ONCE BOUND

by Blake Pierce

  Just then, Bill saw Jenn’s whole body lift and turn. The movement twisted the shoe loose from the rail.

  Bill looked up and saw Mason Eggers standing over them, lifting Jenn up off the track, turning her whole body so that her foot came free.

  Then he tossed Jenn off to the side of the tracks.

  Bill and Riley both dove off the tracks into the dirt beside Jenn.

  A shattering whistle shook the air.

  Then there was the scream of metal on metal as the engineer hit the brakes.

  Bill looked back from where he lay and saw Mason Eggers still standing in the middle of the tracks, his arms outstretched, the full glare of the headlight bathing his body in dazzling whiteness.

  Looking straight at the engine, Eggers shouted—so loudly that Bill could hear his voice over the roaring engine—

  “Arlene!”

  Then the locomotive roared past, and Eggers was gone.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  As she sat and waited on the stage of the school auditorium, Riley felt an odd chill up her back.

  Fear, she realized with some surprise.

  Not deep fear, and certainly not panic. Even so, it seemed silly to be fearful at all under the circumstances—especially given all that she and her colleagues had survived just a week earlier.

  Besides, it wasn’t the first time she’d spoken in front of a group of people. She’d taught plenty of classes at the BAU. Still, public speaking in front of an audience of mostly strangers always stirred up a certain degree of anxiety in her.

  She reminded herself …

  This is good. This is a good thing to be doing.

  After all, this was a celebration of something very important to her. Today Jilly was finishing middle school. Although the school held no formal graduation ceremony, the PTA had arranged what they referred to as a little inspirational gathering.

  They had asked Riley Paige to be the speaker.

  And of course, she felt honored to be asked.

  The school principal was at the podium now. His rather cliché congratulatory remarks seemed to be taking forever, and Riley had trouble paying attention to his words.

  She couldn’t help thinking about Mason Eggers—the terrible crimes he had committed, and the terrible death he died.

  There hadn’t been much left of his body for the medical examiners to work with. Even so, they’d found a malignant tumor that had started to grow in his brain. Just as Jenn had suggested, this must have caused him to have terrifying hallucinations.

  Judging from his medical records, his condition hadn’t yet been diagnosed. He might have been aware of encroaching symptoms, like headaches, disturbing physical sensations, and cognitive lapses, without ever realizing what was causing them.

  He surely hadn’t known why such terrible impulses were taking control of his life—why mysterious and irresistible voices were commanding him to revisit his wife’s suicide again and again, brutally sacrificing live victims in her stead.

  It must have been horrifying for him, Riley thought.

  After all, he wasn’t evil. He’d been a good man who had lived a good life. But unbidden evil had invaded his mind, destroying him and ending the lives of four women.

  Riley tried to imagine how he must have felt in those last seconds of his life.

  Maybe it wasn’t so terrible, at least not for him.

  She found it easy to imagine that, in the deepening confusion of his mind, the headlight of the locomotive was the tunnel-light of the hereafter. Perhaps he’d known for sure that he was about to be reunited with his beloved Arlene at last.

  After all, her name was the last word that escaped his lips before he died.

  Or maybe he was thinking …

  Who knows? Riley thought.

  She tried to put such sad thoughts aside by thinking about something that made her feel much happier—the letter of apology Bull Cullen had been forced by his superiors to write to Jenn about his atrocious behavior.

  Whether it would change Cullen’s future actions remained to be seen, but Jenn had done exactly the right thing and had gotten good results.

  Riley also remembered with pleasure the cowed and demoralized expression on Carl Walder’s face when he had managed to stammer out his congratulations to her for solving the case. And now she saw that same expression whenever she encountered him around the BAU these days.

  Poor guy, she thought—without meaning it.

  Now everybody in the FBI knew about how he had done his level best to thwart Riley just when she was on the very brink of stopping a serial killer.

  In fact, news of her success had spread throughout the law enforcement community far and wide. Riley’s reputation was restored, as sterling as it had ever been.

  But now it was time to put all such thoughts aside—no matter how boring and longwinded the principal was being. After all, some of the people Riley most loved in the world were right here waiting for her to speak.

  Jilly was seated in a special section along with the others who would be moving on to high school next year. April was in the general audience, along with Gabriela. So were Bill and Jenn—it had been so sweet of them to come! Jenn was still on crutches from the terrible sprain she’d suffered on the railroad tracks, but she said that she was mending nicely.

  Riley was grateful that Blaine was here too. Although he had no child in middle school, he’d said it was important to spend as much time as possible with Riley whenever she was home.

  All in all, Riley’s world was good right now. The girls had made it through the stress of finals and were looking forward to the summer off. They had heard from Liam that he was happy in his new home.

  At long last, the principal was bringing his speech to a close.

  He said, “Now I want to introduce one of our own parents. Agent Riley Paige has had a distinguished career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, receiving too many medals and commendations to name here. Instead, I will let Ms. Paige speak for herself.”

  As the audience applauded, Riley’s fear magically evaporated.

  The moment just seemed too right to be afraid of.

  She got up from her chair, walked toward the podium, adjusted the microphone, and began.

  “Let me talk to you about opportunities, and the wonders that await you in life—more wonders than I can even imagine …”

  *

  Riley was feeling quite wonderful when Blaine drove them all home after the ceremony. Her speech had gone over well. It was a Friday, and she was looking forward to a few days of vacation with her family and her boyfriend.

  Even the sight of an express letter in the mailbox didn’t disturb her contentment. She carried it inside with the other mail—most of it advertisements and junk mail.

  She put the mail down on the living room coffee table, and Jilly leafed through it.

  “This one is from Phoenix,” Jilly said.

  The word jolted Riley a little.

  Phoenix.

  That was where Riley had found Jilly. The skinny and unkempt girl had been shut out of her home and was hanging around with hookers at a truck stop. Riley had found her in the cab of a truck, waiting for a trucker to return and pay her for sex.

  Fortunately, another girl had tipped Riley to the child’s plight. Riley had taken her to a social services facility, but in the longer run it had become obvious that she needed to take care of this girl herself.

  And today, she felt blessed and grateful that she had done just that.

  But a letter from Phoenix …

  … was that good news or bad news?

  Riley nervously opened the envelope. She saw that the papers inside were to inform her of a court date in the near future. There was an attached note from Brenda Fitch, the social worker who had put Jilly in Riley’s care.

  We’ve been trying to handle all the paperwork here to finalize your adoption of Jilly Scarlatti. But as you can see, we’ve run into a snag. Albert Scarlatti, the girl’s father, is refusing to
give her up. He’s not only challenging the adoption, he’s even threatening to charge you with kidnapping for taking her away. He says he’s charging us as accomplices.

  We know that being with you is the best possible solution for Jilly. We’ve managed to arrange a hearing in front of a decent judge. I know this is short notice, but if we have to change the hearing date I don’t know who we’ll get. We really need for you and Jilly to appear at this one. In fact, please get here ahead of time so we can go over our case together.

  Riley’s heart was beating hard and fast.

  She found herself thinking about what Jilly had said to her a week ago when Riley had felt so demoralized and defeated.

  “You’re still going to solve that case. I just know it.”

  Jilly had been absolutely right.

  And those were exactly the words Riley had needed to hear.

  Riley felt a knot of emotion in her throat. How things had changed since Jilly had come into her life!

  Back then, Jilly had needed Riley.

  Now Riley needed Jilly just as much as Jilly needed her.

  I can’t lose her, Riley thought. Not ever.

  With a deep sigh, Riley put the note down and looked at Jilly, who was waiting to hear what was in the letter.

  “You and I have to go to Phoenix,” she said.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  ONCE TRAPPED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 13)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. 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)

  ONCE TRAPPED is book #13 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 1,000 five star reviews!

  In this dark psychological thriller, a wealthy husband turns up dead, and his abused wife is charged with the crime. She calls Riley for help—and yet it seems clear she is guilty.

  But when another wealthy, abusive husband turns up dead, the FBI is called in, and FBI special agent Riley Paige wonders: is this all a coincidence? Or could this be the work of a serial killer?

  What ensues is a game of cat and mouse, as Riley Paige realizes she is up against a brilliant and unpredictable killer, one without a clear motive—and one determined to keep on killing until he is caught.

  An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE TRAPPED is book #13 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

  Book #14 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

  ONCE TRAPPED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 13)

  COMING SOON!

  A NEW SERIES!

  WATCHING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. 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)

  WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book One) is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose free bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

  22 year old psychology major—and aspiring FBI agent—Riley Paige finds herself in a battle for her life as her closest friends on campus are abducted and killed by a serial killer. She senses that she, too, is being targeted—and that if she is to survive, she must apply her brilliant mind to stop the killer herself.

  When the FBI hits a dead end, they are impressed enough by Riley’s keen insight into the killer’s mind to allow her to help. Yet the killer’s mind is a dark, twisted place, one too diabolical to make sense of, and one that threatens to bring Riley’s fragile psyche crashing down. In this deadly game of cat and mouse, can Riley survive unscarred?

  An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, WATCHING is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. It takes readers back 20 plus years—to how Riley’s career began—and is the perfect complement to the ONCE GONE series (A Riley Paige Mystery), which includes 13 books and counting.

  Book #2 in THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE series will be available soon.

  WATCHING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes twelve books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; and of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), and A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Google Play!

  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.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  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)

  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)

  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 MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)