Page 30 of Once Silenced

Riley stood rooted to the spot, her pulse quickening in response to the verbal onslaught.She’d seen rage like this before—unhinged and unbound—and it never failed to remind her of the unpredictable nature of human behavior.

Warren’s next words were aimed at Hagen, “And I suppose you’re about to treat me like the lawmen did 20 years ago—as a suspect in my own wife’s murder.”

“Mr.Warren,” Riley said, her voice calm, “we understand your frustration, but our priority is to uncover the truth.”

Beside her, Ann Marie remained uncharacteristically silent, her expression schooled into one of professional concern.

“Please, Mr.Warren, let’s keep this civil,” Hagen spoke up, his voice the embodiment of reason.“We’re not here to accuse, merely to gather information.”

But Riley knew that reasoning with someone so ensnared by their own narrative was like trying to grasp smoke.Warren’s mind was a fortress, barricaded by years of perceived persecution and betrayal.Logic had no currency in such a place.

Levon Warren’s accusations continued with a sharp note of paranoia.His finger jabbed at them with each syllable, as if he could pin their guilt to the walls with his words.“VEEM has gotten to you too, haven’t they?Or maybe you’re here to silence me, to stop the Cipher Society from exposing the truth!”

Sheriff Hagen, ever-steady, stepped forward, his voice a low, seeking to soothe the inflamed situation.

“Mr.Warren, please.We’re only trying to find out what happened to your wife.”

The plea was met with an icy glare, one that spoke volumes of Warren’s years spent entrenched in mistrust and conspiracy.Riley knew they were losing him, any hope of cooperation unraveling fast.

“Get out!All of you!”Warren’s voice boomed, filling the room with his defiance.“I won’t be a pawn in your game.The Cipher Society won’t be intimidated by your federal thuggery!”

His declaration was a door slamming shut, the finality of it resonating through the cluttered space.Riley exchanged a quick glance with Ann Marie, and then with Hagen.With a subtle nod, she signaled it was time to retreat.There was no sense in fanning the flames of his outrage further.They would get nothing more from the old mathematician right now.

They moved toward the door in a quiet procession, leaving behind the pandemonium of Warren’s making.The sunlight outside was harsh after the dim interior, and Riley blinked away the disorientation.

“Agent Paige?”Ann Marie’s voice was tentative, her eyes still reflecting the turmoil they had left behind.

“Let’s debrief in the car,” Hagen said.

But as they headed toward the sheriff’s vehicle, the persistent vibration of Riley’s cell phone cut through her thoughts.When she pulled out the device, the number on the screen stirred a certain apprehension.

“Paige here,” she answered.

“Paige, this is Meredith,” growled the familiar voice.“We’ve got a situation.There’s been another murder.The same M.O.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I want Sheriff Hagen and Agent Esmer to hear the details of the new murder with me, sir,” Riley told Meredith.“We’ve been working together on this.”Looking around, she saw that no one else was in sight on the quiet suburban street.“Let me put my phone on speaker.”

Sheriff Hagen and Ann Marie huddled closer, forming a makeshift triangle on the sidewalk.Hagen’s steady gaze and Ann Marie’s earnest blue eyes both reflected a hunger for information.

“Everyone’s listening, Meredith,” Riley announced.

“Last night in Basingstoke,” Meredith began, “Robert Nash, a retired professor from Boutell College, was found murdered, strangled.Apparently, he was on his way to visit a neighbor.”

“A math professor again?”Riley asked.

“Yes, and other details are the same, too.An algebra quiz sheet was pinned to his back.”

“And the neighbor?”Ann Marie asked.

“There are still a lot of uncertainties.But he’s a math teacher in a local high school.”

Riley’s mind churned, the new murder slotting into her mental images.She could feel the pull of the hunt, the need to understand this predator who moved from place to place unpredictably.All of the victims were in professions related to math, and all so far had been here in Virginia.But anything else that might connect them remained a mystery.

“Has anybody solved the algebra problems?”she asked.

“Locals are working on them,” Meredith replied.“They’re looking for answers that are decimals, not whole numbers.Or anything else that stands out.”Then he asked, “How’s the investigation going in Glencoe?”

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