Page 39 of Once Silenced

The phone went silent as Putnam’s surprise turned into a reluctant acknowledgment.With that, Riley ended the call, her expression holding a touch of triumph that was both unsettling and oddly inspiring to Ann Marie.

“Time’s up,” Riley said, snapping the younger agent out of her reverie.“Let’s roll.”

“I think maybe you enjoyed that more than you should have,” Ann Marie ventured with a chuckle.

Riley let out a laugh, the sound rich and genuine.“Yeah, maybe I did.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As Riley stepped out of her unmarked car, she spotted the silent, parked vehicle where Detective Prendergast and his men lay in wait.As she walked closer, she saw that Agent Putnam had joined them.With Ann Marie beside her, she knew that they were ready to enter the last known refuge of a man who had eluded the law for too long.

She felt a familiar surge of adrenaline pumping through her veins as she surveyed the house where Van Roff had said their target was hiding.It was a traditional two-story, standing larger and more imposing than most homes in the neighborhood.It occupied the end of the street, solitary at the cul-de-sac, with an expanse of space surrounding it that set it apart from its neighbors.

The yard was slightly unkempt, but it was not the only property in the vicinity that could use some care.The absence of parked cars supported Van’s assertion that it was supposedly vacant.Riley assumed that the man hiding there still had electricity, but if he was careful how he used it so that he could escape notice.

“Prendergast, around back,” she instructed, her voice low and authoritative.“Take one of your men with you.Ann Marie, with me.The rest of you be ready to enter when needed.”

She noted Putnam’s skeptical expression.

“Appreciate your backup,” she told him.“We’re not announcing ourselves.This guy has slipped away too many times.We need to move in quietly and discreetly without tipping off the suspect.”

“If he’s paying attention at all, he’ll know we’re here soon enough,” Putnam muttered.

“Then let’s move,” Riley replied.She and Ann Marie walked up to the front door and tested the doorknob.It was locked.

“You want to do the honors this time?”Riley inquired, her voice barely above a whisper as she gestured towards the lock.“Just keep it quiet,” she added, drawing her Glock.

Ann Marie nodded and crouched down, studying the lock.As Ann Marie skillfully maneuvered her lock picks, Riley’s hand slipped into her jacket, drawing out her Glock, the cool metal a reassuring weight in her grasp.

Her thoughts narrowed to a singular focus: Catch the predator.Prevent the next tragedy.

After a few minutes of work, Ann Marie stood up and nodded.Riley pushed the door open, revealing an empty foyer.There was no furniture, no personal belongings of any kind in sight, merely a light layer of dust.

Suddenly, an explosive crash from the upper floor cut through the stillness.A brief silence followed, abruptly broken by the unmistakable sound of running footsteps and a door slamming shut somewhere above them.

“FBI!”Riley announced, her voice authoritative and commanding.“Derek Aldrich, you need to come with us.”Her call reverberated off barren walls, but there was no reply and no other sound.Ann Marie also drew her weapon and waited for Riley to make the next move.

Riley signaled Ann Marie with a firm nod, and they moved quickly toward the staircase.No need for silence now; they raced upward.

At the top of the stairs, Riley was met with a corridor of closed doors, each one a barrier to their progress, but also a potential hiding place for Derek Aldrich.With a precise gesture, Riley directed Ann Marie to the left side of the hallway.Trusting her partner’s competence, she turned right, her every sense alert for the faintest sound or movement.She felt the familiar tension coil inside her, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

As Riley moved methodically from room to room.The silence was her ally, an invisible partner in this pursuit, until it was shattered by movement—a faint sound and a fleeting shadow at the far end of the corridor.It was him.

“FBI!Don’t move!”

But Aldrich was a blur of desperation trying to evade capture.He disappeared through a narrow door, and then she heard him clattering down a back stairway.

“He’s heading for the back!”Riley’s voice cut through the stillness, sharp and commanding.

She expected Putnam to have positioned himself perfectly outside in case of this attempt at escape, and she heard Ann Marie’s voice over the radio, relaying their position to Prendergast.They couldn’t let this man get away this time.

As she plunged down the narrow stairway after Aldrich, the sound of her pursuit echoed through the empty house, the sound of law enforcement closing in on its prey.

She reached the back door just in time to see Aldrich vaulting over a fence with agility born from fear.His movements were swift and desperate.

Prendergast and another officer were on the other side of the backyard, investigating a small, dilapidated shed.Then, Putnam emerged from the side yard, moving fast as he followed Aldrich's path over the fence.

Riley, her heart pounding, holstered her weapon before propelling herself across the yard.With a burst of effort, she launched herself over the same obstacle, landing heavily on the other side with a thud that resonated painfully up her legs.

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