Girl, Missing (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 13)
By Blake Pierce
()
About this ebook
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery.”
—Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
GIRL, MISSING (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller) is book #13 in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.
FBI Agent Ella Dark, 29, is given her big chance to achieve her life’s dream: to join the Behavioral Crimes Unit. Ella’s hidden obsession of gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of serial killers has led to her being singled out for her brilliant mind, and invited to join the big leagues.
Ella goes deeper down the rabbit hole, trying to find the significance of the strange music, and dives deep into the world of classical music.
Might the answer lie in compositions hundreds of years old?
A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the ELLA DARK series is a riveting mystery, packed with suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.
Book #14 in the series—GIRL, UNKNOWN—is also available!
“An edge of your seat thriller in a new series that keeps you turning pages! ...So many twists, turns and red herrings… I can't wait to see what happens next.”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A strong, complex story about two FBI agents trying to stop a serial killer. If you want an author to capture your attention and have you guessing, yet trying to put the pieces together, Pierce is your author!”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A typical Blake Pierce twisting, turning, roller coaster ride suspense thriller. Will have you turning the pages to the last sentence of the last chapter!!!”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Right from the start we have an unusual protagonist that I haven't seen done in this genre before. The action is nonstop… A very atmospheric novel that will keep you turning pages well into the wee hours.”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Everything that I look for in a book… a great plot, interesting characters, and grabs your interest right away. The book moves along at a breakneck pace and stays that way until the end. Now on go I to book two!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Exciting, heart pounding, edge of your seat book… a must read for mystery and suspense readers!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Related to Girl, Missing (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 13)
Related ebooks
Girl, Lured (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 12) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Deceived (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 15) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirl, Trapped (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 8) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, His (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 11) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Expendable (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 9) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Girl, Escaped (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 10) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Girl He Claimed (A Paige King FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 8) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Unknown (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 14) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlready Dead (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 5) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Grace (A Valerie Law FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 8) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl He Chose (A Paige King FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirl, Bound (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 19) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirl, Remade (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 17) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlready His (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 9) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Girl He Pined (A Paige King FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Her Last Choice (A Rachel Gift FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 5) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl He Took (A Paige King FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Forsaken (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 7) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Silenced (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 4) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Erased (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 6) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Forlorn (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 16) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNever Hide (A May Moore Suspense Thriller—Book 4) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So Long (A Faith Bold FBI Suspense Thriller—Book One) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nothing to Fear (A Juliette Hart FBI Suspense Thriller—Book One) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Perfect Witness (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Twenty-Eight) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHer Last Fear (A Rachel Gift FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 4) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So Normal (A Faith Bold FBI Suspense Thriller—Book Four) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbsent Remorse (An Amber Young FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlready Chosen (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 7) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Never Run (A May Moore Suspense Thriller—Book 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Mystery For You
The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Short Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hallowe'en Party: Inspiration for the 20th Century Studios Major Motion Picture A Haunting in Venice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life We Bury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finlay Donovan Is Killing It: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Under a Red Moon: A 1920s Bangalore Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pieces of Her: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman in the Library: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Staircase: Nancy Drew #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5False Witness: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devil in a Blue Dress (30th Anniversary Edition): An Easy Rawlins Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pharmacist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kept Woman: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dean Koontz: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The People Next Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Girl, Missing (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 13)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Girl, Missing (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 13) - Blake Pierce
G I R L,
M I S S I N G
(An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller —Book Thirteen)
B L A K E P I E R C E
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSIE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising twenty-eight books; of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising sixteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books; of the LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising eleven books; of the ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising sixteen books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books; of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the MAY MOORE mystery series, comprising eleven books; of the CORA SHIELDS mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the NICKY LYONS mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting), of the CAMI LARK mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting), of the AMBER YOUNG mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), of the DAISY FORTUNE mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), of the FIONA RED mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting), of the FAITH BOLD mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting), of the JULIETTE HART mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), of the MORGAN CROSS mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the new FINN WRIGHT mystery series, comprising five books (and counting).
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
img1.pngCopyright © 2023 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Buffy1982 used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
FINN WRIGHT MYSTERY SERIES
WHEN YOU’RE MINE (Book #1)
WHEN YOU’RE SAFE (Book #2)
WHEN YOU’RE CLOSE (Book #3)
WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING (Book #4)
WHEN YOU’RE SANE (Book #5)
MORGAN CROSS MYSTERY SERIES
FOR YOU (Book #1)
FOR RAGE (Book #2)
FOR LUST (Book #3)
FOR WRATH (Book #4)
FOREVER (Book #5)
JULIETTE HART MYSTERY SERIES
NOTHING TO FEAR (Book #1)
NOTHING THERE (Book #2)
NOTHING WATCHING (Book #3)
NOTHING HIDING (Book #4)
NOTHING LEFT (Book #5)
FAITH BOLD MYSTERY SERIES
SO LONG (Book #1)
SO COLD (Book #2)
SO SCARED (Book #3)
SO NORMAL (Book #4)
SO FAR GONE (Book #5)
SO LOST (Book #6)
SO ALONE (Book #7)
SO FORGOTTEN (Book #8)
FIONA RED MYSTERY SERIES
LET HER GO (Book #1)
LET HER BE (Book #2)
LET HER HOPE (Book #3)
LET HER WISH (Book #4)
LET HER LIVE (Book #5)
LET HER RUN (Book #6)
LET HER HIDE (Book #7)
LET HER BELIEVE (Book #8)
DAISY FORTUNE MYSTERY SERIES
NEED YOU (Book #1)
CLAIM YOU (Book #2)
CRAVE YOU (Book #3)
CHOOSE YOU (Book #4)
CHASE YOU (Book #5)
AMBER YOUNG MYSTERY SERIES
ABSENT PITY (Book #1)
ABSENT REMORSE (Book #2)
ABSENT FEELING (Book #3)
ABSENT MERCY (Book #4)
ABSENT REASON (Book #5)
CAMI LARK MYSTERY SERIES
JUST ME (Book #1)
JUST OUTSIDE (Book #2)
JUST RIGHT (Book #3)
JUST FORGET (Book #4)
JUST ONCE (Book #5)
JUST HIDE (Book #6)
JUST NOW (Book #7)
JUST HOPE (Book #8)
NICKY LYONS MYSTERY SERIES
ALL MINE (Book #1)
ALL HIS (Book #2)
ALL HE SEES (Book #3)
ALL ALONE (Book #4)
ALL FOR ONE (Book #5)
ALL HE TAKES (Book #6)
ALL FOR ME (Book #7)
ALL IN (Book #8)
CORA SHIELDS MYSTERY SERIES
UNDONE (Book #1)
UNWANTED (Book #2)
UNHINGED (Book #3)
UNSAID (Book #4)
UNGLUED (Book #5)
UNSTABLE (Book #6)
UNKNOWN (Book #7)
UNAWARE (Book #8)
MAY MOORE SUSPENSE THRILLER
NEVER RUN (Book #1)
NEVER TELL (Book #2)
NEVER LIVE (Book #3)
NEVER HIDE (Book #4)
NEVER FORGIVE (Book #5)
NEVER AGAIN (Book #6)
NEVER LOOK BACK (Book #7)
NEVER FORGET (Book #8)
NEVER LET GO (Book #9)
NEVER PRETEND (Book #10)
NEVER HESITATE (Book #11)
PAIGE KING MYSTERY SERIES
THE GIRL HE PINED (Book #1)
THE GIRL HE CHOSE (Book #2)
THE GIRL HE TOOK (Book #3)
THE GIRL HE WISHED (Book #4)
THE GIRL HE CROWNED (Book #5)
THE GIRL HE WATCHED (Book #6)
THE GIRL HE WANTED (Book #7)
THE GIRL HE CLAIMED (Book #8)
VALERIE LAW MYSTERY SERIES
NO MERCY (Book #1)
NO PITY (Book #2)
NO FEAR (Book #3)
NO SLEEP (Book #4)
NO QUARTER (Book #5)
NO CHANCE (Book #6)
NO REFUGE (Book #7)
NO GRACE (Book #8)
NO ESCAPE (Book #9)
RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES
HER LAST WISH (Book #1)
HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)
HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)
HER LAST FEAR (Book #4)
HER LAST CHOICE (Book #5)
HER LAST BREATH (Book #6)
HER LAST MISTAKE (Book #7)
HER LAST DESIRE (Book #8)
HER LAST REGRET (Book #9)
HER LAST HOUR (Book #10)
AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
CITY OF PREY (Book #1)
CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)
CITY OF BONES (Book #3)
CITY OF GHOSTS (Book #4)
CITY OF DEATH (Book #5)
CITY OF VICE (Book #6)
A YEAR IN EUROPE
A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1)
DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2)
VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3)
A FATALITY IN SPAIN (Book #4)
ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)
GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)
GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)
GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4)
GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5)
GIRL ERASED (Book #6)
GIRL, FORSAKEN (Book #7)
GIRL, TRAPPED (Book #8)
GIRL, EXPENDABLE (Book #9)
GIRL, ESCAPED (Book #10)
GIRL, HIS (Book #11)
GIRL, LURED (Book #12)
GIRL, MISSING (Book #13)
GIRL, UNKNOWN (Book #14)
GIRL, DECEIVED (Book #15)
GIRL, FORLORN (Book #16)
LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
ALREADY GONE (Book #1)
ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)
ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)
ALREADY MISSING (Book #4)
ALREADY DEAD (Book #5)
ALREADY TAKEN (Book #6)
ALREADY CHOSEN (Book #7)
ALREADY LOST (Book #8)
ALREADY HIS (Book #9)
ALREADY LURED (Book #10)
ALREADY COLD (Book #11)
EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)
DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)
CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)
CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)
MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)
ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES
LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)
LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)
LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)
LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)
LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)
LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)
LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)
LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8)
LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9)
LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10)
LEFT TO PREY (Book #11)
LEFT TO LURE (Book #12)
LEFT TO CRAVE (Book #13)
LEFT TO LOATHE (Book #14)
LEFT TO HARM (Book #15)
LEFT TO RUIN (Book #16)
THE AU PAIR SERIES
ALMOST GONE (Book#1)
ALMOST LOST (Book #2)
ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)
ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES
FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)
FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)
FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)
FACE OF FURY (Book #5)
FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)
A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)
THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)
THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)
THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)
THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)
THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)
THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)
THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)
THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)
THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)
THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)
THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)
THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)
THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)
THE PERFECT IMAGE (Book #16)
THE PERFECT VEIL (Book #17)
THE PERFECT INDISCRETION (Book #18)
THE PERFECT RUMOR (Book #19)
THE PERFECT COUPLE (Book #20)
THE PERFECT MURDER (Book #21)
THE PERFECT HUSBAND (Book #22)
THE PERFECT SCANDAL (Book #23)
THE PERFECT MASK (Book #24)
THE PERFECT RUSE (Book #25)
THE PERFECT VENEER (Book #26)
THE PERFECT PEOPLE (Book #27)
THE PERFECT WITNESS (Book #28)
CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
NEXT DOOR (Book #1)
A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)
CUL DE SAC (Book #3)
SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)
HOMECOMING (Book #5)
TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)
KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES
IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)
IF SHE SAW (Book #2)
IF SHE RAN (Book #3)
IF SHE HID (Book #4)
IF SHE FLED (Book #5)
IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)
IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)
THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES
WATCHING (Book #1)
WAITING (Book #2)
LURING (Book #3)
TAKING (Book #4)
STALKING (Book #5)
KILLING (Book #6)
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
ONCE COLD (Book #8)
ONCE STALKED (Book #9)
ONCE LOST (Book #10)
ONCE BURIED (Book #11)
ONCE BOUND (Book #12)
ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)
ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)
ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)
ONCE MISSED (Book #16)
ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)
BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)
BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)
BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)
BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)
BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)
BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)
BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)
BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)
BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)
CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)
A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)
A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
Martha stabbed the TV remote with her finger, cranking the volume up loud enough to feel the bass. She slumped back in her chair and pressed one ear against her cushion, but try as she might, it still wasn’t enough. The tenant upstairs, the middle-aged woman who couldn’t shut up about how low-key and unobtrusive she’d be as an occupant, was blasting music seemingly straight through her floorboards.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, struggling to concentrate on the television, seeing only a series of disconnected images that bounced off her eyeballs, and then went straight back into the void. The music was piercing and bombastic, like a high-pitched drill grinding up her eardrums. Martha had seen plenty of unruly tenants in her time, and the ones that violated the noise rules usually did it with the kind of music that Martha deemed crap. Electro-dance-techno or whatever they called it. It usually sounded like a car alarm going off, but miss violinist upstairs seemed to be cut from a different cloth. She was blasting some operatic piece that seemed strangely familiar even to Martha’s uninitiated ears. It might have been a famous piece, maybe used in commercials or something. But whatever it was, it was annoying. Blaring music was one thing, but blaring it at ten pm was another level of disrespect. Martha was on the hook for this woman’s behavior, because it was Martha who’d get the side eyes and disapproving headshakes from the other residents in the building. When word got out that Martha wasn’t keeping her boarders in line, she could kiss goodbye to that spot on the housing committee. She’d worked too long and too hard to let some prissy musician ruin it for her, so Martha had every mind to go up there and lay the verbal smackdown.
Turn that crap off. Have some respect for your neighbors. Enough with the entitlement, missy. Martha rehearsed the lines in her head, playing out a fantasy scenario in which Vicky immediately backed down, obeyed her landlord’s commands, and apologized profusely. Martha never had a tenant that hadn’t respected her position, but she’d heard the horror stories that seemed at odds with everything she knew about renters. Other landlords had mentioned boisterous lodgers, guys and girls who trashed the place, missed rent payments, and still expected you to refund their deposit after you kicked them out. Martha had been lucky enough to avoid such animals thus far, but there was a first time for everything. Vicky upstairs didn’t seem the type, but many horrid books had the most deceiving covers. Maybe all that sweet-as-sugar nonsense she’d put in her application six months ago had just been smoke and mirrors. Until tonight, Vicky had barely made a murmur, but Martha had to concede: she didn’t know the woman all that well. They’d only spoken in passing in the corridor a few times, and it was mostly on domestic matters.
Martha tried to re-immerse herself in the crime drama in front of her. Two detectives were examining a dead body in the back of a convenience store out in the Deep South. The poor woman had been strung up like a deer from some wooden beams, and according to the little title card at the beginning, the thing was based on a real-life case from last year. It was just some made-for-TV Lifetime rubbish, but Martha always found it funny how quick people were to capitalize on tragedies. Apparently, common courtesy was a thing of the past now.
Her frustration boiled, like a cauldron ready to overflow. It wasn’t so much the music that was upsetting her, but the lack of consideration. If Vicky had come down and asked if she could play music, Martha would have been fine with it. But it was the assumption that she could, the entitlement. And besides, who needed to play classical music that loudly? It wasn’t like you could dance to it. It wasn’t party music, so what the hell was the point?
Martha writhed in her chair, feeling like a hostage in her own house. By now, the detectives on screen had found the victim’s skinned face inside a barrel, and Martha guessed that if she wasn’t invested by now, she never would be.
Enough was enough. Martha couldn’t contain her anger. She scrambled out of her chair, fetched the key to number thirty-six, and marched out of her front door. The landlord’s agreement said she wasn’t supposed to keep spare keys to her tenants’ residences, but the landlord’s agreement wasn’t fit to wipe with. It protected the resident, not the landlord. Martha wasn’t about to let that be the case, not with disruptive people blasting opera music well into the evening hours. Martha stomped up the stairwell, punctuating her arrival outside Vicky’s apartment with a firm palm against her front door.
Vicky, please keep it down.
Martha waited, heart beating faster than it needed to at this time of night. She put her ear against the wood and felt the shrill notes of Vicky’s music waiting for her on the other side. It was as though she was standing right next to a giant amplifier. What the hell was going on in there? Martha knew Vicky was a violin player, but that didn’t mean she needed to turn the dial up to eleven.
No response.
Vicky? Can you hear me?
Martha shouted. She hammered on the door again, this time with force, loud enough to drown out the orchestral symphony coming from within. Martha shifted her weight onto one foot, ready to kick this door down if Vicky didn’t make herself known. But then again, it would just be a literal case of footing the bill, Martha thought.
Nothing.
Propelled by adrenaline, Martha stuck her key in the door and began rattling. If Vicky complained about an invasion of privacy or whatever, Martha would come up with some excuse. Besides, if Vicky didn’t have a good reason for blasting deafening music, her bags would need to be packed by morning. There were no shortage of San Franciscans that would kill for an apartment as cheap as this.
Too late. I’m coming in,
Martha shouted. She cautiously slid the door open, the harmonic melodies now spilling out into the corridor. The volume seemed to jump rapidly as the melody shifted to a diminished scale. The angelic sounds disappeared, replaced with low-humming violin, or maybe a clarinet. Martha didn’t know, didn’t care. All she wanted was for these annoying whistle-like sounds to disappear so she could go back to her evening.
Martha entered the apartment to a wall of sound, a cacophony of shrill tones enveloping her in a dizzying symphony. She saw the apartment as she remembered it: clean and organized, illuminated by lamplight, with a few new pieces of furniture dotted around.
But as she swept the living room for signs of her tenant, she saw something she hadn’t seen