Page 26 of Once Silenced

Glancing down at his watch, he saw that the time was much later than he had intended.With an affectionate shake of his head, he thought of Cliff, likely eager for the feedback on his work.The crisp rustle of graded assignments accompanied Robert as he placed them into a neat folder.He shrugged on his jacket, the fabric familiar and comforting against his skin.

“Going out for a bit, Lou!”he called towards the TV room, where the sounds of the latest comedy mingled with the muffled din of canned laughter.Louella, immersed in her show, didn’t respond.

As he passed by the warm glow of the TV room, he noted her silhouette, comfortably ensconced in their well-worn sofa.He smiled, unseen, and went on his way, certain in his heart that he’d be back before she even realized he was gone.

He stepped outside, locking the door behind him with a soft click that seemed to resonate in the quiet neighborhood.The street was peaceful, blanketed in the hush of late hours, with only the occasional flicker of a television screen visible through nearby windows.

The papers tucked under his arm felt like a tangible connection to his past, an echo of the mentorship he once provided within the walls of Hindemith College.As he walked, the familiar path ahead was illuminated by sparse streetlights casting their glow on the pavement.

Robert’s steady pace brought him alongside the ancient oaks that marked the boundary between his world and Cliff’s.But as the shadows writhed beneath the oaks, a sudden chill crept down his spine.He halted, his instincts prickling as he strained to see through the darkness that played tricks on the eye.

“Probably nothing,” he muttered to himself, though the unease refused to ebb away.It wasn’t like him to entertain such imaginative fears; he was a man of logic, numbers, and probabilities.Yet, something about this evening didn’t add up.

A glint caught his attention—perhaps just a reflection off some nocturnal creature’s eyes or maybe a trick of his own mind.Nonetheless, it was enough to stir his heartbeat into a quicker tempo.There was a sense of being watched, of not being alone.With a shake of his head, Robert dismissed the eerie feeling as best he could and hastened his steps, his focus now on reaching the safety and familiarity of Cliff’s front porch.

Then panic surged as an unexpected force collided with him from behind.The stack of papers, once meticulously ordered and graded, took flight, scattering across the pavement.Robert’s body lurched forward, his hands groping the air for balance.A lifetime spent in pursuit of knowledge had not prepared him for this primal struggle.

The attacker was relentless, a silent predator overpowering Robert’s feeble resistance.He felt the strength in his legs wane as he tried to right himself, but the force was too strong, too insistent.His mind screamed for logic to solve this, but there was no rational answer to the chaos that enveloped him.

A cord snapped tight around Robert’s neck, severing the sound that had risen in his throat—a startled cry cut short by the brutal grip of his unseen assailant.Reflexively, he clawed at the unyielding fibers digging into his skin.His pulse throbbed against the constricting loop, each heartbeat a drumbeat of terror.

Silence was the most chilling aspect of it all—the quiet efficiency with which his life was being squeezed away.There was no gloating, no final words exchanged, just the methodical tightening of the cord and the stark realization of his helplessness.

As darkness crept into the edges of his vision, Robert’s world began to spin, a carousel of black spots and blurred streetlights.Desperately, he gasped for air that wouldn’t come, his lungs burning with the need to survive.This was not how he’d imagined his last moments: not in violence, but in peace, surrounded by his beloved books and the soft laughter of Louella.

With his senses dimming, Robert’s thoughts fractured like light through a prism.The image of Louella, absorbed in her television program, flickered in his mind.Her laughter, usually a beacon of warmth in his life, now seemed distant, an echo from another lifetime.It was a cruel twist of fate that she sat just a stone’s throw away, blissfully unaware of the brutal theft of time taking place.

He thought of the students he had mentored over the years, the young minds he’d kindled with the love for numbers, the challenges they’d overcome together, all the potential futures that would unfold without his guidance.There were so many lessons left untaught, so many equations unfinished.In those fleeting moments, Robert mourned not for himself but for the stolen opportunities to make even the smallest difference in another’s life—a final lament of a teacher to the very end.

The world around Robert Nash narrowed, his existence, reduced to the primal fight for air.As his body slumped, defeated by the silent predator that lurked in the shadows, he slipped into the void.There was no more resistance, no more pain—only resignation.And then, quiet.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The morning sunlight sharpened edges, casting the world in a clarity that Riley often longed for in her cases.She was waiting outside a car rental office where Ann Marie was returning the vehicle she had driven here from Quantico.The day wasn’t off to a great start—the coffee from motel breakfast had been bitter and the toast burnt.That hadn’t dampened the younger agents spirits, but Riley was impatient to get on with the day.

Ann Marie stepped out from the rental office and got into Riley’s sedan, her usual vibrant energy unscathed.

“You wouldn’t believe it, Riley,” she began, her voice bubbling as Riley drove the short journey towards Glencoe’s Police Headquarters.“The guy at the counter was so flustered when I mentioned the mileage mismatch on their system.You should have seen his face!”Her laughter filled the car, infectious and bright.“He had to call in his manager.It was like they’d never dealt with a discrepancy before.”

As Riley drove, she found herself amused by the way that Ann Marie could find an adventure in even mundane tasks like returning a rental car.Ann Marie definitely functioned on a different vibratory level from herself, and now she felt pretty used to it—even energized by it.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the police headquarters, she felt herself being drawn back into the gravity of their case.As they walked inside, the police station turned out to be a familiar scene, with officers hustling all around, their movements purposeful as the unmistakable aroma of more stale coffee assaulted her senses.

The woman at the front desk directed them to the Sheriff’s office, saying that their visit was expected.As they walked through the bullpen and continued along a hallway, Riley noticed the curious glances they were getting.She knew it was unusual for FBI agents to appear to the small town scene.She returned the nods from the officers, her expression neutral.

They reached the door labeled ‘Sheriff Austin Hagen,’ pausing only for the briefest of moments before stepping into what Riley hoped would be the place where progress was being made.

She extended her hand in greeting, her grip firm but not challenging, as she met the eyes of Sheriff Austin Hagen.His own clasp was like his face—solid and worn from years of service.The lines in his skin told a story of exposure to the harshness of both weather and human nature, while the glint in his eyes spoke of a sharp mind.

“Agents,” he greeted them, his voice resonating with a touch of Southern gravel.He gestured toward the chairs opposite his cluttered desk, a landscape of files and reports that mirrored the busy routine of a sheriff’s life.“Glad you’re here.I’ve got news about our Jane Doe.”

As they sat down, Riley’s mind registered the sparse decoration of the police chief’s office.A few commendations on the wall seemed a testament to the man’s dedication rather than vanity.

Hagen didn’t dally with preambles.

“The body you found yesterday in Blue Ridge Wilderness Park?She’s been identified as Patricia Warren, a math professor from Boutell College right here in Glencoe.She disappeared without a trace 20 years ago.I’d more than half-suspected that beforehand, but didn’t feel ready to say so.It was quite the scandal at the time.”

Riley felt a jolt.Another mathematician!Patricia Warren—a woman who had a life, a history in this very town.

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