Page 205 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

His breath smelled faintly of wintergreen. Cheap aftershave. Coffee. Something about it scratched against the back of my memory.

"What..."

He leaned close enough that I could see my own bruised reflection swimming inside his pupils.

"Did you tell Detective Elias Reed?"

I blinked once. Twice. Then smiled again.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but I have to say you are incredibly scared, Sheriff."

Silence. Heavy. Dense. Like the entire warehouse had stopped breathing. Inside my head Gerald spoke first.

"Don't look at him."

Frank answered quietly.

"Especially don't look at the badge."

"She isn't."

"She's looking everywhere except the badge."

"Good."

"She's smarter than she looks."

"That's a frighteningly low standard, Frank."

"Move the transport."

The voice broke the silence again.

"We're ahead of schedule."

Heavy boots turned away.

"The detective's going to realize it sooner than later."

My stomach tightened so violently I thought I might actually be sick. Transport. No… No… Not the women. Not yet. Please...

I squeezed my eyes shut not because I was afraid but because I could already hear them. The crying. The chains. The container doors. If they moved those women… Elias would lose them again.

Boots echoed farther away.

One.

Two.

Three sets.

A heavy door groaned open somewhere deeper inside the warehouse. Voices faded. Another steel door slammed shut. The deadbolt slid home with a long metallic scrape.

Then… Nothing. Silence reclaimed the building. The kind of silence that makes abandoned places feel alive. I let my head fall back against the chair. Every breath scraped through my ribs like broken glass.

My wrists had gone completely numb beneath the ropes. Something warm trickled down my side. Knife cuts. Still bleeding.

Fantastic.