The Silent Frequency

wo years ago, Riley Harper’s byline broke a councilman and her own career, leaving the thirty-three-year-old journalist drowning in guilt and gin in her Portland apartment. On April 3, 2025, a frantic call from Thomas Reed shatters her stasis: “KXRN’s broadcasts are doing something to people—it gets inside you.” Before Riley can press, Reed’s cut off—“they’re here”—and hours later, he’s dead in a mysterious I-5 crash with no skid marks. Haunted by her failure to save him, Riley seizes the lead, plunging into a Portland noir conspiracy where rain cloaks secrets and the airwaves hum with danger. The truth lies in KXRN’s late-night show, hosted by the enigmatic Elias Crowe, and a signal that seems to twist minds.

With Nate Carver, a private investigator hired by Reed’s sister, Riley navigates Portland’s gritty underbelly—dive bars, crash sites, and a hidden apartment stacked with Reed’s paranoid notes. Their uneasy alliance sparks trust as they uncover Apex Media’s 2023 takeover of KXRN and a low-frequency hum in the broadcasts, linked to another death: Jenna Miles, who fell from a balcony after nights glued to Crowe’s voice. Aided by Tara Nguyen, an Apex whistleblower, Riley and Nate amplify their fight on X, exposing the signal’s reach. But Apex’s mastermind, Dr. Evelyn Morse, won’t fall quietly. As the hum grows louder, threatening Riley’s sanity, she races to KXRN’s ruins for a final stand. In this fast-paced psychological thriller, Portland’s rain-soaked streets pulse with suspense, where redemption demands facing the static’s secret—or losing everything to its pull. Will Riley break the signal before it breaks her?