Page 1 of Say Nothing
PROLOGUE
The streetlights cast long yellow swathes of illumination across the street as Margaret Donovan drove up to her gated entrance.She lowered her window, reached out, and entered her six-digit code into the trim panel.The panel beeped, and the small red LED was replaced with a green one.The metal gate rumbled and slid to the side to allow the vehicle to pass.When she was comfortably through, the gate slid back into place.Margaret watched in the rearview mirror for any car following her.
No vehicle was.She drove the gravel driveway, parking in front of her house.The porch light came on when the car arrived.Margaret checked her surroundings again, looking around before exiting the car as she’d done countless times before.
It was dark out, stars already twinkling in the inky sky above, but the porch light and additional security lights dotted around the property lit up most of the yard surrounding the house, and those parts that were still shadowy didn't offer great hiding places.
Margaret went to the front door and entered another six-digit code into a small panel, a code that changed every twenty-four hours.The lock clicked, and Margaret entered the house.
The idea of someone being in her house caused her stomach to tie in knots.The trauma of her domestic violence past and everything that came with it had developed into nervous habits and an elaborate security system.Margaret worked as a high school counselor and always looked over her shoulder, expecting someone to be there, though no one ever was.
The house was quiet, still.Margaret stood in the entranceway, habit demanding that she first listen out for anyone inside: the slightest creak of a floorboard or shift of air, a speck of dirt left by a shoe, something just out of place.There was nothing except for the rhythmic hum of the refrigerator.
She turned and slid the deadbolt into place along with the security chain.Then, she relaxed a little, taking off her jacket and hanging it in the small closet by the door, not large enough for someone to hide in, and placing her shoes in the shoe rack once she took them off.Then, the sigh of relief that she was in the safety of her home once more.
Margaret turned to the panel on the wall and tapped the screen.The screen lit up blue with the words:Alarm Disarmedin larger letters and some icons below.She tapped thehomeicon, then scrolled through the options and set upPerimeter Mode.The panel beeped once.
The sensors on the windows were reactivated, and the alarm would sound if they were opened from the inside or outside.The same with the front and back doors.A camera was installed at the front gate, and if anyone approached, it would sense the movement and begin recording.The front door had a doorbell camera that worked in the same way.
She scrolled through the menu on the alarm system to check for any motion captured throughout the day.There was nothing from the doorbell camera, but the motion sensor at the front gate had picked something up thirty minutes before she got home.Margaret tapped the panel to play it.
She leaned in close to the panel, her breathing a little shorter as she looked for an intruder.She smiled and almost laughed when she saw the deer approach the front gate, look through it, then saunter off until it was out of view.The footage ended—her only visitor was the deer.
Margaret tapped the screen once more to switch off the display.She knew it would seem like a lot to someone else, but she’d been in a bad situation, and the way out of that was to testify in a case that only brought more resentment aimed at her, which was what had her looking over her shoulder constantly.
As long as she was vigilant, she would remain safe.
Margaret flexed her toes, releasing some of the tension of the day.She was under a lot of stress, and her job as a high school counselor only added to that.The one thing that gave her some comfort and satisfaction was that she was helping the next generation not to end up in the same position she’d been in.They were so full of hope and possibilities, even the ones who didn't believe it.She could see it in all of them, and her only goal was to help them become the best versions of themselves.
Darkness had fully settled on the world.Margaret went to the living room and pulled the heavy drapes closed.She did the same in her small study attached to the living room.She headed for the kitchen and stopped dead.
It was dark in the kitchen, almost pitch black with the moon shining on the west side of the house, but she was sure she’d seen a shadow move from within.She thought it through rationally.None of the alarms had been tripped, no sensor detector movement, no outside security lights lighting up.The alarm had been set when she got home, so no one could have gained access to her house.
Still, her heart beat as if it were trying to tear through her chest and run away.She stared into the kitchen, looking for another movement, but none came.
Her instincts told her not to wander into the room like a young woman in a horror movie.She backed away from the kitchen, keeping her eye on the doorway.She reached into her pocket to grab the fob and press the button to alert the security company, which would send someone to the home.She’d get out and into her car before they came.She would be charged a fee for the call-out, but she’d spend any amount of money to remain safe.
A hand grabbed her wrist tightly before she could reach for the fob, and she screamed out, knowing that no one could hear her.A hand clamped over her mouth anyway, and the hand going for the fob was wrenched behind her back.She gasped in pain, the noise stifled by the hand covering her mouth.
The adrenaline coursed through her body, and she bit the hand covering her mouth, while balling her fist and slamming it behind her, connecting with some soft tissue.
Her attacker didn't make a sound, nor did they shift or loosen their grip.The hand left Margaret's mouth, grabbing her other wrist and pulling it behind her back.She screamed as loudly as she could.
The attacker pushed her forward, slamming her into the wall in front and taking her breath away.The breath in her ear was warm as they closed in to whisper.
"Scream as much as you want, but we both know no one can hear you."
"Please," she gasped."I have money.I can pay you."
"You should’ve stayed out of business that doesn’t concern you," the intruder said."Ah, but it’s too late now.
CHAPTER ONE
Dr.Alison Payne donned her wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and stepped out onto the yard overlooking Oakland.She was high up in the hills, the large windows of her square home offering a wonderful view of the city, especially at night when the area was lit up—the twinkling lights in the darkness mirrored the sky above.
Alison took a large breath in.It was another hot day, and there was a sticky sweetness in the air that came along with it.Still, within the sweet aroma was the herbiness of her new herb garden.She’d planted it as a way to reduce stress, and getting outside to tend to it had become one of the highlights of her daily routine.
Alison took a small pair of gardening scissors out of her pocket and approached the herb garden, ready to make the first small cut.She didn't need to trim the small branches to promote growth; she needed to bring more leaves inside to dry them out and add them to the spice cabinet.
