Page 3 of Silent Past

“Should we call him?” she asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “No. He doesn’t like that. Makes him jumpy.”

“Jumpy?” Sheila’s tone sharpened. “We’re standing out here like sitting ducks, and you're worried about him being jumpy?”

“Relax, kid.” Gabriel finally turned to her, his weathered face softening. “I wouldn’t bring you out here if I thought it wasn’t safe.”

Sheila didn’t reply. Safe wasn’t a word she trusted anymore—not since Natalie, her older sister, had died. Not since the weight of their family’s fractured history had landed squarely on her shoulders. Not since she’d become painfully aware of the cracks in the system her father had once sworn to uphold.

And which she was now supposed to uphold as sheriff of Coldwater County.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out with a gloved hand. The message was from Finn.

Any updates? Star and I are good. No sign of trouble.

Sheila exhaled a small sigh of relief. She could picture Finn’s steady gaze, his protective presence as he watched over Star, the troubled fourteen-year-old who’d somehow wormed her way into their lives—and their hearts. The fact that Finn had become someone Sheila could trust so implicitly still surprised her, though she was grateful for it.

“Finn says they’re fine,” Sheila said, glancing up at her father.

Gabriel grunted. “Good.”

She texted a reply: Still waiting for him to show.

The silence stretched, filled only by the distant rustling of wind through dry grass. Sheila shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to suppress the nagging sense of unease that had been growing since they’d arrived. She thought about Natalie, how her sister had always been the one to lead, to face danger head-on. Natalie had been fearless—until the day she wasn’t.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Her hand moved instinctively toward her concealed weapon, her body tensing. Gabriel’s hand came up in a calming gesture.

“Easy,” he said. “That’s him.”

A figure emerged from the shadows, moving with a deliberate slowness that set Sheila’s nerves on edge. The man wore a battered leather jacket and a wide-brimmed hat that cast his face in shadow. When he spoke, his voice was low and gravelly.

“Gabriel,” the man said, nodding. His gaze shifted to Sheila. “This the kid?”

Gabriel stepped forward. “This is my daughter. Sheila.”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he looked her over. “She the one causing all the trouble?”

"She's not the one who started this mess. But with any luck, she's going to help clean it up."

The man studied her for a few more seconds before reaching into his jacket. Sheila’s pulse quickened, but Gabriel didn’t flinch. The man pulled out an envelope and handed it over. Gabriel opened it and peeked, his eyes scanning the contents quickly before he nodded.

“This checks out,” he said. He tucked the envelope into his pocket. “Anything else we need to know?”

The man hesitated again, his gaze flicking toward Sheila. “Just one thing. You’re stirring up a hornet’s nest, old man. You better be sure about what you’re doing.”

Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “I’m sure.”

The man nodded once, then turned and disappeared back into the shadows as quickly as he’d come.

Sheila watched him go, her mind racing with questions she didn’t know if she wanted answers to. “What was that about?”

Gabriel didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a practiced motion. He took a long drag before finally speaking.

“Means we’re getting close,” he said, his voice low. “And that scares some people.”

“Close to what?” Sheila pressed.

Gabriel turned to her, his gray eyes sharp and unyielding. “Close to the truth.”

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