Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 129

Miriam had a lot of questions as Gilbert pulled up to the Devreaux’s home. Why was Theo there? Why was he the one who invited her? Being invited to someone else’s home by someone who, as far as she knew, had never been there before today, felt wrong. But, it did mean she’d get to see Vivian, so who was she to argue with the logistics.

The driver opened her door and Miriam stepped out, thanking him before heading up the front steps. At the door, she wondered if she was supposed to just step inside, or knock, or… was there a doorbell? Before she had a chance to decide on her approach, the door was opened from within.

“Come on in,” Theo told her, stepping aside so she could enter.

“Is it weird that you’re kind of playing host in someone else’s home?” She asked him in a low voice as she stepped into the foyer, eyes taking in as much as possible. *Wow, Vivian really is rich.*

“Well, they’re getting some things ready for us, and figured you’d prefer a familiar, friendly face,” he grinned.

“That makes it almost weirder,” she mumbled, then cleared her throat to speak at a normal volume. “So, what’s going on? You didn’t really explain why I’m here? Is Vivian alright?”

A new voice answered her last question. “Vivian is currently asleep.”

Startled, Miriam turned from Theo to take in a tall man with short brown hair and matching eyes. There was something in the structure of his face that told her this guy had to be related to Vivian. “You must be… one of her brothers?”

“Sebastian,” he nodded, hands in his pockets, as he looked her up and down. “Gabriel will be the one with his arm in a sling. Feel free to ignore him.”

Miriam exchanged a quick glance with Theo, who shrugged. “Alright… So, why am I here?”

“Why don’t you come with me first; everything should be ready, and Dad can explain everything.”

Sebastian led them to an office, where two men were behind a large oak desk. One of them she’d met before — Mr Devreaux — though they hadn’t been formally introduced; the other had to be Gabriel, since he wore a sling, but also looked like both his father and brother. Their father was the first to look up. “Miss Wilson, thank you for coming on such short notice. I also don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Samuel Devreaux, Vivian’s father. This,” he placed a hand on the other man’s shoulder, “is Gabriel. You’ve met Sebastian and Laurent already.”

“Nice to meet you all,” she replied, making sure to keep her tone polite. These people controlled whether or not she stayed at the academy, after all. Coming in and being rude would not be smart.

“Have a seat,” Mr Devreaux instructed, motioning to the two chairs set up near the desk. After watching Theo take one, Miriam did as she’d been told, feeling nervous.

“I’m not really sure why I’m here,” she said after settling down.

It took a few minutes for everything to be laid out for Miriam, who stayed silent. Once everything had been explained, she let out a breath. “Jesus… I was… not expecting any of that.”

“I just found out today, too, and it’s still blowing my mind,” Theo assured her with a crooked smile.

Miriam had to agree with what he said; her mind was definitely blown by all this new information. Who would have guessed Vivian was able to keep so much hidden? No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t surprising how adept the girl was at keeping things under wraps. It would be more accurate to say Miriam was surprised she, personally, hadn’t noticed something sooner.

*Would I have asked her about it, though?* She wondered absently, as Mr Devreaux handed her a tablet, explaining how to switch from viewing all the surveillance videos to just one, how to return, stop, rewind, fast forward… It was a lot to take in, but Miriam was quick at picking things up. “Can I get a pen and some paper?”

Sebastian was the one who provided the office supplies requested, and Miriam moved her chair so, while sitting, the desk was on her right. With the pen in hand, she rested the tablet on her lap, using her left hand to swipe through the different videos, while taking notes with her right.

They’d said the videos had already been looked through, but Theo had made a good point about getting a fresh perspective.

Being a true crime buff, Miriam had a lot of different ideas going through her mind as she swiped through the different videos, settling on the one that showed Vivian leaving the restroom.

Looking for someone suspicious was pointless if they’d been trying to stay off the radar; everyone always looked for someone trying to hide their face, someone always near or watching the victim, and Miriam had no intention of doing that. She’d chosen a different approach; she’d decided to take on the mindset of someone who wanted to get a phone to someone, and how she would pull it off with being noticed by the person’s bodyguard.

Whatever happened was during Vivian’s trip to the bathroom — everyone was in agreement on that fact. Which meant anyone who’d entered or exited was a suspect, but it wasn’t that simple. Someone could have entered hours beforehand and waited, hoping Vivian would use that particular one, or left something behind for her to find.

*No, that doesn’t add up. They needed to make sure the phone made it directly to Vivian. They couldn’t chance someone else finding it, could they?*

That meant she was probably looking for a woman — or a man who could pass for a woman — otherwise someone would have complained about a man being in the women’s restroom.

There were only three video feeds Miriam was interested in reviewing in detail: the one showing Vivian and Theo disembarking from The Drop, the one that covered the path from The Drop to the restrooms, and the one just outside the restroom that showed who entered and exited.

Miriam’s guess was whoever had given the phone to Vivian had to be at The Drop, watching them somehow, to know she’d be going to the restroom. They’d then enter the restroom either before or after Vivian.

She noted every person — male and female — who entered the restroom from the moment Vivian and Theo got off the ride, until the girl left the bathroom twenty minutes later. It was a long list, filled with specific physical descriptors that would allow Miriam to remember each person, as she started whittling it down.

Some had families they returned to after leaving the restroom, others had come from the opposite direction of The Drop. There were a few Miriam was forced to follow backwards through the park until she was certain they hadn’t been keeping an eye on her friends.

There was, however, one person who’d caught her eye.