Whispered Shadows

Chapter Three

The past

Ryder

People clap as I walk the perp down the precinct. This killer has been terrorizing this town for months now. The sheriff was too proud to call in for help and judging by the look on his face, he is still too proud to admit that he needed it.

He stands in the doorway of his office leaning against the door as one of his men takes the perp from me. People are coming up and congratulating me for catching him him the short time that I was here.

Sheriff McVoi is the only one here without a smile on his face. Ego. I get he has been doing this job thirty years more than I have. I understand no fifty-year-old guy wants to be outshined by the twenty-three rookie FBI agent.

However, I did what he was trying to do in less than two days while he had two months. It's what I do there is no reason why he has to have his panties in a twist about it.

I dropped out of college and joined the police academy at nineteen. Within a year, I was promoted to detective. I notice things that most people don't see and I have a photographic memory which comes in handy. On my Twenty-third birthday, I got a call from the FBI who wanted to recruit me.

I get to travel the country going city to city helping on hard to solve cases to put criminals away. Which is ironic because the one person I want to put away I can't. I don't know who he is, I don't know what he did, and I don't know when he did it. Evidence is the key to putting anyone away. It is also the foundation for keeping them.

Gia Raine was my best friend. She and her family are the only reason why I survived high school in the first place. I owe my career to her. I never would have found a job I love or that I am good at if it wasn't for her disappearance.

I told myself I was only doing this to find out what happened to her. I vowed to myself that I would find her, but it's been three years since she vanished. Nothing has turned up in her case. Not video footage, DNA, or even a body.

In the years I have been in law enforcement what I know for sure is that nobody just vanishes. There are three possibilities as to what happened.

She could be fine, but she got her name changed and ran away from her life. However, I doubt that. Gia loved her family, especially her kid sister. She wouldn't just leave and not tell anyone.

She could have been kidnapped. Most people aren't kidnapped for long. She could have been sold or went into the sex trafficking ring. Even though that is awful I'm almost hoping that's what happened because there is only one more possibility.

She could be dead. Her body could be buried somewhere no one will ever find her rotting away only leaving us with unanswered questions for the rest of our lives.

"Looks like you got your man," The sheriff says as he chews on a toothpick.

I pull myself back to reality. I'm here doing my job. I just caught a serial rapist and murderer. He has killed seven women and now he is behind bars. We found where he killed them. The sick bastard didn't even try to hide any evidence. All of his trophies were proudly on display in his garage practically screaming that he did it.

When I was putting the cuffs on the guy I heard the forensics team talking about how there was so much for them to sort out they would most likely be there for days.

"Oliver Grundel, he owns a local mechanical shop in town," I say.

Sheriff McVoi nods his head as if he is unimpressed with what I have done. There is no point in trying to explain my process or how I tracked it down from everyone in this town's population to just him.

It wouldn't change the Sheriff's mind about me. All he will see is that the FBI sent out their rookie. I'm just the young guy who is stepping on their turf.

I'm used to it. Most of the time I am the youngest person in any meeting, but if people could get passed that they would see that if they let me in I could do more than what they think.

"So you're leavin'?" He asks trying to hold back a smirk.

There's no reason for him to try and hide it. I know he wants me gone. I know he will be thrilled to know that when I walk out that door it will hopefully be the last time he will ever have to see me again.

"My plane leaves in an hour," I hold my hand out towards him, "It was a pleasure working with you."

We both know it's a lie. We know I'm only saying this to be polite because as much as he wants me out of here I want to leave.

There isn't a case waiting for me after this one like the last few times. This plane is taking me home where I can sleep in my bed for the first time in a month.

My phone starts ringing. I hold my finger up to the Sheriff when I see the name popping on my screen. I don't need to be nice anymore to him. My time here is done.

Noa hasn't called me in three years. She never forgave me for leaving to join the police academy. I remember the tears streaming down her face as she called me a traitor. So when she caled earlier saying she thought she might be next I knew it had to be something big.

She hates the police not that I blame her. They wouldn't listen to us when we told them that Gia didn't just run away. Her file to this day still has her labeled as a runaway.

I told her I would look into it, but when she called I was about to break this case. As much as I wanted to drop everything to figure out what was going on. Oliver had another girl. A girl who wasn't maybe next, she was now. I was going to try and look into things at the airport. I know me not having any answers will only piss her off more.

"Noa? What's wrong?" It's the first words out of my mouth as I answer.

I know her calling me again means she is at her last resort or something serious must be going on. She told me if I joined the police she would never talk to me again.

She didn't get it. I thought getting on the inside would help me find her. I thought if I had all the tools available there would be no way I would come up with a dead end like those detectives, but I did.

"There's someone here," her voice is shaky. "They left another note. And... there was something on my window."

She almost sounds like her old self again. After Gia disappeared so did Noa in a sense. She wasn't that shy scared little girl who did whatever her older sister did. She was fearless like she didn't care what could happen to her anymore.

"What kind of something?" I ask waking into a small room trying to block out the station's cheers.

"Red. I don't know—paint? Blood? I don't know." She breaths harshly.

With my vow to figure out what happened to Gia, I also promised I would never let anything happen to her sister. I haven't done a good job at holding my end up. It was easier for me to forget about her. It wasn't as much of a reminder that I have come up empty-handed.

Noa was Gia's world. Noa came with us everywhere. Gia refused to let anything happen to her and she made me promise not to let anyone hurt her either. I intend to keep that promise to her even if it means Noa will hate it

"Stay where you are," I tell her, "Don't open the door for anyone. I'm on my way."

Two seconds later two words pop up under her name. Graceland University. The same University Gia went to before everything fell apart.

People thought Gia and I were dating for the longest time in high school, but that wasn't the case between us. Neither of us had feelings for the other. We were just best friends, but t was like no one could comprehend the concept of a boy and girl being friends and not fucking. It didn't matter to us, because we knew the truth.

I don't say a word to anyone. I get out of this god forsaken little town and head for an even worse one.