Sound of Darkness

Mark was with Vince when Colleen brought Dierdre back to the conference room.

They both stood when the women entered.

“Dierdre!”

Vince spoke her name with reverence.

“Vince!” she said, smiling. “They dragged you in here too? But surely, you let them know it has been some time since...” She turned to glare at Mark and Colleen. “You can’t possibly think Vince had something to do with this!”

“I don’t think Vince is guilty. Not at all,” Mark said. And it was true; if he had any instincts at all, Vince Monroe was not guilty.

And Red liked the guy. In fact, Red had happily curled up at Vince Monroe’s feet.

“Oh,” Dierdre said, confused, and turned to Colleen for clarification.

“We’re just looking in every possible direction, and we thought Vince might remember someone who had been too interested in you, given you all a hard time at some point. We have to investigate every possible lead,” Colleen told her.

“In fact, it’s great you came in for the cognitive,” Mark said. “Maybe if you and Vince chat for a few minutes together, you’ll think of someone who was sketchy, who paid you too much attention at an event or something. Actually, if you two will excuse us for a minute, I need to bring Colleen up to speed on a few things. We’ll be right back, and then we’ll just need another thirty minutes or so and you can be on your way.”

“Red is here!” Dierdre said.

“You know the dog,” Vince said.

“He helped save my life. You bet I know this dog. Can Red stay with us?” she asked.

“Of course,” Mark said. “Red, stay.”

Mark smiled and indicated the door, and Colleen walked out ahead of him, pausing in the hallway.

“We’ll go to Angela’s office; the camera and mics are on,” he told her.

They walked to Angela’s office. Angela was behind her desk, watching the screen.

“Gary Boynton?” Mark asked her.

“Jackson is avidly listening to his tech talk,” Angela said, without looking up. “I wanted to make sure we were good on this end.”

Dierdre had chosen to sit in the chair next to Vince’s. They faced each other, smiling and laughing. They weren’t talking about the past; Dierdre wanted to know about his music.

He was excited, telling her about a song he was going to record for the group. They were planning another album.

He asked about her, his concern evident.

“I’m okay. I’m really okay. Gary is wonderful,” she assured him. Then she shrugged and said, “He isn’t you. I so loved the music! But he’s...well, he’s been great.”

She said the last word in a whisper.

“She cares about Gary,” Colleen said. “But I think she really loves Vince. They only broke up because of her family.”

“What if that family finds out their sterling choice is the man who might have buried their daughter?” Mark said. “There’s nothing yet on Brant Pickering?” he asked Angela.

“I believe Ragnar is with Sally right now,” she said.

“But there’s been no sight of him in the city?”

“No. And he isn’t answering his door.”

“We need the local police to get his super to open the door, then,” Mark said. “With this having gone on, we can fear imminent danger.”

“It’s only women who have been attacked,” Angela noted.

“But we could worry he knows something, and a would-be killer knows he knows it,” Mark said.

“True,” Angela said.

They fell silent.

Dierdre and Vince were discussing their time together then, places they had been, trying to remember if anyone had looked at them suspiciously or acted strangely toward Dierdre.

“People do look at you. Because you’re beautiful,” Vince told her.

“That’s so sweet, Vince.”

“And you’re okay? Really okay?”

“I am. I don’t even, well, I stopped for this man. But he was in a hoodie, and then I was knocked out. I never saw his face. I think he had something over it. Like a ski mask. I don’t know, I just don’t know. But I’m going to do this thing with Colleen called a cognitive and maybe something will come of it.”

“I really can’t remember anyone who would want to hurt you.”

“I wasn’t hurt. I was just knocked out and buried alive,” she said dryly.

“For that I’m strangely grateful. I mean, we know what happened to Sally and to the women who didn’t make it,” Vince said softly.

“And I’m so grateful to Red and Mark and Colleen,” Dierdre said.

Angela looked up at Mark. “Did you get what you were hoping for?”

“I don’t know,” Mark said. “I need to let it set in. And then we need to let Colleen know about your discoveries. After the cognitive.”

“I think there might have been earlier victims,” Angela said.

“But wouldn’t we have known? These murders and kidnappings were highly publicized! And we’ve searched all law enforcement data banks,” Colleen said.

“Just not deeply enough,” Angela said. “And I can’t be sure, but there are three suspicious cases. You can read all about them on your way out to Front Royal. Right now, I think it’s time we get you in with Dierdre so you can do the cognitive questioning, and we can let this trio go.”