Page 23 of Once Silenced

Resting the phone on the nightstand again, she remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the device as if it might ring again and dispel a fog of uncertainty that troubled her.

Meredith’s parting words earlier that day had planted a seed of suspense in her already crowded mind—a mystery partner was en route to join her in Glencoe.The “someone” he’d promised could be anyone, but she knew with a certainty rooted in that day’s terse exchanges that Bill was out of the question.If he were on his way to join her, he’d surely have said so.

As Riley contemplated the unknowns, she felt the need for connection, for something grounded and familiar.She reached for her phone again, dialing the number that connected her to home—to normalcy.As the call connected, she pictured the townhouse in Fredericksburg, its rooms filled with laughter and life, so distant from the impersonal confines of her current lodging.

“Mom!Are you coming home tonight?”April’s voice filtered through the line.

“Not tonight, sweetheart,” she said.The pang of guilt was sharp, familiar.“I’m staying in Glencoe tonight.How are things at home?”

“Everything’s fine,” April assured her, her voice expressing an independence that both comforted and concerned Riley.“Let me get Jilly.”

There was a shuffling sound as April put Jilly on speakerphone.Riley pictured them, a pair of silhouettes against the backdrop of their cozy family room where they often lingered in the evening.

Both girls were curious about the case and started asking probing questions.Riley hesitated, torn between her instincts to protect and the knowledge that her daughters had already weathered storms many adults would never face.April’s laughter trickled through the line—a gentle nudge reminding Riley that these were no ordinary girls.

“Come on, Mom,” April chided.“You can’t say anything to shock me.I’ve even been kidnapped, remember?I handled that; I can handle knowing whatever you’re doing.”

Jilly’s voice joined the chorus, roughened by a life that had demanded she grow up far too quickly.“Yeah, and you know the kind of stuff I’ve been through.We’re not kids anymore.”

Yes, you are,she almost said.But it was true that they were no ordinary kids.

Riley took a moment, the silence stretching out as she wrestled with the dual forces of her nature—the mother bear and the federal agent.She’d heard in April’s voice a mix of maturity and a child reaching out to her mother.But it was Jilly’s veneer of toughness, an armor forged from too many battles at too young an age, that convinced Riley to give them more details about her day.They deserved to hear the true story—or at least as much of it as she could give without crossing lines of what had to be limited to agents alone.

“Alright,” she conceded.“But let’s keep it just between us, okay?”

She began carefully, navigating the narrow path between honesty and discretion, sharing the skeleton of the case while leaving the flesh of horrors safely unsaid.

“Those quiz sheets you girls helped me with,” she said, “as you know, they were coded messages, map coordinates.And I was assigned to check out the location they marked.”

“Way out there in the woods,” Jilly said.“Is Bill with you?”

I wish,Riley thought.

“No, he … well, he didn’t get assigned to work with me,” she said instead.

“Tell me you didn’t go off alone,” April protested.

April’s worried tone cautioned her against being too honest.She figured she could fudge on the truth just a little.

“No, of course not.There was another BAU agent and a park superintendent on the scene with me.Then some park rangers and other officials.”

“OK.What did you find?”Jilly demanded.

Riley paused, feeling the weight of their silence on the other end of the line.“We found human remains, an old grave buried deep in the woods.Don’t know what that means yet.”

“Alright, girls,” Riley’s voice softened after sharing a few more details.“That’s all for tonight.But remember, I’m just a phone call away if you need anything.”

“We will, Mom,” April responded dutifully.“Stay safe out there.”

“And catch that bad guy!”Jilly chimed in, her tone playful yet sincere.

Riley chuckled lightly at her daughter’s enthusiasm.“I’ll do my best,” she promised.

“Love you, Mom,” they both said in unison.

“I love you too, girls.Goodnight,” Riley replied warmly before ending the call.

As the connection clicked off, Riley lay back against the pillows.

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