila sat up straighter, her personal turmoil momentarily pushed aside. "What kind of situation?"

"One of my guys just came across Dr. Redfeather's vehicle. It's abandoned, out near the restricted area of the dunes. No sign of Dr. Redfeather anywhere. It's like she just… disappeared."

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

The desert night was alive with whispers.

Wind-sculpted dunes cast long shadows under the pale moonlight, their graceful curves belying the harshness of the landscape. Sheila Stone stood motionless, her flashlight beam cutting through the darkness, illuminating Dr. Nora Redfeather's abandoned SUV.

It sat there like a solitary sentinel, its silver paint ghostly in the moonlight. No signs of forced entry, no flat tires, no steam rising from an overheated engine. Just an empty vehicle in the middle of nowhere, as if its driver had simply evaporated into the cool night air.

Sheila approached cautiously, her senses on high alert. As she drew closer, she noticed something that gave her pause.

The driver's side door was slightly ajar.

"Dr. Redfeather?" she called, more out of protocol than hope. Only the whisper of the wind answered her.

With gloved hands, Sheila opened the door fully. The interior light flickered on, revealing an empty driver's seat. No sign of Dr. Redfeather anywhere.

Sheila's eyes darted around the vehicle's interior, taking in every detail. Nora's purse sat on the passenger seat, seemingly untouched. A half-empty water bottle in the cup holder. A jacket tossed carelessly in the back seat. A map of the dunes, folded and refolded so many times the creases had turned to tears, lay open on the dashboard.

No signs of a struggle. No shattered glass or torn upholstery. Just the eerie stillness of an abandoned vehicle.

She reached for her phone, her fingers moving automatically to bring up Finn's number. She caught herself just before pressing call, the memory of their argument still fresh and raw.Pride warred with necessity as her thumb hovered over the screen.

No matter what's going on between you two,she told herself,this could be an important development in the case. He needs to know.

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