Silent Neighbor (Sheila Stone #9)

CHAPTER FIVE

I sure hope this can give us some answers, Sheila thought as she and Finn stood in Jake Pearson's living room, staring at his sleek desktop computer.

The house was a testament to Jake's personality: modern, with clean lines and large windows that offered breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. It was the kind of place that seemed to bring the outdoors inside, blurring the line between comfort and adventure.

Maya hovered behind them, her eyes red-rimmed from crying but her voice steady as she spoke. "Jake designed this place himself, you know. Said he wanted a home that reflected his love for nature."

She ran her hand along the smooth surface of a nearby bookshelf. "When I first saw it, I thought it was too... I don't know, too exposed? But now, I can't imagine living anywhere else. It's like being on the edge of wilderness, but safe."

Sheila nodded sympathetically, her attention split between Maya's words and the task at hand. She moved the mouse, waking the computer from its sleep mode. Immediately, they were confronted with a login screen.

"Maya," Sheila said gently, "do you know Jake's password?"

Maya bit her lip, thinking. "He never told me outright, but... maybe try 'AdventureCalls4321'? That was kind of his motto this year."

Sheila typed it in, but the computer beeped in rejection. "Any other ideas?"

"Um, maybe 'MayaLove1995'? That's my birth year..." Maya shrugged, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Again, no luck. Maya's brow furrowed in concentration. "I'm sorry, I should know this. We lived together, for God's sake."

"It's okay," Finn said, smiling reassuringly. "Sometimes people keep their passwords private, even from their loved ones. Let's think about this. What were Jake's passions? What defined him?"

Maya paced the room, her eyes roaming over Jake's belongings as if searching for inspiration. "Well, he loved climbing, obviously. And photography. He was always taking pictures of his adventures."

Sheila's eyes lit up. "What about his camera? What kind did he use?"

"A Canon EOS R5," Maya replied automatically. "He saved for months to buy it."

Sheila typed in 'CanonEOSR5', but the computer remained locked. She frowned, thinking.

"I feel certain it had the word 'Canon' in it," Maya murmured. "Maybe…" she stopped pacing. "ClimbingCanon! That's it!"

Sheila entered the password, and to their collective relief, the computer sprang to life, revealing Jake's desktop.

Maya let out a shaky breath. "I can't believe I didn't remember it sooner."

Sheila gave her a reassuring smile. "You did great, Maya. This is a big help."

Maya hovered for a moment longer, then seemed to deflate slightly. "I... I think I need some air. Is it okay if I step outside for a bit?"

"Of course," Finn said gently. "Take all the time you need. We'll let you know if we need anything else."

As Maya left the room, Sheila turned her full attention to the computer. She quickly navigated to the browser, scanning the open tabs. Nothing immediately jumped out as suspicious: some climbing gear websites, a few news articles, a weather report for the Valley of the Gods.

"Here we go," Sheila murmured, clicking on a tab that opened to a forum. The banner at the top read 'Extreme Limits: Push Boundaries, Defy Death.'

Finn leaned in closer. "Charming name," he said dryly.

Sheila scrolled through the forum, taking in the usernames and post titles. It was a mixture of adventure stories, gear reviews, and challenge propositions, all centered around extreme sports and daredevil stunts.

"Look at this," Sheila said, pointing to a recent post by a user named 'CliffHanger89,' which appeared to be Jake's username. The post, dated yesterday, contained a photo of Jake at the edge of a cliff, his body tilted backward as if he was about to fall.

Finn whistled low. "Talk about tempting fate. The timestamp on this... he must have uploaded it from his phone not long before he died."

Sheila nodded, a frown creasing her brow. "Which reminds me—we still haven't found his phone. The killer might have taken it."

"A souvenir?" Finn suggested.

"Maybe," Sheila mused. "Or maybe there's something on that phone they didn't want us to see."

She continued scrolling through the forum, taking in the various extreme adventures detailed by the members. Base jumping off skyscrapers, free diving in treacherous caves, skiing down near-vertical slopes—it seemed there was no limit to the risks these thrill-seekers were willing to take.

"Wait," Finn said suddenly, his hand shooting out to stop Sheila from scrolling further. "Go back up a bit."

Sheila obliged, and they found themselves looking at a heated exchange between CliffHanger89 and another user named PhoenixRising.

CliffHanger89: 'Check out my latest near-death experience! Nothing like a little danger to make you feel alive!'

The post was accompanied by a series of photos showing Jake in various precarious positions: hanging by one hand from a cliff edge, balancing on a narrow rock outcropping, even one of him pretending to slip while climbing.

PhoenixRising: 'This isn't funny, CliffHanger. You're making a mockery of the real dangers we face. These stunts of yours are going to get you killed one day.'

CliffHanger89: 'Lighten up, Phoenix! It's all in good fun. Besides, isn't facing death what we're all here for?'

PhoenixRising: 'There's a difference between respecting the risks we take and laughing in the face of death. You're crossing a line.'

The argument continued, growing more heated with each exchange. Jake's responses became increasingly flippant, while PhoenixRising's grew more ominous.

When Sheila read PhoenixRising's final message, she had to suppress a shudder: 'Mark my words, CliffHanger. Keep this up, and you'll meet a bad end. Sooner rather than later.'

"Well," Finn said, breaking the tense silence that had fallen between them, "that certainly sounds like a threat."

Sheila nodded grimly. "It does. And given what happened to Jake, we can't ignore it." She leaned back in the chair, her mind racing. "We need to figure out who this PhoenixRising is."

"Easier said than done," Finn said. "These forums usually pride themselves on anonymity. It could be anyone, anywhere in the world."

Sheila's jaw set with determination. "Then we'll have to dig deeper. There has to be a way to trace this user. Maybe Jake had some private messages with them, or maybe there's a pattern to their posts we can use to narrow down their location."

As they continued to comb through the forum, Sheila couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the right track. The heated exchange between Jake and PhoenixRising felt significant, a potential motive hidden in the digital argument.

"Look at this," Finn said, pointing to a series of posts by PhoenixRising. "They seem to have a particular interest in rock climbing. Most of their posts are about climbing spots in the Southwest."

Sheila leaned in, scanning the posts. "And look at the timestamps. A lot of these are posted late at night or very early in the morning."

"Someone with insomnia? Or maybe they work night shifts?" Finn suggested.

"Or," Sheila said slowly, an idea forming, "someone who spends a lot of time outdoors. Rock climbers often start their climbs before dawn to avoid the heat of the day, just like Jake did."

Finn nodded, catching on to her train of thought. "So we might be looking for an experienced climber, possibly local to the Southwest, who has a bone to pick with people they see as disrespecting the sport."

"Exactly," Sheila agreed. "It's not much, but it's a start. We need to cross-reference this with local climbing groups, gear shops, maybe even search and rescue teams. Someone out there knows who PhoenixRising is."

"We should get the tech team on this," Finn said. "Maybe they can get an IP address for PhoenixRising."

Sheila rose, stretching her stiff muscles. She felt good—this was a promising start. The sooner they wrapped up this case, the sooner she could focus all her attention on Eddie Mills.

"We should head back to the station, start putting together everything we've learned so far," she said.

Finn nodded. "What do you want to tell Maya?"

Sheila paused, considering. "For now, let's just say we're following up on some leads. No need to worry her with the details of that forum exchange until we know more."

As they prepared to leave, Sheila took one last look at the photo of Jake pretending to fall from the cliff. The image, once meant as a joke, now seemed tragically prophetic. She couldn't help but wonder: Had Jake's playful defiance of death ultimately led to his demise?

And had PhoenixRising made good on the threat to Jake's life?