Read Chapter 1 of The Past Unsolved…

APPLE BOOKS AMAZON NOOK GOOGLE KOBO Chapter 1Silas

When the first responders showed up, Silas wiped his eyes and let out a huge sigh as he went out to meet them. He was still too keyed up to even feel a sense of relief, but he sure was thankful they came in a hurry.

He had spent the past fifteen minutes���which felt like a lifetime considering the situation���waiting on them to arrive. He had paced the front room of her home, going back and forth to her bedroom where he forced himself to go just to make sure it wasn���t a terrible dream.��

Each time he wished the outcome would be different, but after the sixth time, he faced the reality of what had happened and what he had to do.

There was no doubt she was gone, and because he loved her too much and knew her modesty too well, even in death, he still felt the need to protect her. But more than that, he had to shut off his emotional attachment and do for her what he���d done for the others. He just didn���t know if that was possible.

The ambulance pulled up at the same time as Stanton and Hurley, and Silas went out to grab a paramedic and stop them all from coming back.��

���Just you,��� he said to a paramedic named Berenson. He wasn���t exactly a stranger, but Silas didn���t know him well. ���I know you have to check on her.��� He turned to Stanton and Hurley and directed them to stay outside. ���You two can secure the perimeter and send Madison in when she gets here. No one else comes in. Do you understand?���

���Yeah, are you okay?��� asked Hurley with a look of concern. ���Madison is on the way, but she called us to hurry out. She said you know this woman?���

���Yeah, she���s an old friend. I was doing a wellness check when I found her.���

���Maybe you should let us handle it,��� said Stanton. ���Captain won���t like it that you���re so close to the case.���

���Captain doesn���t have a fucking choice,��� he said. ���You���re not going in there. I don���t want everyone to see her like that. And I���m not stepping down, so you just need to do what the hell I tell you to do.��� He had to fight to keep his cool, but he needed them to know that he meant business.

Stanton and Hurley exchanged a glance but finally agreed as Silas continued.

���I don���t want anyone coming in without my say. I have to call her father.���

���I can call him if you want.��� It was nice of Stanton to offer, but he had no clue who he was dealing with, and Silas knew he had to be the one to do it.

Silas shook his head. ���I���ll do it. It���s Judge Hendrix.���

���Holy shit!��� said Hurley. ���Really? The media is going to be all over this.���

���Yeah. And you���re the only ones who know, so you���d be well advised to keep that to yourself. Just do as I asked. And don���t talk to anyone.��� He let go of a deep breath and turned to go back inside, where the paramedic was already on his way to the bedroom door.

���There���s definitely nothing I can do for her.��� The man gave Silas an apologetic look that brought fresh tears to Silas���s eyes.

���I know,��� said Silas, wiping them away. ���I just had to let someone in to verify besides me. I���m close to her.���

���I���m so sorry, detective. I���d get forensics in here as soon as possible, and you might want to stay out of the room. You know there���s nothing we can do for her until forensics secures the scene.��� Berenson spoke as if he were talking to anyone else, a person who had no experience with that type of situation. ���We���ll be on standby.���

Silas realized he must really be coming across as grief-stricken. So much for putting up a strong front.

���Thanks.��� He turned to look at her again, through the doorway where Berenson had just stepped out of to go past him. She was pale and lifeless underneath the blanket of blood that coated her back and spilled onto the bed.

She was messed up worse than the others, as if more than a passion for the kill had motivated the killer.

���Where is he?��� he heard Madison say.

Silas looked up and spotted her coming into the house. ���Silas!��� she said, rushing toward him.

He fell into her arms before she could even reach for him. ���She���s gone.���

���I���m so sorry, Silas. Do you need anything?���

���Help her. Gather what you can. I���m going to have to call her father.���

���You don���t have to. Captain Fletcher is making that call. I asked him to do it.���

���I should have done it,��� he said. ���I was going to do it, Madison.���

���I���m sorry. I know you have a lot going on in your mind, and Fletcher isn���t telling him any details. He should be here. You should go out and wait for him to show up. I���ll take care of her from here.���

���I was supposed to be the one taking care of her.���

���This isn���t your fault. You can���t blame yourself. Just let me go and do it for her, okay? I���ll make sure I get everything we need.���

���We have to get him, Madison. We have to stop him.���

���We will. We have to talk about it after I���m finished.���

���I didn���t want anyone else to go in.���

���I���ve got it. It���s okay. I���ll make sure she���s handled respectfully.��� She rubbed his back briskly, but it somehow felt as though she were rubbing an empty shell. ���I���ll take care of everything just the way I know you���d want it done.���

Silas nodded. If he could trust anyone, it was Madison. He stepped away and went outside, leaving her to talk to the paramedic, who went back into the room with her.

Silas could hear a loud voice outside and knew that he had to go out and face her father.

���Where���s my daughter?��� barked the judge. ���Gabriella!��� he shouted as he tried to push his way into the house.

Silas met him at the front door and noticed a larger crowd had formed on the lawn. Mostly, they were the retirees or trophy wives of the neighborhood. Silas knew it wouldn���t be long until the cat was out of the bag.

When Judge Hendrix saw him, his eyes widened. ���Where is my girl?��� he demanded to know as he pushed his way past Silas and into the front room.

Tears flooded Silas���s eyes, but he knew he had to stop him from going any farther. He stepped in front of the old man. ���She���s gone.�����

���What do you mean gone? Who has her? Did someone take her?���

���No, she���s dead,��� he amended. ���Amber called me. She wanted me to do a wellness check when Gabby didn���t show up for work. I came over and found her in her room. She���s been stabbed.���

���Stabbed!��� His face contorted to a look that brought a new layer of pain to Silas���s heart.

He had never wanted to be in this position and didn���t think he ever would be. ���It���s our guy. The one we���re looking for.���

The man���s expression changed again. ���The one you and that incompetent captain have let slip through your fingers all of this time!��� He lashed out at Silas, but he was ready for it. ���This is your fault!��� He pushed Silas���s chest. ���I gave you that warrant to stop this monster. And you couldn���t even get that right!���

���I���m trying,��� said Silas, holding his own. ���I had no idea he���d go after her. She doesn���t even fit into all of this.��� Gabby wasn���t the type of woman to be mixed up in something like DLS. None of it made sense to Silas. The only reason that this could have happened was revenge on him.

���I knew you���d never be fit for her. You couldn���t even stop this on your watch!��� The man held his hand over his mouth and began to weep.

But Silas wasn���t going to take it. ���If you had just let us be together, none of this would have happened. I wouldn���t be on this stupid case, in this fucked-up city, and we would have had different lives! If I���m to blame, then so are you!���

The old man took a deep breath and pushed his way past Silas into the house. ���I want to see her,��� he said. ���I want to see my daughter.���

He made it to the door before he turned away as if his entire world no longer existed and fell to his knees. ���My Gabriella,��� he cried, choking out the words.

Silas fell to his knees with the man and held him. It was all he could do. He glanced up and looked at Madison, who had to take a step back as well to dry her eyes.

Silas gestured to Hurley, who came in and helped get the judge to his feet. He had not been able to regain his composure, and Silas knew it was best to get him out of the room.

���Take him to the sofa and sit him down,��� he told the officer. ���I don���t want him to go outside like this, and I don���t want him to be alone.��� Even though the man had just all but accused Silas of everything, he knew the man just needed to get his emotions out. If he had to be the punching bag, he would be. But he wasn���t going to let the man blame him for everything.

Hurley agreed but leaned in closer. ���There���s a woman named Amber outside. She said she wanted me to tell you she���s here.���

Silas rushed to the door and found Amber standing next to Stanton, who would not let her past. Silas called out to the man. ���Stanton,��� he yelled. ���Let her by.���

Stanton stepped aside, and Amber rushed over with tears streaming down her face.��

���You can come inside, but do not try to go to the bedroom, okay? Promise me. Don���t even try to go down the hall to the bathroom. And don���t touch anything.���

She nodded. ���Okay. Is Judge Hendrix here?���

���Yes. He���s in the living room.��� Silas was glad the young woman had shown up. Maybe she could calm the judge down a bit. Silas had never thought he���d see the day he had to care for him like this. He and Gabby were supposed to bury him after a nice long-lived life of being the wall that divided them. And up until he met Madison, he even wondered if the two might finally give it a go when he was no longer around to stand in their way.

He glanced down at Amber. ���He could sure use some company.���

Amber wiped her eyes and caught her breath. ���I���m on it.���

He knew as long as Amber didn���t go in the bedroom, she���d be okay. She could hopefully keep the old man settled down.

���I canceled all the appointments and shut down the office,��� she said. ���I didn���t tell anyone what happened. I figure I���ll have a lot of phone calls to make, though.���

���You did well. I���m sure that���s how Gabby would have wanted you to handle it at this point.���

She looked over at the judge when they stepped inside the living room, and she hurried over to the man, who she knew as well as she knew Silas. He embraced her and held on to her tightly, sobbing that his little girl was gone.

Silas���s pain was beginning to numb, and in its place, there was another ache burning deep. The ache of justice. The ache of revenge. The ache of knowing no matter if he got both, it would never fill the empty hole this had left in his heart.��

It would never bring her back to any of them.