Sound of Darkness

“He’s basing his defense on the claim Sally wanted to be there, and she wanted rough sex, and she wasn’t getting what she wanted. Also, she and Brant Pickering had just broken up. Carver claims she was acting up, needing what she really wanted from a man like him,” Colleen explained.

“The bastard!” Parker said angrily.

“I was hopeful we’d find his accomplice—or copycat—quickly,” Mark said. “It’s proving difficult. But,” he added, looking at Colleen, “we’ve concentrated on trying to discover the man who meant to kill Dierdre Ayers—on the assumption it has to be someone close to her, someone who knows her schedule, down to the time and path she returned home from work each day. I still believe it’s someone close to her. And...miles and miles and acres and acres. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. But I think, maybe it’s time to try to trick Carver into telling us where he took the women before he buried them, if he didn’t take them to the basement in whatever place he had rented at the time. I can’t help but think that he has another place.”

Colleen looked at Alfie Parker and said, “He rented the house he was in under an assumed name. He might have rented another house. He might have a place in the forest. It seems most logical, since he buried his victims in the woods. And if so...”

“Miles and miles, acres and acres,” Megan echoed.

“What about your special talent?” Parker asked Colleen. “Maybe you could hear something?”

“If no one is at his place—wherever it may be—there would be nothing to hear,” Colleen said.

Parker turned to Megan.

“And are you gifted like your sister?” he asked.

“No,” Megan said.

“She does have a special talent—” Colleen began.

“Of course, she does!” Parker said. “This lovely lady is speaking to me!”

Megan laughed. She and Parker had obviously hit it off.

“I know what people mean—sometimes when they don’t know what they mean themselves!”

“That’s a talent, all right,” Parker said. “And so—”

“I’m an editor. And I like to believe I take raw material and guide our authors into making themselves exciting and clear.”

“Wonderful. But you want my story—will you write it?”

“If I’m able to help,” Megan said.

“That would be lovely. As to the present circumstances...”

Parker looked from Mark to Colleen, letting his words fade.

“You think we should interview Carver again with Megan listening?” Mark said.

“Oh, we can’t involve Megan—”

“We don’t involve her,” Mark said. “We never let Carver see her.”

“I go in, and you watch with Megan?” Colleen asked. “But she needs to get back—”

“We go right now. I’ll get Ragnar on board; he’ll have the interview set up. Then we drive Megan to the train station,” Mark said.

He was fumbling in his pocket. Colleen realized he was reaching for his phone.

She quickly discovered they didn’t need to call Ragnar—Ragnar was calling them.