Page 37 of Whispers in the Night

Silas’s expression was unreadable. “If it keeps her safe, yes, sir.”

“Good. Go to the cabin now. Kane, pack a bag and meet Agent Sinclair there within the hour. I’ll assign patrol units to do regular drive-bys, but your primary job is protecting her. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Silas said with a single, sharp nod, then he pushed to his feet and Harper turned for the door.

Outside Holloway’s office, Harper rounded on Silas. “You can’t seriously be okay with this. Moving into my cabin? That’s...”

“Necessary,” Silas finished calmly. “He’s targeting you, Harper. You saw that note. ‘I’ll be ready soon.’ That’s not a vague threat. That’s a promise. He’s coming for you, and I’m not letting him get close.”

“I don’t need you to protect me—”

“Too bad. You’re getting it anyway.” Silas’s jaw was set in that stubborn line she was starting to recognize. “Look, I knowyou’re independent. I know you don’t like feeling vulnerable. But this isn’t about ego or pride. This is about keeping you alive long enough to catch this guy.”

Harper wanted to argue. But as she stood there, staring at Silas’s determined face, she remembered the crime scene. Remembered Nicole Merrin’s face—her face—staring sightlessly at the sky. Remembered the note:You’re the masterpiece.

She was the ultimate target. And the killer was getting ready to make his move.

“Okay,” Harper relented quietly. “Okay. You can stay at the cabin.”

Something shifted in Silas’s expression—surprise, maybe, or relief. “Thank you.”

“But we’re still working the case,” she hurried to add. “I’m not sitting around waiting to be attacked. We investigate, we follow leads, we catch him. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Silas pulled out his phone. “I’ll grab some things from my apartment and meet you at the cabin. Drive straight there, don’t stop anywhere, call me if anything seems off.” He was already walking away, but he paused to look back at her. “And Harper?”

“Yeah?”

“Lock your doors.”

***

The drive to the cabin felt longer than usual. Harper’s hands were tight on the steering wheel, her eyes constantly checking the rearview mirror for headlights, for any sign she was being followed. The forest pressed close around the road, dark and impenetrable.

He could be out there,she thought.Watching. Waiting.

Ellery’s email came through as she pulled into the cabin’s driveway. She sat in the car, engine running, and opened the attachment.

Press coverage from the Nevada case. Photos of Harper standing at crime scenes, at press conferences, giving interviews. Her face serious and professional as she talked about the investigation, about the victims, about the profile of the killer they were hunting.

And there, in one photo from a press conference five years ago, Harper saw herself as the killer must have seen her. Young—only twenty-seven then. Confident. Determined. Standing at a podium with crime scene photos displayed behind her, explaining the symbols, the positioning, the psychology of a killer who carved his victims like canvas.

She’d been so focused on catching him that she’d never considered he might be watching her. Studying her. Deciding she was worth obsessing over.

Harper’s phone buzzed with a text from Silas.On my way. 20 minutes.

She climbed out of the SUV, scanning the dark forest automatically. Nothing moved. Just trees and shadows and the sound of wind through the branches.

Inside, the cabin felt different. Smaller, somehow. More vulnerable. Harper turned on every light, checked every lock, closed every curtain. She made coffee she didn’t want, just to have something to do with her hands.

Twenty minutes later, exactly when he’d promised, Silas’s headlights appeared in the driveway. Harper watched through the window as he climbed out, a duffel bag over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the area with the same automatic vigilance she’d used.

He knocked once before she opened the door.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi.” He stepped inside, setting his bag down, eyes automatically sweeping the space. “Nice place.”

“It’s temporary. I’ve been here two months.” Harper closed and locked the door behind him. “Guest bedroom is down the hall. Bathroom’s shared. Kitchen is...well, you can see the kitchen.”