Girl, Silenced (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 4)

By Blake Pierce

FBI Agent Ella Dark has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own sister, and has gained an encyclopedic knowledge of murderers. When johns are found murdered in their cars, the echoes of past cases are clear: it appears to be a jilted prostitute turned serial killer. But might everything Ella learned be wrong?

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

GIRL, SILENCED (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller) is book #4 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.

But when a case that seemed open-and-shut catches her by surprise, Ella wonders: can she save the next victim before it’s too late?

And can she learn to throw out everything she knows and trust her budding instincts?

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 #5-#9 are also available!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blake Pierce
• Release date: Nov 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094372860

Book preview

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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.

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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 SEVEN

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?

Just hearing his name was enough to tie her stomach in knots. Since she first met him, all she’d wanted to do is forget about him. But every time she let her mind wander, her thoughts turned to Campbell each time. His crooked grin, his yellow eyes, his weak frame that still exuded dominance even from behind a glass cage. He seemed to have a mastery of human behavior that Ella feared as much as she admired.

And one week ago, Ella had found a dead animal hanging from her front door. A cat. She couldn’t prove it with hard evidence, but she knew that Tobias Campbell was the person responsible for the bizarre display. In her last meeting with him, she’d mentioned that she was a cat person. This must have been Tobias’s idea of a joke.

Maybe he wasn’t responsible by his own hand, but certainly through proxy. That’s why Ella was here – to confront this psychopath and demand answers. How did he pull it off? And why?

She took the guard’s pen with a trembling hand and signed her name. The layers of security powered down; barriers rose, iron gates parted, and prison guards dispersed to allow Ella entry into the complex. She dropped the handbrake and rolled inside, feeling as though she was stepping into the mouth of hell and probably wouldn’t get out in the same condition she arrived.

Ella parked and made her way to the entrance. Inside, the scented air seeped into her lungs, but it all felt artificial. Like the fresh odors were only there to dilute something more sinister.  She told the officer behind the desk her reasons for being there and took a seat in the reception area. She rehearsed exactly what she was going to say to Tobias and how to say it, and she reminded herself to downplay his involvement with the previous case down in California. Tobias’s insights had helped her and Agent Ripley break the case; but if Tobias knew that, he’d use it as leverage against her.

A door buzzed open and a man in a tight-fitting black suit appeared. Large, tanned, built like an Olympic weightlifter. Ella recognized him as Warden Banks, the same man she’d met last time she was here. He wore a formidable look on his face.

Agent Dark. What are you doing here? he asked.

Same reason as before. I need to speak with Campbell again. It’s related to an ongoing investigation.

Banks held her gaze. Okay, and do you have the clearance forms? Authorization from the D.O.C.?

Ella did not. She didn’t have the time to go through the whole process again. Not to mention that the more contact she had with the Department of Corrections, the more chances there were of Agent Ripley finding out about her meetings with Campbell. So far, she’d kept these meetings a secret to spare Ripley’s feelings. Ripley and Campbell had a long and storied history that Ripley surely wouldn’t want to re-live. Ella’s partner in the FBI had been the one to apprehend Tobias fifteen years prior, and when she found his rural shack, she’d found a number of personal possessions that suggested Tobias Campbell had killed many more than the FBI believed. Children’s shoes, bloody nooses, jewelry, clothing, ID cards. But the FBI could prove none of this, since Tobias captured Agent Ripley and made her burn the whole thing down. To this day, Ripley claimed she saw it, but the officials didn’t see it that way. They said she was suffering from post-traumatic delusions.

And if Ripley knew that Ella had secretly met with the person who’d put her through this torment, she’d be furious, perhaps heartbroken. 

No. I don’t need to consult the D.O.C. if my reasons for being here concern an active case. Ella wasn’t sure where the truth ended and the lies began. While it was correct that inmate meetings could be scheduled without D.O.C. involvement providing they related to a current investigation, the issue was that there was no such investigation to speak of. Ella hadn’t told anyone about the dead animal outside her door, and there was no other active case in the FBI files that named Campbell as a possible suspect or accomplice. She was simply trying her luck, hoping that her FBI credentials were enough to get her in front of Campbell.

I’m sorry Agent, Banks said, but you should know better than anyone that we have strict protocol in place for meetings with Campbell. We can’t just let anyone in to see him, FBI or not.

But you know me. I have my credentials. This case is being kept close to our chests.

I understand the need for discretion Agent but rules are rules. Perhaps you could call the D.O.C. from here and fast-track the…

Before Banks could finish his sentence, a blaring alarm pierced the