Page 48 of Once Silenced

“She could be his next target,” Ann Marie mused, her thoughts racing as she considered the implications of Gwen Beck’s article.It wasn’t just any piece of journalism; those words had surely shattered the last pieces of Martha Lancaster’s reputation.

“Very possibly,” Riley replied, her dark hair framing her face as she bent over the tablet again.“If we’re dealing with revenge, then the reporter is right in the crosshairs.”

“Twenty years later...”Ann Marie’s voice trailed off, the idea that such hatred could endure for two decades unnerving her.She had seen grief age and mature into acceptance in her father’s mortuary, but this was different—this was life and death in the raw.It was about a wound that festered, a vendetta undiminished by time.

“Time doesn’t heal all wounds, not when it comes to matters like these,” Riley said, as though reading Ann Marie’s mind.“Especially for someone who believes justice was never served.”

“We need to know if Gwen Beck is still alive.If she’s still in Slychester.”

“If she is, we need to talk with her right away,” Riley replied, her tone grim.“And let’s hope we can get to her before he does.”

Ann Marie watched Riley’s fingers charge across the tablet with an intensity that matched the gravity of their situation.

“Got her,” Riley muttered.“Gwen Beck is still in Winchester.She’s widowed and retired from the Eagle...but she’s teaching night classes at Corbin College.”

“Let’s get a warning to her,” Ann Marie voiced, her hand already moving towards her phone.

Riley was on the same wavelength, her eyes focused and intense.“We need to find her contact information first,” she said, opening up a new tab on her tablet.

Together, they scoured online directories and public records, their fingers flying over touchscreens and keyboards until they found Gwen Beck’s number.

“We need to call her right this minute,” Riley asserted with renewed urgency, quickly punching in the digits they had unearthed into her own FBI-issued phone.

“Hello, may I ask who’s calling?”a man’s voice answered, gruff and unexpected.

“Special Agents Riley Paige and Ann Marie Esmer, FBI,” Riley stated.“We need to speak with Gwen Beck.”

“I’m Officer Claude Burgher, Slychester police,” he identified himself, and Ann Marie felt like her heart skipped a beat.

“Officer Burgher?What’s your involvement with Ms.Beck?”

Ann Marie watched Riley’s posture stiffen as Officer Burgher’s words crackled through the speakerphone.“Apparently, Ms.Beck has gone missing.”

“Gone missing?When and how?”

“A neighbor heard noises outside Ms.Beck’s home,” Burgher explained.“She didn’t go out to check right away, thinking it was unimportant.But a few minutes later, she decided to take a look and saw that Beck’s car was still in the driveway.Then she thought she saw signs of a struggle...but her elderly neighbor wasn’t in sight, and she didn’t answer her home phone.So she called the police.”

“They didn’t find her?“Riley prodded.

“No, she wasn’t at home, neither inside or outside,” Burgher confirmed.“And she never showed up for the night class she was supposed to teach tonight at Corbin College.There were some marks in the drive that could indicate a struggle, and her car keys were found on the ground.I’m at her house right now.It looks like we’ve got a … situation.”

“We certainly do, Officer.But my partner and I are on it.We’ll get right on this and circle back to you shortly.”

Riley ended the call, her eyes meeting Ann Marie’s.Now they both knew something for certain—Gwen Beck was not just a possible target; she was likely to already be a victim.

“Riley,” Ann Marie said, her words clipped by concern, “There’s no body, and no message, at least not yet.This killer—if he’s taken her, he’s not playing by his own rules anymore.And she may well still be alive.”

Riley was pacing, her movements sharp and precise.“I think you’re right.An abduction.It’s a new play for him,” she mused out loud.“No algebra, nobody left behind.He’s keeping her alive for something...something more personal.”

“Could it be he’s planning something special for the reporter who wrote about his mother?”Ann Marie ventured.“Some kind of … finale?”

A nod from Riley was all the confirmation Ann Marie needed.Her gut churned at the thought of what horrors might await Gwen Beck if they didn’t intervene in time.

“Putnam and Prendergast need to know about this,” Riley said.“They need to understand—the killer has made his move.”

Together, they rushed out of the room and down the short hallway.As they burst into Detective Prendergast’s office, Putnam and the detective looked up, startled.

Ann Marie relayed the update, her words tumbling out in a rush.“A reporter named Gwen Beck is missing—believed to be abducted.Shortly before Martha Lancaster’s suicide, Beck wrote an article in the Slychester Eagle about her, a complete exposé.”

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