A Silent Terror by Lynette Eason Page A

Something’s just weird about the whole situation. The murder, then the breakin…weird.”
    “I agree. But I’m stumped as to a connection. And yes, right now, she’s staying with her folks.” He sighed, ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “Listen, I haven’t been to bed yet. If you don’t actually need me there, I’m going to run home, take a shower and crash for a couple of hours.”
    “Sure, I’ve got it covered. Go get some rest and call me when you get up. I appreciate you not calling me in on it last night.”
    “Nothing much you could have done. I didn’t figure you’d hate me for letting you sleep.”
    “Never. That’s why I’m willing to put in a few hours on the weekend. I’ll get it back after we catch this guy.”
    “Thanks, Cate.”
    He hung up, did a U-turn, then took a left to head home. Just a few hours sleep, then he’d be back on it, he silently promised himself…and Marianna.

FIVE
    As Marianna dressed for church in the morning, she studied the childhood room she’d shared with two of her sisters, Catherina and Alissa. She smiled when she thought of her twin, Alissa.
    As children and even teens, they hadn’t wanted to be separated and had shared a room up until graduation from high school. They’ d gone to different colleges, Marianna to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and Alissa to the University of South Carolina in Columbia, just a couple of hours away.
    Being the parents of six children, her mother and father had had to get creative when it came to sleeping arrangements. The house had four bedrooms and a basement that had been converted into a small apartment for Marianna’s grandmother, who’d lived with them until she died last year.
    Marianna appreciated the fact that her mother still kept the double bed and bunk beds in here so that the sisters could have their “reunion” during holidays. Often all four sisters usually wound up in the one room, staying up all night catching up, then crashing wherever they found a spot.
    She said a small prayer of thanks for her childhood, knowing she’d been blessed. Oh, not always with material things but with the things that mattered. And one more thing to be thankful for was the fact that the vet had sent a text message saying Twister would be able to come home Monday. Marianna missed her four-legged friend.
    Attached to the pocket of her black dress pants, her BlackBerry buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She slipped it from the clip and checked the caller ID.
    Curt Wentworth. Why he continued to bother her, she had yet to figure out. This was the man who’d wooed her, had her tumbling head over heels in love, then had turned around and emotionally stabbed her in the back. When he finally let her know she wasn’t good enough for him. Add his physical aggression into the mix and she just wanted him to leave her alone. She read, “Why aren’t you answering my messages? I want to see you, Marianna. It really makes me mad when you just ignore me. Rather rude, don’t you think? At least have the courtesy to answer me.”
    She punched the reply button on the machine and typed, “Leave me alone, please, Curt. ALREADY TOLD YOU I’M NOT INTERESTED IN SEEING YOU ANYMORE. If you would stop texting me, I wouldn’t have to ignore you. You are the one being rude.”
    He responded, “But I’ve apologized, what else can I do?”
    “Honor my request to LEAVE ME ALONE.”
    “I made a mistake, Marianna. As a Christian, aren’t you supposed to forgive me?”
    This called for caps again. “I HAVE FORGIVEN YOU, JUST DON’T WANT TO BE WITH YOU. I wouldn’t mind trying to build a friendship with you, but it would go no further than that, and you and I both know that you’re unwilling to accept that right now. Late for church. Bye.”
    She replaced the device back into the clip and grabbed her purse.
    When it vibrated once more, she pressed the ‘Ignore’ button, resolving not to respond to him anymore. Maybe that