Once Stalked (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 9)

by Blake Pierce

  Agent Vargas let out a rather timid “thank you.” Riley was sure that Lucy was still angry with herself about freezing when she’d caught up with Shaheed. It had been an important lesson for Lucy and one that might save her life in another encounter.

  Meredith spoke next to Riley.

  “I don’t suppose I need to tell you that Col. Larson complained to me about your attitude.”

  Riley gulped a little. But there was nothing unusual about Meredith getting complaints about her.

  “I’m not surprised, sir,” she said.

  “What are your impressions of the colonel?”

  Riley thought for a moment.

  “Well, our differences aside, I’ve got nothing but respect for her. She runs an excellent CID office at Fort Mowat. I wish we could have hit it off better.”

  “I wish so too,” Meredith said. “But it’s not our job to make everyone happy.”

  He looked at all three agents and added, “It does worry me that none of you think we’ve got our sniper. And I hope that Col. Lawson doesn’t have to regret not listening to you. But it was her call to take you off the case, and I’m not in a position to contradict her.”

  Another silence fell.

  Then Meredith said, “You’ve done a good job, all of you. You’ve got no cases pending at the moment. Take some time to relax. That’s an order.”

  Riley and her colleagues got up and left the office.

  Sam Flores was standing just outside Meredith’s door, obviously waiting for Lucy.

  Flores said, “How about some coffee, Lucita?”

  Lucy grinned back at him.

  “I’d love that, Sammy.”

  As Riley watched them walk away together she realized that she was smiling. She glanced at Bill.

  “Youth,” he said, with a grin. “See you in a few days.”

  Riley nodded, and they headed off to their separate vehicles.

  As she was driving home, Riley reminded herself of what Meredith had said.

  “Take some time to relax. That’s an order.”

  She was determined to do that. She would love to spend some time with her girls.

  But a troublesome image kept forming in her mind. It was a faceless killer lovingly assembling his M110 rifle.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  By the time Riley got home, she had almost pushed her concerns about an agent with questions and a sniper with plans out of her mind. She had convinced herself that April and Jilly would be able to distract her from her worries. But when she got home, Gabriela told her that Jilly was at volleyball practice and April was hanging out with Liam. Then Gabriela went to her own apartment, singing cheerfully all the way down the stairs.

  Riley sat down in her living room and looked around. It was a typical Saturday—a nice spring day—and it seemed that everyone in her life had something to do except her.

  And now she couldn’t help thinking about what she’d said to Agent Roston about the missing file …

  “It was all just redundant stuff.”

  She didn’t feel good about lying to Roston like that. But Riley’s dealings with Hatcher demanded that she lie again and again—often to people who ought to have every reason to trust her.

  And now Riley had to wonder …

  Did Roston believe me?

  Riley remembered the young woman’s intense, steady gaze.

  Although Roston was new at the BAU, she already had a reputation for being sharp and determined. Normally, Riley would simply admire those qualities in a promising

  young agent.

  But right now, they were only causes for worry. And for a growing sense of shame.

  How had she allowed Hatcher to assume so much power over her?

  And what was she going to do about it?

  She shuddered as she remembered Hatcher’s rage the last time she’d talked to him …

  “You’d damn well better make sure nobody else comes around here.”

  The more Riley thought about it, the more bizarre the whole situation seemed. She had an escaped convict living at the cabin she’d inherited from her father, and he had been threatened by an overly enthusiastic Realtor eager to sell it. Well, she’d finally fired Shirley Redding, and that should be the end of it. But why had the Realtor kept showing the cabin to prospective buyers even after Riley said to take it off the market?

  What was the matter with that woman?

  She realized that she really didn’t know much about Shirley. Riley had hired her to sell her father’s cabin mostly out of convenience. Shirley’s office wasn’t far from the cabin, and she had seemed like a good choice at the time. When they had talked over the phone, Shirley had shown a familiarity with properties in that area. In fact, Shirley had sounded exactly like the kind of real estate agent that Riley needed.

  But the truth was that Riley hadn’t done any research about Shirley before hiring her. Now her curiosity urged her to check the Realtor out.

  She went upstairs to her bedroom office and ran an Internet search on Shirley Redding.

  She was alarmed at what she saw.

  It was a long list of complaints about Shirley from dismayed buyers and sellers.

  Many said that she was much too aggressive and didn’t know when to quit.

  Others suggested that she was emotionally unstable.

  Riley’s throat clutched.

  I should have checked, she thought. I shouldn’t have hired her.

  Until now, Riley had hoped that her blunt text message telling Shirley that she’d been fired was enough to dissuade her.

  But now Riley couldn’t be so sure.

  Riley dialed the Realtor’s office number. Again, she got an answering machine, but this time the message informed her that Shirley Redding was on vacation and would not be available for two weeks.

  Riley drew a sigh of relief. At least the Realtor would be out of the picture for a while.

  She briefly imagined herself driving up to the cabin right now and telling Hatcher that their deal was off, and that he had to leave the cabin.

  Or maybe she’d simply arrest him.

  Riley sighed as she considered how unrealistic such thoughts were.

  She couldn’t shake off Hatcher that easily, much less bring him to justice. Her own fate was much too intertwined with his.

  She got up from her desk and paced the room, trying to shake off her worries. But other thoughts quickly crowded in. The Fort Mowat case was still nagging at her. Her gut told her that there was still a sniper loose on the base, and that he’d surely act again.

  But even if she was right, what could she do about it?

  Absolutely nothing that she could think of.

  So why was she still obsessing about it?

  This is ridiculous, Riley thought.

  She was between cases, and she ought to enjoy herself. It was time to get back to a normal life, whatever that meant.

  It was time to get out of the house.

  It occurred to her that it was actually about time for lunch and she was getting hungry. So it seemed as good a time as any to drop by Blaine’s Grill.

  She remembered April telling her on the phone the night before last that Blaine wondered when she’d be coming back from Fort Mowat. Riley had promised to let them all know as soon as she did. But in the turmoil over the case, notifying Blaine that she was coming home had slipped her mind.

  She was sure Blaine would be working in his restaurant today. Why not drop in and surprise him? Riley left the house and got in her car and drove straight to Blaine’s Grill.

  The place was extremely busy when she got there. A line of people waited to be seated. Riley realized that she shouldn’t be surprised at such a lunch rush on a Saturday.

  Not the best timing, she thought.

  She decided she’d have to come back when things were less busy. She had turned to go when a voice called out her name.

  It was Wesley, a young man who was working as host.

  “It’s good to see you
, Riley,” he said, walking toward her with a smile. “Would you like a table?”

  Riley looked around and said, “Well, you seem to be awfully busy.”

  Wesley winked at her and spoke softly so the other customers couldn’t hear.

  “Don’t worry. We just cleared a table. I can get you in right now.”

  As Wesley escorted Riley past the waiting line he spoke louder. “I’m so glad you have a reservation.”

  As he seated her at a nice little table just inside the door, he added, “You do have a permanent reservation here.”

  “Is Blaine here?” Riley asked as she sat down.

  Wesley looked around.

  “He’s around somewhere. I’ll find him and let him know you’re here.”

  Riley began to peruse the lunch menu. When she decided to order a chef salad, she glanced up, looking for a waiter. She caught sight of Blaine across the room. He was walking in from the patio with an attractive woman who was holding onto his arm.

  Riley didn’t recognize her, but she felt an instant flash of jealousy.

  Blaine and the woman walked to the bar and ordered drinks, looking very cozy together. Wesley walked up to Blaine and spoke to him. Blaine looked around and spotted Riley. For a second he looked like he was about to head toward her. Then the woman tugged at his arm and whispered something in his ear.

  As Blaine and the woman talked together for another few moments, Riley wished that she hadn’t come. She had thought that arriving unannounced might be fun, but it was just embarrassing now.

  Finally Blaine left his companion and came toward Riley’s table.

  As he approached, Riley’s discomfort gave way to anger.

  He’s just going to be Ryan all over again, she thought.

  She got up from her table and hastily left the restaurant, not looking back to see if Blaine was startled or relieved or annoyed.

  When she reached her car in the parking lot, he caught up with her.

  “Riley, what’s the matter?” Blaine asked.

  “Nothing,” Riley said stiffly. “You just seem rather … busy.”

  Blaine looked confused for a moment. Then he said, “Wait a minute. Is this because of Laura?”

  “Is that her name?” Riley asked. Now that she looked at him, she thought that he seemed embarrassed too.

  Blaine laughed awkwardly.

  “Come on, Riley. Don’t tell me you’re jealous. Laura and I have been friends since college. She lives in New Jersey, so we don’t get to see each other very often. She’s in town just for today.”

  “Then you’d better go spend some time with her,” Riley said.

  Blaine’s expression of incredulity reminded Riley uncomfortably of Ryan. That was how he always looked when he was making excuses for himself. That surprised and innocent look that said, “How could you have possibly thought …”

  “I wasn’t ignoring you,” Blaine said. “I didn’t even know you were in town until Wesley told me you were here.”

  “It sure looked like you had other things on your mind.”

  “Well, am I ignoring you now?”

  Riley stood with her hand on the car door handle, not looking at Blaine. She didn’t know what to say. Was she overreacting? She was tired, and she’d been worrying a lot. Maybe she just wasn’t thinking straight.

  Blaine said, “Look, this thing with Laura—it’s not a date, it’s just two friends getting together.”

  Then after a pause, he added, “But what if it was a date? Riley, I don’t know where things are between us. I mean, you’re hardly ever available, and you go away for a couple of days and I don’t hear a thing from you …”

  Riley snapped back, “You could have called or texted me, you know.”

  She felt her face flush. She wished she hadn’t said that.

  God, I’m acting like a teenager, she thought.

  Blaine drew a deep breath and looked down.

  He said, “Besides, don’t I have a right to date? We’ve never even discussed being exclusive.”

  Riley looked hard at him. Those words really stung.

  Ryan had said exactly the same thing in almost exactly the same words before he’d left her last time.

  “I didn’t know we needed to discuss it,” Riley said quietly. “I thought …”

  Her voice trailed off. What she wanted to say was that she thought there was something special and unspoken between them. She’d sensed that a strong attraction had drawn them together, that a romance was obviously blossoming between them. Everything that had happened between them seemed significant to her.

  But maybe she was wrong. If he didn’t feel the same way, she was surely wrong.

  Anyway, right now he was sure being casual about it.

  She was still holding onto the car door handle.

  Blaine said, “Look, maybe it’s time we sorted all this out. Come back inside. Let’s sit down and talk.”

  Riley felt herself wavering. But before she could decide, her cell phone buzzed. It was a text from April.

  I need your help. Right now. It’s about Liam.

  Riley’s heart jumped up in her throat. She knew that April wouldn’t send her a message like that unless she was in real trouble.

  She opened the car door and climbed inside.

  “I’ve got to go,” she told Blaine.

  “Wait a minute. Aren’t we going to talk?”

  “Not now,” she said, shutting the door.

  As she started her car, Blaine looked shocked and puzzled. Then he turned and walked away.

  But Riley couldn’t worry about him right now. She dialed April’s number on her cell phone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  When April answered the phone, Riley could hear panic in her daughter’s voice.

  “Mom, I’m at Liam’s house. You’ve got to get over here right away.”

  “What’s wrong?” Riley asked.

  “Just come right now, please.”

  Now Riley heard noises in the background, including someone shouting. Whatever was going on, Riley knew she needed to get there fast.

  “Should I call the police?” Riley asked.

  “No, please don’t do that. Just come here.”

  “What’s Liam’s address?” April told her, but before Riley could ask any more questions, April abruptly ended the call.

  Riley pulled the car out of the parking lot. Fortunately, the address wasn’t very far away. While she drove, she felt her worry mounting—and also her anger.

  She’d had such hopes for Liam when she’d met him. He’d seemed like a perfectly good kid and a great influence on April. But now it seemed that he was just another one of April’s bad choices.

  Riley remembered all too well April’s last boyfriend, Joel Lambert. When April had gone missing, Riley had tracked her down and found her with Joel in a “shooting gallery”—a condemned house occupied by heroin users. Joel had just shot April up with heroin and was about to sell her for sex when Riley arrived.

  Riley shuddered at the memory of seeing April lying helpless on a bare mattress, murmuring “no, no, no” over and over again as Joel tried to pull off her clothes.

  Riley also remembered her crazed fury as she’d pulled Joel away and smashed his hand with a baseball bat, then crushed the bones further under her foot, making him beg for mercy …

  The memory horrified her. It had taken weeks of rehab to get April over the trauma of that terrible experience.

  And now was it happening all over again?

  And if it was …

  The last time, it had taken all of Riley’s self-restraint not to kill Joel Lambert on the spot.

  She wasn’t sure she could control herself again in that kind of situation.

  When she parked in front of Liam’s house, she saw that it was a nice but somewhat rundown-looking house in a pleasant middle-class neighborhood. Riley gasped with relief when she saw April standing in the open front door. The girl looked physically safe and sound, but her expression wa
s wide-eyed with alarm.

  Riley got out of her car and ran toward her.

  April shouted, “Mom! Thank God! You got here just in time!”

  Riley pushed past April and went inside.

  Right in front of her, she was shocked to see Liam lying on the floor doubled over. There was a bruise on his face.

  Standing over him was a tall, muscular man. His fists were clenched at his sides. Riley could see the family resemblance immediately. The man was surely Liam’s father. His face was red and knotted with fury, and Riley could smell alcohol on his breath even from where she stood.

  Now Riley understood. April wasn’t in danger from Liam. Liam was in danger from his father.

  The man looked over at Riley.

  “Who the hell are you?” he growled.

  “I’m April’s mother,” Riley said.

  The man then noticed April, who was standing in the doorway.

  “You—still here!” he yelled. “I told you to get out of here, you little bitch! This is none of your business!”

  Riley turned toward April.

  “Did he touch you?” Riley asked.

  Trembling all over, April shook her head no.

  “He just tried to throw me out,” she said. “But he knocked Liam down twice and kicked him. I told him I’d called for help.”

  The man was snarling at Riley now.

  “Take your little girl and get out of here.”

  He strode toward Riley, grabbed her by the arm, and tried to push her toward the door. Riley shook off his hand easily. Enraged, Liam’s father lifted his open hand to strike Riley across the face. Riley grabbed his wrist, stopping the blow in mid-flight.

  The man looked startled by Riley’s strength.

  Still holding his wrist with her left hand, Riley threw a punch to his jaw that sent him reeling backward. She let go of his wrist and just stood watching as he tumbled onto the floor.

  Riley’s knuckles were stinging with pain from the blow. The pain made her angry.

  She flashed back to how she’d pulverized that psychopath who had held both her and April prisoner. That man had tortured them, and Riley had put an end to him for good.

  She could feel again the sensation of smashing his head with a rock. She wished she had a rock right now.