Silent Smile (Sheila Stone #10)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The desert night was alive with whispers. Sand shifted in the cool breeze, crickets chirped their nightly chorus, and in the distance, voices called out, searching. But here, in this secluded hollow between towering dunes, a different kind of work was being completed.

Moonlight bathed the scene in an ethereal glow as steady hands smoothed sand around a man's neck. Carl Donovan's eyes were vacant and glassy.

Lifeless.

Sage stood back, admiring his handiwork. Donovan's head protruded from the sand like some macabre desert flower, his body completely entombed beneath the cool grains. It was perfect. Just like Amanda Weller had been.

A twig snapped in the distance, followed by a shout. The search party was getting closer. But there was no need to rush. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Sage took a few breaths, savoring the moment. Then, picking up the shovel, he made his way to a nearby rock formation and slipped it into a hidden crevice, invisible unless you knew exactly where to look.

Now for the performance of a lifetime.

"Help! Over here! I've found someone!"

The shout echoed across the dunes. Sage stumbled toward the searching flashlight beams, waving his arms frantically.

"Quickly! This way!"

The search party converged on Sage's location, their excited voices carrying through the night air. As they approached, Sage doubled over, hands on his knees, the picture of exhaustion and shock.

"I... I was searching the area," Sage gasped out as the first rescuers arrived. "I saw something... I thought it was just a trick of the light at first, but..."

He gestured toward where Donovan lay buried. The searchers' flashlights found him immediately, eliciting a chorus of shocked exclamations.

"Oh my God!"

"Is he alive?"

"Someone call for medevac!"

The scene exploded into frenzied activity. Sage stepped back, allowing the search and rescue team to take over.

As paramedics worked to carefully extract Donovan from his sandy tomb, Sage glimpsed Sheriff Stone and Deputy Mercer approaching. Sage composed his features into a mask of concern.

"Who found the body?" Sheriff Stone asked, looking around.

"I did," Sage said, his voice trembling with well-practiced distress. "I shouted for help right away."

"You didn't touch anything?" Deputy Mercer asked.

Sage shook his head. "No, sir. Not a thing."

Sheriff Stone was studying him closely. Did she recognize him? No, impossible. It was too dark, and besides that, Sage had changed clothes and even styled his hair differently, not to mention throwing his voice to sound higher.

She's clever, Sage thought. But if you go for her gun right now, before it all crystallizes in her head…

Sheila opened her mouth to say something, but just then a commotion erupted from the perimeter. "Car approaching!" someone shouted. "Looks like news media!"

Several beams of light swung toward the access road, where headlights were indeed bouncing across the dunes. "Keep them back!" Sheila commanded sharply, already moving toward the gathering threat. "This is an active crime scene!"

Finn hurried after her. The last thing they needed was reporters contaminating their scene or getting graphic photos of the victim.

In that moment of chaos, as officers scrambled to establish a perimeter against the intruding press, Sage took two careful steps backward. Then another. The darkness of the desert night wrapped around him like a familiar blanket.

The sounds of confrontation grew more intense. Someone was shouting about press credentials. Another voice demanded they stay behind the line. In the commotion, no one noticed the quiet figure melting away into the shadows between the dunes.

Sage moved silently, years of experience guiding his feet across the shifting sand. Behind him, the scene continued to pulse with activity, flashlight beams dancing like fireflies around Donovan's body. The sight filled Sage with a deep satisfaction as he disappeared into the desert night.

As he headed back out into the night, Sage felt a thrill of anticipation. The real game was just beginning.