Rian made a cringing face. "See, I think these numbers here on the bottom mean something. If I didn't know better I say it was the key."
"Why would someone give you the key with the code? Isn't the purpose of solving it finding out the key on your own?"
"Yes. Which is why I think it's someone trying to warn me. They want me to figure it out."
"Look at the first ten or so letters. If you take every other letter it's starting to spell something," Rian said as she started writing the separate letters on her scratch paper. "Maybe the two at the bottom means every second letter."
Leann starting following along. "But what about the rest of the numbers?"
"I don't know. Maybe the words in each sentence. You see these periods in the middle of the letters, those are probably end of sentences. Maybe these numbers are the letters in each word." Rian took the first block of numbers and wrote down every other letter until the period.
YOUAREPLAYINGWITHFIRE.
Rian blocked each word the way it should read and the number of the letters in each word matched the numbers on the bottom of the cipher. "I got it," she yelled as she began writing the rest of it out.
YOU ARE PLAYING WITH FIRE. YOU NEED TO STOP BEFORE YOU GET BURNED. HE WILL KILL YOU. HE DOES NOT KNOW YOU SURVIVED. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.
Rian turned the paper to the side and showed it to Leann. She gasped when she read it.
"Who would send this to you?"
"I have no idea, but it's not going to stop me from getting that bastard."
"Who else knows you went there?"
"No one," Rian said. "There is satellite imaging that runs continuously. This could be from someone in the FBI that saw me in one of the images and recognized me. I honestly don't know."
"Wouldn't they just call you?"
Rian grinned thinly. "That would be too easy and traceable. If there is one thing the FBI teaches you it's how to be untraceable."
Leann nodded. "That's why you wanted me to destroy your stuff."
"Exactly."
"Are you ever going to tell me the whole story?" Leann said.
"Whole story about what?" Rian said as she put the letter and her scratch paper in the locked file box with the Canturri file.
"Your trip."
"There's nothing to tell. I went to the door, his henchmen bastards smacked me around. I borrowed some tourist clothes and came home." Rian said simply. "I need to pay you back for that gas I put on your credit card by the way."
"I'm not worried about thirty dollars," Leann said.
"I'm fine now, it's over. Fiorino Canturri will pay for everything he's done one day and when he does I'll be standing there watching from the sideline."
"I'm glad you're okay," Leann grabbed her hand. Rian squeezed her hand and pulled away.
"Leann,"
"I know," Leann said as she stood up. "Have you ever been to Kelley Point Park?"
"No. I know where it is though," Rian said. She'd stumbled on the historical park when she first moved to Portland and was driving around trying to learn the city. Walking around in the park and looking out at the water over the vista reminded her of Ari and she wasn't in the mood to bring that subject up, so she lied.
"If you take the paved path it winds toward the vista and there is a Lewis and Clark Statue on the right. Meet me at the benches there at noon, I'll bring lunch," Leann said.
"Why? Tomorrow's Saturday, maybe I want to sleep."
Leann laughed. "You barely sleep as it is. Come enjoy a picnic lunch with me in the park. The fresh air will help clear the cobwebs from your head. You've been cooped up in that old file room you call an office and this makeshift apartment for too long."
Rian stared at her.
"What do you want for lunch?"
"Why are you feeding me all of the time?" Rian asked.
"I'm scared you will starve to death if I don't," Leann teased.
"Fine. Noon. Turkey on wheat."
Chapter Fourteen
Rian wasn't happy about being in the park, but she did miss the fresh air and serenity she always felt surrounded by nature. It had been nine months since Ari died and she was slowly starting to breathe again. She watched a beautiful blue jay flying from tree to tree close by. The free spirited bird reminded her of Ari as it flew close by to check her out and then perched on a nearby tree to watch her from a distance. The crunch of gravel in the distance brought her back to reality.
"Hungry?" Leann walked over to the bench and sat down next to Rian. "I wondered if I was going to find this bench empty when I got here."
"You almost did," Rian paused. "I'm not a fan of parks, not anymore." she said softly.
"Did you go to the park a lot back home?" Leann said as she opened the bag she was carrying and handed Rian a sandwich.
"Something like that," Rian said.
"I love coming here. This is kind of like my thinking spot. It's the one place I can let my mind run free and clear and not have to worry about tissue samples, test results, and being called out to a crime scene in the middle of the night. I don't have to be associated with Portland P.D. during the hour or so I spend sitting here." Leann looked at Rian and smiled. "I'm glad I could share this with you."
Rian nodded. She understood completely. She loved going to the park and watching the river flow by with ducks and turtles swimming along with it while birds soared overhead. It was the most peaceful time in her life.
"I promise not to talk about work," Rian said. "But, the captain told me before I left yesterday that there's a new file being sent to us. Apparently, while I was gone there was a random shooting in Salem."
"Oh really, does it match our M.O.?"
"I don't know. He didn't have the details. He just said a woman was shot while standing at an ATM. There wasn't much to go on."
"When will we get the case?" Leann asked as she tossed her sandwich paper into the empty bag.
"I'm hoping Monday. If it looks like our guy I'm going to make some calls and see if I can get the details from Jacob Perry's file. That may help us I.D. him."
"Do you think Perry knew Steven Monahan?"
Rian shrugged. "It's possible. I'm going to try to find a connection if I can get the file." She finished her sandwich and put the wrapper in the bag.
"Any lead is better than nothing I guess." Leann leaned back and stretched her legs out in front of her. "What are you going to do about that letter you got?"
"Nothing. It's clean anyway. I don't scare easily and whoever sent it obviously knows I'm working the case again. If it's the FBI I'll get a personal visit next."
"That's nice of them." Leann laughed.
"Yeah." Rian shook her head. "I don't think they realize just how personal he's made this. I won't stop until he's behind bars or under the dirt and frankly the latter would be quite nice."
"Try not to get beat up again," Leann teased.
"War wounds," Rian said.
Leann rolled her eyes and sighed when her phone rang. She talked quickly and wrote down an address. "I'm on call all weekend and it looks like someone decided to check out early. I have to go to a possible suicide. What a lovely way to ruin my beautiful afternoon," she said sarcastically.
Rian grimaced. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks." Leann put her hand on Rian's and squeezed before she stood up. "I'll see you Monday. Call me when you get that file."
Rian watched her walk away and decided to stay a little longer and enjoy the natural serenity. It had been so long since she sat and listened to the trees and the wildlife.
~
Rian felt someone watching her, when she turned around there was no one there. She stared at the blue sky another minute or two, then walked over to the trash bin and tossed the bag in. She was about to walk away when she got the feeling again that someone was watching her, before she could turn and look she heard footsteps on the gravel.
"She loves you," a female voice said.
Rian's breath hitched in her chest. She k
new that sweet innocent voice anywhere. She spun around to see a petite woman with long brown hair standing in front of her wearing an overcoat and dark sunglasses.
Confused, Rian stepped closer. "Who are you?" she asked the stranger.
The woman pulled her sunglasses off slowly revealing one green eye and one blue one. Rian jerked back and her chest constricted. "No," she said as she shook her head and backed away. "You died. I spread your ashes," she whispered. The woman a few feet away might have brown hair, but there was no mistaking those beautiful eyes that would give her away anywhere.
"I know, the service was beautiful," she said.
"You were there?" Rian's voice rose. She felt like she was looking at a ghost and her world was swirling out of control. She was confused, her head and chest were pounding in unison.
"I'm sorry, Rian."
"Why, Ari? Why?" Rian said.
"He found me and threatened to kill you if I didn't leave. It was the only way to save you," Ari said as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Who are you?" Rian yelled. "I don't even know you. Is it Ari Turner or Arianna Canturri? Who was the woman I was in love with, the woman that shared my life?"
When Ari tried to answer Rian cut her off. "No, that woman died nine months ago. You can go back to wherever you came from." Rian turned to walk away she was so lost and confused. The pain of losing Ari didn't compare to the pain of knowing it was all fake and she was still alive.
"He's pissed and if you don't stop trying to take him down he will kill you, Rian. That's why I came to warn you."
"Consider me warned," Rian said as she walked away without looking back.
When she reached her vehicle, Rian called Section Chief Philip Walsh. When his voicemail picked up she told him she had something new on Canturri and if he wanted it he needed to be on a plane soon.
~
Monday morning Rian went through her normal routine in zombie mode. She barely spoke to anyone and was constantly watching for Ari to pop out from every corner. She was glad the file from Salem hadn't arrived. She didn't have the patience to work on the case right now with everything else that was going on. When Leann tried to make time to see her, Rian found reasons to be busy with something else.
Tuesday afternoon Walsh arrived and met her at the same coffee shop from last time. Rian was early. She kept her eyes on everyone in the room searching for the one person she didn't want to see ever again.
"You're not an agent anymore, Rian." Walsh said when he sat down. "I was trying to keep you out of this, but there are things you need to know," he opened a folder and pushed it over to her. "Ari's still alive. We've known for quite awhile now. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."
"I know," Rian said. "She came to see me."
Rian watched the color drain from Walsh's face. "What...uh...what did she say?"
"She tried to warn me off Canturri," Rian said as she looked at the open file there were surveillance pictures of herself at Canturri's laying on the table.
"You're in too deep here, Rian."
"You should've told me Walsh, for the fact that we were once on the same team if nothing else." Rian said.
"I couldn't say anything. We've been working non-stop on this case since you left and we're closer than ever before. I couldn't jeopardize our new lead. I have an informant that has set up dealings with customs to bring in a container shipment full of military grade automatic weapons in a few weeks."
"Is she working for him?"
Walsh twisted in his seat. "I don't know, but if I had to guess I'd say yes. Probably all along, Rian. I'm sorry."
Rian listened to his story in silence as her mind raced. "I'll give you everything I have. It's going to take me a few days. I'll send it to you."
"That's fine. Let me know if you see her again or she leaves you any kind of contact information," he said as he stood up. "This will all be over soon."
Rian sat at the small table and drank her coffee while he walked away. The best part of her life was turning out to be one big joke. She wondered if Ari ever even loved her. She didn't know who or what to believe anymore. She took another sip of coffee when she realized she needed something a lot stronger. She tossed a few bills on the table and went home. No one at the department would notice if she didn't come back from lunch anyway.
~
The next morning Leann was sitting at Rian's desk when she walked in. Rian looked like something that crawled out from under the couch. Her short hair was messier than usual, her suit was slightly rumpled, and she was wearing dark sunglasses in the already dark building.
"You look like something the cat threw up," Leann said standing up. Rian walked around her and sat down.
"I feel like it too," Rian said as she opened the lid on her coffee and added more sugar from the packets she kept in her top drawer.
"What's going on?"
Rian took her sunglasses off, revealing large circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and everything else her body needed to keep going. She tossed a file on the desk. "The Salem homicide," she said.
"When did you get this?" Leann said as she opened it.
"Just now," Rian yawned.
"Then this isn't what's got you so run down," Leann said.
Rian stretched her sore muscles. She wasn't in the mood to tell anyone her dead fiancé was back in the flesh and her world had been turned upside because of it. Rian watched Leann flip through the file casually while waiting for her to explain. Leann was nothing if she wasn't persistent.
When Leann closed the file she looked up at Rian and raised an eyebrow.
"There's been a new development in that other case," Rian stated.
"What kind of development?"
"A huge one."
"Really? This is good, right? I'm assuming you haven't slept in days. When's the last time you ate anything?" Leann said.
Rian shrugged. "I don't know." She had spent the last few days going over everything she had on Fiorino Canturri. She tried to put some faith behind Walsh's story about the informant and the container of drugs coming through customs, but it just didn't make sense. Canturri was smarter than that. This wasn't his normal mode of operation. She honestly wasn't sure when she slept or ate last.
"I'll bring some dinner over tonight. You can tell me all about it."
"That's not a good idea. In fact, it's probably best if you stay away from me for a while."
"What? That's crazy, Rian."
"Something big is about to happen and I have no idea what it is and I don't want you to be a part of it."
"Fine. What about the case here? We need to look at this new file and compare it to the others."
Leann was right. Rian had an actual job to do whether she wanted to do it or not. "I'm going to look at it today. I'll come see you if I find anything."
Leann left the room without looking back. She was upset, but Rian didn't know what else to do. She didn't want Leann involved in this mess swirling around her.
~
Leann was elbow deep in a body cavity when Rian walked in. She saw Rian enter the room and immediately go back outside. She shook her head and laughed. When she had the body covered and back in the freezer she peeled off the gown and gloves she was wearing and went to the door.
"You can come in now," she said when she popped her head out. Rian was leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"I have no idea how you do what you do," Rian said as she cringed. She still couldn't look at a dead body or blood without thinking of Ari and that only pissed her off.
"Someone has to do it," Leann grinned.
"I finished that file from Salem and I wanted to show it to you."
"Come in," Leann said as she held the door open for Rian. "Did you find something?"
Rian walked over to a side table and opened the file. "This woman, Pauline Whitten, was shot while taking money out of an ATM at a strip mall."
Leann looked at the pictures and the autopsy report. "He shot her in the back of the head. It
looks like the bullet exited through her right eye with a downward trajectory."
"Yeah, he was up high and probably a couple hundred yards away," Rian said.
"The report only says, high-powered hunting rifle."
"I have a theory," Rian said. "ATM's usually have cameras, maybe it picked up something."
"The cameras that they have won't pick something up from that far away though."
"I know that. But, maybe it will show the path of the bullet before it struck her. We need to gather a few things and take a road trip."
"Did the captain tell you to do this? What about Quinn?" Leann asked.
"I think he has no confidence in Quinn. He said it's my theory so I have to go incase I'm wasting time and to take you with me because you have the equipment."
Leann smiled. "It has nothing to do with Quinn, you know. He's had you working this case from day one. He's just doing it on your terms so you don't think you're working an active case. He's utilizing your skills without your knowledge."
Rian closed the file and stared at Leann. "I never even thought of it that way. I guess I've been too wrapped up in my own pitiful mess to realize what was even going on here. This place isn't really work to me, it's more like something to pass the time," she shrugged.
An hour later they arrived at the crime scene. The machine had already been replaced. Rian stood in front of it and turned around. There were a number of buildings in the distance including another strip mall on the opposite side of the highway. The mall manager arrived shortly after with the disk that had the surveillance footage from the camera on it.
Rian thanked him and went back to the car with the disk. Leann had her department issued laptop running on the dash. They put the disk in and watched as Pauline Whitten walked up and put her card in the machine. Just after she entered her pin number her head lurched forward and she fell to the ground.
"Did you see that?" Rian said.
"Yeah, you can't see the bullet, but based on the entrance point it looks like maybe the strip mall across the highway. That's the only point of reference I see that fits."
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