Page 14 of The Silencer

"Deal," I agree, feeling a little better.At least someone will be watching out for her.

As I hang up, I can't help but think about Clodagh.About the life she should have had, the family that was ripped away from her.And I think about my own life, how different it might have been if my father wasn't the monster he turned out to be.I may not be able to fix what happened to Clodagh, but I can damn well make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.That's why I signed up to The Agency, why I’m working for Jer.

* * *

It’s almost midnight when my phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Jer: Found something in the box the guards missed.Come to the office.

I don’t ask questions.I just go.

When I walk into Jer’s office, the place is quiet.He’s behind his desk, the same scuffed oak thing he’s had since I was a kid.There’s a wooden box sitting on top of it.Old, stained, with a rusted clasp.

Jer gives me a long look.“This came from the cabin.Guards found it tucked behind a false wall.Took their second sweep to spot it.”

My stomach turns.I already know what this is.

He lifts the lid and flips it toward me.Inside are photographs.Dozens.Some crumpled at the edges.Some clear.My hands go cold.

It’s Clodagh.

In one, she’s sitting on a swing, her hair blowing sideways like someone caught her mid-laugh.In another, she’s walking down her street, a schoolbag slung over one shoulder.In one, she’s crouched beside her little brother, tying his shoe.

They aren’t family photos.They were taken from a distance.Through bushes.Behind fences.Long lens stuff.Stalker stuff.

I can’t breathe.

“These were taken weeks before he grabbed her,” I whisper, barely able to get the words out.

Jer doesn’t say anything.

There’s a notebook too.I pick it up carefully and flip it open.His handwriting jumps off the page.Sloppy.Wild.Obsessive.

“She’s perfect.Quiet.Sweet.Just like she’s supposed to be.”

“Others weren’t right.Too loud.Too old.Too ugly.”

“She looked at me.That means something.”

Each line is worse than the one before.Some pages are just her name.Over and over.Other pages list parks, dates, times.I spot names I don’t recognize.Other girls.All crossed out.

He was watching her.Studying her.Planning this long before he ever spoke to her in that park.

“This wasn’t impulse,” I say, flipping the book shut.“He knew exactly what he was doing.He picked her.”

Jer nods slowly.“Yeah.This confirms it.He’s been sick for a long time.The guards will use this to lock him down for good.With the notebook and the photos, there’s no walking away from this.”

I stare at the picture of Clodagh on the swing.She looks happy.Normal.Eleven years old and unaware that a monster was already circling.

“Can I keep this one?”I ask.

Jer studies me for a second, then gives a small nod.“You sure?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever show it to her,” I admit.“But I need it.To remember what he really was.”

He closes the box and sets it aside.“You okay?”

“No.”

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