Page 67 of Whispers Left Behind
“For better or worse, I thought everything would come to an end after Gantz’s acquittal.” A lone snowflake fell from the sky, and Kinsley followed its path downward until she lost sight of the minuscule white dot. “Foolish, I know. A killer had been set free, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Five days later, I was sitting in the school’s auditorium watching Lily dance across the stage in a princess costume. I’m not sure why I turned around. All I know is that when I peered over my shoulder, I discovered Gantz sitting in the back row with the most gratifying grin on his lips. He was staring right at me.”
For the first time since she had walked into her father’s office, he didn’t try and interrupt her story. Maybe he had finally caught onto the direction she was steering them, or perhaps the mention of his granddaughter had thrown him off balance.
“I didn’t want Noah or Emily to know that Gantz was watching their daughter perform in her school’s play. I turned around, waited for the play to end and the curtains to close, and then excused myself to the lobby by saying I had to use the restroom.” Kinsley focused on a few other snowflakes as they fell from the clouds above. “Gantz had left the building. He wasn’t waiting for me out in the lobby, and he wasn’t in the parking lot, either. Not wanting to ruin Lily’s night, I didn’t say anything at the time. Maybe I should have. Maybe if I had…”
Kinsley closed her eyes once more, but this time her reasoning had everything to do with bracing herself against the damage she was about to inflict on her family.
“I left the school, driving on the street that leads to the back entrance of my neighborhood.” Kinsley couldn’t get her voice any louder than a whisper. “And there he was…standing smack dab in the middle of the road. I braked and brought the Jeep to a complete stop.”
The beam from the headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating Calvin Gantz as he stood motionless on the center line. His breath morphed into a ghostly vapor that swirled into the air before slowly dissipating into nothingness. A cruel smile twisted his lips into a sinister curve as he stared at her through the windshield.
Kinsley had removed her holster and firearm before entering the elementary school. She contemplated calling the station as she reached into her glovebox for her service weapon. Gantz technically hadn’t done anything wrong this evening. She decided to forego reaching out to the department as she clipped the holster to her belt.
Not taking her gaze off Gantz, Kinsley slowly opened the driver’s side door. She kept the engine idling and her headlights on as she stepped out of her Jeep. She was letting the heat escape the interior of her vehicle, but she was close enough to home for it not to matter.
“It was a beautiful play, wasn’t it, Detective Aspen?” Gantz’s voice was smooth, almost conversational.
“You don’t want to do this, Gantz,” Kinsley warned as she remained near the side of her Jeep. He wasn’t visibly armed, but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he wasn’t in possession of a weapon. “I have no qualms about arresting you for harassment.”
“Harassment? That is a strong word for simply enjoying a community performance,” Calvin replied amusingly with a slight tilt of his head. The sound of a dog barking in the distance could be heard over the hum of her engine. His vehicle was parked off to the side. “Besides, do you really think anyone will believe you after that little outburst at the courthouse last week? Or shall we let the department decide?”
“I’m not going to play your games, Gantz.”
“Oh, but you’re so good at them.” Calvin inhaled deeply, as though savoring the cold air. “It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?”
Kinsley had enough of his taunts, and she turned to get back into her vehicle. Everything inside of her was screaming to end this encounter.
“It took me a while to figure out what…or who…could break you.” Calvin’s tone was almost contemplative. Kinsley forced herself to take another step around the open door of the Jeep. “I thought it might be your father, but I quickly dismissed that notion after noticing the tension between the two of you. Your mother? Siblings? Maybe, but I couldn’t be sure that the family strain hadn’t seeped into those relationships. Your lover? Nah.You haven’t been together long enough. Now your partner, on the other hand, was under serious consideration. Until…”
Kinsley tightened her grip on the side of the door as Gantz’s words trailed off. She tried to rein in the rage coursing through her body. He was taunting her yet again, but she wouldn’t allow herself to fall victim to his trap. She shifted, pulling the door wider so she could settle in behind the steering wheel.
“I was taking a walk in the park yesterday evening. You were pushing Lily on the swing, and her laughter carried in the air like a sweet melody. So precious, wouldn’t you agree?”
Kinsley's breath caught in her throat at the mere mention of her niece's name. The only saving grace was Gantz being unable to witness the fear in Kinsley’s eyes. He waited patiently for her answer, which gave her time to compose herself. He wanted her to react in a violent manner. He would tout police brutality, ending her career.
She repeated to herself over and over again that she couldn’t fire her weapon.
Not without cause.
“You really should take time to think before you speak,” Kinsley advised him as she released her hold on the door. She shifted her stance and took a few steps forward so he wouldn’t misinterpret her message. “You don’t want to make this personal.”
“Oh, I think that is exactly my intent...butterfly.” Calvin reached into his coat pocket, causing her to instinctively place her hand on her weapon. He slowly held up his car keys. “I’m going to savor every minute from this moment forward, imagining how you will drive yourself insane, wondering when the call will come. The one telling you that your precious niece is lying in a pool of her own blood. You could call the station right now, but they won’t believe you, will they? You’re the detective who cried wolf too many times.”
The nausea was overwhelming, and Kinsley’s resolve slipped another notch. She hadn’t realized until this very moment how Gantz had methodically manipulated her over the course of his trial. He was in the process of dismantling her life, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
If it had just been a threat toward her, she would have confidently gotten into her Jeep and driven away. She would have strategized and found a way to regain control and protect herself. His decision to involve Lily in a nightmare of his own making had irrevocably changed everything.
“Do you think little Lily will cry out for her father or her Auntie Kin?” Calvin tsked, as if he were disappointed in himself. “What am I thinking? Drowning in her own blood will tend to make screaming…difficult. Have a good night, Detective Aspen.”
Gantz twirled his keys as he began to walk toward his car, his laughter turning into an ominous whistle. His intent to deliberately leave her with such a gruesome image of her eight-year-old niece clearly fueled his excitement. He relished the power he held over her, and she didn’t doubt for a moment that he would turn his twisted fantasy into a reality.
“I drew my weapon,” Kinsley stated, her voice devoid of emotion after managing to relay the details of a night that would forever remain imprinted in her mind. She accepted that her father would never again see her in the same, innocent light. “And I squeezed the trigger.”
Kinsley finally turned away from the window.
Her father’s face had lost all color. It was as if he had aged ten years upon hearing her confession. She closed the distance to his desk.
“I’ll spare you the rest of the details for now. The bottom line is that I disposed of Gantz’s body and made it appear as if he left town.” Kinsley set the slightly crumbled envelope on hisdesk next to the dollar bill. She hadn’t brought Noah into the conversation, and she would take his involvement to the grave. Her father never needed to know that his oldest son was an accomplice to murder. “But there’s one problem.”
