G I R L,

  S I L E N C E D

  (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller —Book Four)

  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 JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising nineteen 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 thirteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising six 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.

  Copyright © 2021 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 Joe Prachatree used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  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)

  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)

  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)

  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)

  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)

  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 S
EVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Officer Madeley pulled his cruiser into the empty parking lot outside Jan’s Diner and killed the engine. It was just after midnight on a brisk April evening, and the Towson streets were set alight by a blanket of stars and the neon glow from inside Madeley’s new favorite rest spot. He had to laugh to himself. If they ever made a TV show about his police career, this was one night that wouldn’t make the cut.

  Cop programs didn’t show you the nights like these. It had been an afternoon of paperwork followed by a hunt for a missing dog, which Madeley had found happily drinking from a nearby stream within the hour. Shortly after that, he’d busted a couple of teenagers smoking pot at the old skate ramp near Middle River, and the kids had sworn they wouldn’t do it again if he let this one slide.

  Madeley knew it was a vain promise, but he let them off regardless. There were far worse crimes to worry about, and hell, what kid hadn’t had a subtle toke at some point in their adolescence?

  Tonight was one of those shifts that blurred into the rest. At 2am he’d clock off, go home, and continue to count down the days until retirement. Just over three hundred days to go before he could collect that generous police pension and start building that dream home down in South Carolina. It was all within reach now, so close he could actually smell the timber and the fresh paint.

  But for now, Madeley stepped out of the cruiser and rolled a cigarette. He watched a few trucks vroom along the highway, enormous in size but sparse in number. There was something quite soothing about the sound of a roaring engine in the distance, something he’d no doubt miss when he migrated to the countryside. He perched the cigarette behind his ear and made his way into Jan’s Diner. This would be the third time in two weeks he’d visited this place, and if the owner wasn’t already a friend of his, he’d suspect she was spiking the waffles with nicotine.

  Madeley dinged open the door and nodded his greeting to the short blonde woman wiping down the tables.

  “Evening, Jan. Yes, I’m back for more,” he said.

  She pocketed the cloth in her uniform then put her hand on her hip. “You again? Don’t you have bad guys to chase down?”

  Madeley held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m on wind down here. You’ll miss me when I’m gone.”

  “That we will. Let me guess, waffles? Syrup and bananas to boot?”

  There were only two other patrons in the diner so Madeley had the choice of where to sit. He moved to a booth near the window to keep an eye on his cruiser. “You got it. Creature of habit, me.”

  Jan left her cleaning spray on a table and strolled over to Madeley. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Could you come over to the counter John?” she asked. Something in her tone seemed a little off. Before Madeley could reply, Jan had already moved into position. He followed, taking a seat at one of the stools up against the counter.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  From the other side, Jan leaned over. “I got a little issue.”

  Madeley checked the surroundings to ensure the other diners were out of earshot. “An issue? What is it?”

  “There’s an SUV out the back. Big black thing. Tinted windows and the like. Been parked there for forty-five minutes.”

  “Out the back?” Madeley asked. “I didn’t see any SUV when I pulled up.”

  Jan shook her head. “There’s another parking lot on the other side. Mostly for staff, but occasionally a guy finds his way there.”

  Madeley guessed where this was heading. “What are you thinking?”

  Jan raised her eyebrows. “You really need me to tell you, honey? Lady of the night, probably with some married fella. Legs spread, fakes it ‘til the guy makes it. Know what I mean?”

  As Madeley thought. Rest stops like this were a popular spot for sex workers to ply their trade. The constant stream of truck drivers made for easy pickings.

  “I’ll go take a look,” Madeley said. “It definitely doesn’t belong to one of the guys in here?”

  “Sure as sugar. Those gents are both truckers,” Jan said, nodding in the direction of the diners. “Neither of them have an SUV.”

  Another easy job, Madeley thought. Busting prostitutes in the middle of the act was a nightly occurrence, and once they were caught, both parties usually dispersed pretty quickly. Madeley followed Jan into the kitchen area then through a fire exit into the parking lot.

  “Waffles will be waiting when you’re done,” Jan shouted.

  Madeley gave her the thumbs up. He scanned the area and found the black SUV parked far away from the other two cars in the same lot, two cars Madeley assumed to belong to the staff at the diner. As far as Madeley could tell, there was really no other reason for any vehicle to park here, unless the other spots around the front were taken, which they weren’t.

  He inched closer, looking out for any telltale signs that people were copulating inside. Shaking from side to side, bare limbs pressing against the glass. Right now there were no suggestions of such things, but the night made for good cover. Madeley approached, hoping that the presence of a police uniform might startle whoever was inside into revealing themselves. That was how it usually went down.

  No such luck. Not this time.

  Madeley tapped on the passenger window with force and waited. Something immediately seemed off. Pleasant scents from the diner no longer seeped into his nostrils. Gone were the comforting odors of deep fried pastry. That world seemed miles away now. Call it a police officer’s sixth sense, he thought, but there was something wrong about this situation. The night air chilled his usually-warm blood to ice.

  Ten seconds passed without a soul making themselves known. Madeley leaned down, cupped his hands around his face and peered inside the vehicle, but the high-quality tint made any kind of identification impossible. All he saw was his own reflection.

  But even so, something told him that the interior wasn’t empty.

  “This is Officer Madeley with the Maryland State Police. Please make yourself known. You’re parked in a private area.”

  Nothing. Madeley sighed. Best case scenario, this was an exhausted driver out for the count. Second best case, this was an abandoned vehicle. He tugged the door handle, and by an unexpected miracle, the door shot open.

  The smell came first, as it always did. Then there was a moment of disbelief, followed by the dreadful realization that the worst was yet to come.

  Madeley held his breath, but still the metallic aroma of blood invaded his eyes and ears and taste buds. It was inescapable. He pulled out his flashlight and shone it in the car, and with thirty years of experience to draw on, Madeley believed that no sights could shock him anymore. There was no act too depraved, no inhumane exploits that could devastate him beyond the things he’d already seen.

  But when he saw the body sitting in the driver’s seat, mangled, mutilated, and bleeding like a gutted animal, he realized that he’d been dead wrong.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ella Dark never wanted to see Maine State Prison again. Not after her last experience there.

  Yet here she was, parked outside the wrought-iron gates of the same complex waiting for a prison guard to raise the barrier. The whole journey had been a blur of emotions, and she could barely believe that she was here again, and not of her own accord.

  Since her last visit only two weeks before, Maine State Prison now looked a little more decrepit, a little more visceral. The fact that some of the world’s most notorious killers were housed inside was less of a fascination and more of a disturbing awareness to Ella, particularly as she’d gotten too close to one of the beasts that dwelled within.

  “Can I help you, miss?” a security officer asked from his hut.

  Ella flashed her badge from the driver’s seat. “I’m Agent Dark with the FBI. I’m here to see inmate number two-seven-six-one in relation to an active case.”

  The guard took her badge and disappeared behind the tiny desk in his cabin. He re-appeared with a clipboard. “Sign here please. You’re here to see Tobias Campbell?”