Once Cold

by Blake Pierce

  I guess I do some things right, Riley thought.

  As Riley watched, April got inside her defender’s position and made a beautiful corner kick that slammed past the opposing goalkeeper. She’d scored the first goal of the game.

  Riley leaped to her feet, cheering and clapping.

  As she cheered, Riley recognized another girl on the team. It was April’s friend Crystal Hildreth. Riley hadn’t seen Crystal in quite some time. The sight of the girl stirred up some complicated emotions.

  Crystal and her father, Blaine, used to live right next door to Riley and her family.

  Blaine was a charming man. Riley had gotten romantically interested in him, and he in her.

  But all that ended a few months ago when something terrible happened. Then Blaine and his daughter had moved away.

  Riley really, really didn’t want to be reminded of those awful events.

  She looked around the crowd. Since Crystal was playing, Blaine was surely here somewhere. But at the moment, she couldn’t see him.

  She hoped she wouldn’t have to meet him.

  *

  Halftime arrived and Jilly ran off to talk to some friends she had spotted.

  Riley noticed that she had a text message. It was from Shirley Redding, the real estate agent she had contacted about selling her father’s cabin.

  It read …

  Good news! Call me right away!

  Riley made her way out of the stands and dialed the agent’s number.

  “I’ve looked into the sale,” the woman said. “The property should bring in well over a hundred thousand dollars. Perhaps twice that.”

  Riley felt a tingle of excitement. That kind of money would be a huge help for the girls’ college plans.

  Shirley continued, “We need to talk over details. Is now a good time?”

  It wasn’t, of course, so Riley made arrangements to talk to her tomorrow. Just as she ended the call, she saw someone making his way through the crowd toward her.

  Riley recognized him right away. It was Blaine, her former neighbor.

  She noticed that the good-looking, smiling man still had a scar on his right cheek.

  Riley’s heart sank.

  Did he blame Riley for that scar?

  She couldn’t help blaming herself.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Blaine Hildreth felt a rush of conflicting emotions as he made his way through the crowd. He had spotted Riley Paige when she stood up to cheer. She looked as vital and striking as ever, and he found himself automatically going toward her at the halftime break. Now she was looking back at him as he approached, but he couldn’t tell much from her expression.

  How did she feel about seeing him?

  And how did he feel about seeing her?

  Blaine couldn’t help flashing back to a traumatic day more than two months ago …

  He was sitting in his own living room when he heard a terrible racket next door.

  He rushed over to Riley’s townhouse and found the front door partially open.

  He charged inside and saw what was going on.

  A man was attacking April, Riley’s daughter. The man had thrown April on the floor, and she was squirming and twisting, beating him with her fists.

  Blaine rushed toward them and pulled the attacker off April. He struggled with the man, trying to subdue him.

  Blaine was taller than the attacker, but not stronger, and not nearly as agile.

  He kept swinging his fists at the man, but most of his blows missed, and the ones that connected made no apparent impact.

  Suddenly, the man landed a crashing punch to Blaine’s abdomen. The wind exploded out of Blaine’s lungs. He buckled over and couldn’t breathe.

  Then the attacker delivered a swift kick to his face …

  … and the world went black.

  The next thing Blaine knew, he was in the hospital.

  And now, as he was approaching Riley, Blaine was shaking a little from the memory.

  He tried to steady himself.

  When he reached Riley, he didn’t know what to do. Shaking hands seemed a bit ridiculous. Should he give her a hug?

  He saw that Riley’s face was red with embarrassment. She didn’t seem to know what to do either.

  “Hi, Blaine,” Riley said.

  “Hi.”

  They stood there staring at each other for a moment, then laughed a little at their own awkwardness.

  “Both of our girls are playing well today,” Riley said.

  “Yours especially,” Blaine said.

  April’s goal early in the game had really impressed him.

  “Are you here with anybody?” Riley asked.

  “No. And you?”

  “Just Jilly,” Riley said. “You don’t know her, I guess. Jilly is … well, it’s a long story.”

  Blaine nodded.

  “I’ve heard about Jilly from my daughter,” he said. “Adopting her is really a great thing to do.”

  Blaine remembered something else Crystal had told him. Riley was trying to get back together with Ryan. Blaine wondered how that was going. Ryan wasn’t here at the game, anyway.

  Rather shyly, Riley said, “Listen, we’re sitting up in the back of the stands. We’ve got some extra room. Would you like to watch the rest of the game with us?”

  Blaine smiled.

  “I’d like that,” he said.

  They made their way to the bleachers and climbed up to the back. A thin young girl smiled as she saw Riley approach. But she didn’t look happy when she noticed that Blaine was with her.

  “Jilly, this is my friend Blaine,” Riley said.

  Without saying a word, Jilly got up from the bench and started to walk away.

  “Sit with us, Jilly,” Riley said.

  “I’m going to sit with my friends,” Jilly said, pushing past them and continuing down the stairs. “They can squeeze me in.”

  Riley looked shocked and dismayed.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Blaine. “That was very rude.”

  “It’s OK,” Blaine said.

  Riley sighed as they both sat down.

  “No, it’s not OK,” she said. “A whole lot of things aren’t OK. Jilly’s mad because I’m sitting with someone who’s not Ryan. He had moved back in with us, and she’d gotten very attached to him.”

  Riley shook her head.

  “Now Ryan’s moving out again,” she said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell the girls yet. Or maybe I just haven’t found the nerve. They’re both going to be crushed.”

  Blaine felt a little relieved that Ryan wasn’t in the picture. He had met Riley’s handsome ex-husband a couple of times, and the man’s arrogance had put him off. Besides that, he had to admit, he was hoping that Riley was free of romantic relationships.

  But he felt also guilty for reacting that way.

  The game quickly started again. Both April and Crystal were playing well, and Blaine and Riley cheered from time to time.

  But through it all, Blaine kept thinking about the last time he’d seen Riley. It was soon after he returned home from the hospital. He’d knocked on her door to tell her that he and Crystal were moving away. Blaine had given Riley a lame excuse. He’d said that the townhouse was too far from the restaurant that he owned and managed.

  He’d also tried to make it sound like the move was no big deal.

  “It’ll be like nothing has changed,” he’d told her.

  It wasn’t true, of course, and Riley hadn’t bought it.

  She’d been visibly displeased.

  This seemed like as good a time as any to broach the subject.

  In a hesitant voice, he said, “Listen, Riley, I’m sorry about how things were the last time I saw you. When I told you we were moving, I mean. I wasn’t at my best.”

  “No need to explain anything,” Riley said.

  But Blaine felt very differently.

  He said, “Look, I think we both know the reason Crystal and I moved.”

  Riley shrugged.<
br />
  “Yeah,” Riley said. “You were scared for your daughter’s safety. I don’t blame you, Blaine. I really don’t. You were only being sensible.”

  Blaine didn’t know what to say. Riley was right, of course. He’d been scared for Crystal’s safety, not his own. He was also scared for Crystal’s mental well-being. Blaine’s ex-wife, Phoebe, was an abusive alcoholic, and Crystal was still dealing with the emotional scars of that relationship. She didn’t need any new traumas in her life.

  Riley knew all about Phoebe. She’d actually rescued Crystal from one of Phoebe’s drunken rages.

  Maybe she really does understand, he thought.

  But he couldn’t tell how she really felt.

  Just then, their daughters’ team scored another goal. Blaine and Riley clapped and cheered. They watched the game in silence for a few moments.

  Then Riley said, “Blaine, I admit I was disappointed with you when you moved. Maybe even a little angry. I was wrong. It wasn’t fair of me. I’m sorry about what happened.”

  She paused, then continued.

  “I felt terrible about what happened to you. And guilty. I still do. Blaine, I—”

  For a moment, she seemed to struggle with her thoughts and feelings.

  “I can’t help but feel that I bring danger to everyone who crosses my path. I hate that about my job. I hate that about myself.”

  Blaine started to object.

  “Riley, you mustn’t—”

  Riley stopped him.

  “It’s true, and we both know it. If I were my neighbor, I’d want to move too. At least, as long as I had a teenager in the house.”

  At that moment, a play went wrong for their daughters’ team. Blaine and Riley groaned along with the rest of the home crowd.

  Blaine was starting to feel somewhat reassured. Riley sincerely didn’t seem to hold his moving against him—at least not anymore.

  Could they reawaken the interest they once had for each other?

  Blaine gathered up his nerve and said, “Riley, I’d love to treat you and your kids to a dinner at my restaurant. You can bring Gabriela too. She and I could swap Central American recipes.”

  Riley sat quietly for a moment. She looked almost as if she hadn’t heard.

  Finally she said, “I don’t think so, Blaine. Things are just too complicated right now. Thanks for asking, though.”

  Blaine felt a pang of disappointment. Not only was Riley turning him down, but she didn’t seem to be leaving any future possibilities open.

  But there was nothing to be done about it.

  He watched the rest of the game with Riley in silence.

  *

  Riley was still thinking about Blaine over dinner that evening. She wondered if maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should have accepted his invitation. She liked him and missed him.

  He’d even invited Gabriela, which was sweet. As a restaurateur, he had appreciated Gabriela’s cooking in the past.

  And Gabriela had made a typically delicious Guatemalan meal tonight—chicken in onion sauce. The girls were enjoying it and chattering about this afternoon’s soccer victory.

  “Why didn’t you come to the game, Gabriela?” April asked.

  “You’d have enjoyed it,” Jilly said.

  “Sí, I enjoy the futbol,” Gabriela said. “Next time I will come.”

  This seemed to Riley like a good time to mention something.

  “I’ve got good news,” she said. “I talked to my Realtor today, and she thinks that selling your grandfather’s cabin should bring in quite a bit of money. It should really help with college plans—for both of you.”

  The girls were pleased and talked about that for a while. But soon Jilly’s mood seemed to darken.

  Finally Jilly asked Riley, “Who was that guy at the game with you?”

  April said, “Oh, that was Blaine. He used to be our neighbor. He’s Crystal’s dad. You’ve met her.”

  Jilly ate in sullen silence for a few moments.

  Then she said, “Where’s Ryan? Why wasn’t he at the game?”

  Riley gulped anxiously. She’d noticed earlier that Ryan had come to the house during the day to take his things. It was time to tell the girls the truth.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell everybody,” she began.

  But she had trouble finding the right words.

  “Ryan … says he needs some space. He’s—”

  She couldn’t bring herself to say more. She could see by the girls’ faces that she didn’t need to. They understood all too well what she meant.

  After a few seconds of silence, Jilly burst into tears and fled the room, hurrying upstairs. April quickly followed to console her.

  Riley realized that April was accustomed to Ryan’s on and off attentions. These disappointments must still hurt, but she could handle them better than Jilly could.

  Sitting at the table with only Gabriela, Riley started feeling guilty. Was she completely incapable of maintaining a serious relationship with a man?

  As if reading her thoughts, Gabriela said, “Stop blaming yourself. It is not your fault. Ryan is a fool.”

  Riley smiled sadly.

  “Thanks, Gabriela,” she said.

  It was exactly what she needed to hear.

  Then Gabriela added, “The girls need a father figure. But not someone who will come and go like that.”

  “I know,” Riley said.

  *

  Later that evening, Riley looked in on the girls. Jilly was in April’s room, silently doing homework.

  April looked up and said, “We’re OK, Mom.”

  Riley felt a flood of relief. As sad as she felt for both girls, she was proud that April was comforting Jilly.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, and quietly closed the door.

  She thought that April would talk to her about Ryan whenever she felt ready. But Jilly might have a harder time of it.

  As she went back downstairs, Riley found herself thinking about what Gabriela had said.

  “The girls need a father figure.”

  She looked at the phone. Blaine had made it clear that he would like to get their relationship going again.

  But what would he actually expect of her? Her life was packed full with kids and work. Could she really include anyone else in it right now? Would she just disappoint him?

  But, she admitted, I do like him.

  And he clearly liked her. Surely there had to be room in life for…

  She picked up the phone and dialed Blaine’s home number. She was disappointed to get his answering machine, but not surprised. She knew that his work at the restaurant often kept him away from home at nights.

  At the sound of the beep, Riley left a message.

  “Hi, Blaine. This is Riley. Listen, I’m sorry if I acted a little distant at the game this afternoon. I hope I didn’t seem rude. I just want to say, if your dinner offer still stands, count us in. Give me a call whenever you can to let me know.”

  Riley immediately felt better. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink. As she sat sipping it on the living room couch, she found herself remembering her conversation with Paula Steen.

  Paula had seemed at peace with the fact that her daughter’s killer would never be brought to justice.

  “It’s nobody’s fault, and I don’t blame anybody,” Paula had said.

  Those words now troubled Riley.

  It just seemed so unfair.

  Riley finished her drink, took a shower, and went to bed.

  She’d barely fallen asleep when the nightmares started.

  *

  Riley was just a little girl.

  She was walking through some woods at night. She was scared, but she wasn’t sure why.

  After all, she wasn’t really lost in the woods.

  The woods were close to a highway, and she could see cars going back and forth. The glow from a streetlight and a full moon both lit her way among the trees.

  Then he
r eyes fell on a row of three shallow graves.

  The dirt and stones that covered the graves were shifting and heaving.

  Women’s hands clawed their way out of the graves.

  She could hear their muffled voices say …

  “Help us! Please!”

  “I’m just a little girl!” Riley answered tearfully.

  Riley snapped awake in bed. She was trembling.

  It’s just a nightmare, she told herself.

  And it wasn’t especially surprising that she’d dream about the Matchbook Killer’s victims the night after she’d talked to Paula Steen.

  She took several long, deep breaths. Soon she felt relaxed again, and her consciousness started to fade into sleep.

  But then …

  She was still just a little girl.

  She was in a candy store with Mommy, and Mommy was buying her lots of candy.

  A scary man wearing a stocking over his head came toward her.

  He pointed a gun at Mommy.

  “Give me your money,” he told Mommy.

  But Mommy was too scared to move.

  The man shot Mommy in the chest, and she fell down right in front of Riley.

  Riley started screaming. She whirled around looking for someone to help.

  But suddenly, she was in the woods again.

  The women’s hands were still groping out of the three graves.

  The voices were still calling …

  “Help us! Please!”

  Then Riley heard another voice beside her. This one sounded familiar …

  “You heard them, Riley. They need your help.”

  Riley turned and saw Mommy. She was standing right there, her chest bleeding from her bullet wound. Her face was deathly pale.

  “I can’t help them, Mommy!” Riley cried. “I’m just a little girl!”

  Mommy smiled.

  “No, you’re not just a little girl, Riley. You’re all grown up. Turn around and look.”

  Riley turned and found herself looking into a full-length mirror.

  It was true.

  She was a woman now.

  And the voices were still calling out …