ONCE LOST

by Blake Pierce

  Yes, I mind. I mind very much.

  Roston’s tactic was becoming clear to Riley.

  Some days ago Roston had privately interrogated Riley about this very topic in this very room.

  Now Roston clearly intended to ask her the same questions all over again, hoping to catch Riley in a contradiction. Roston expected Riley to crack under the pressure of a large meeting like this. And Riley knew from hard experience not to underestimate her. Roston was highly skilled with mind games.

  Say as little as possible, she told herself. Be extremely careful.

  *

  After the meeting broke up, everyone left the room except Riley.

  Now that it had ended, Riley felt too badly shaken to get up from her chair.

  Roston had asked her familiar questions—for example, how often Riley had communicated with Hatcher, and how. She’d also asked about the death of Shirley Redding, a real estate agent who had gone to the cabin against Riley’s wishes and had died there. The police didn’t suspect foul play, but Riley was sure that Hatcher had murdered her for intruding on his territory. Riley sensed that Roston also suspected the truth.

  Through all of Roston’s questions, Riley had responded with familiar lies.

  She could tell that Roston was far from satisfied.

  This isn’t over, she thought with a chill. How long could she hope to conceal the whole truth about her relationship with Hatcher?

  But a much more terrifying worry also weighed on her.

  What was Shane Hatcher going to do now?

  She knew he felt bitterly betrayed that she hadn’t warned him about the approaching SWAT team. In fact, he had deliberately allowed himself to be seen at the cabin, allowed the FBI to close in, just to test her loyalty.

  From Hatcher’s perspective, she had failed that test.

  She remembered a text message he had sent to her afterward …

  “You will live to regret it. Your family might not.”

  She knew Hatcher too well not to take his threats seriously.

  Riley sat at the big table clenching her hands together anxiously.

  How did I let it come to this? she wondered.

  Why had she allowed her relationship with Hatcher to continue even after his escape from prison?

  Something Walder had just said echoed in her mind …

  “You say that Hatcher’s obsessed with you. Are you sure that obsession isn’t mutual?”

  Now that she was sitting here alone, she couldn’t deny the truth behind Walder’s question.

  Hatcher had fascinated Riley ever since she first met him in Sing Sing, seeking out his considerable expertise as a self-taught criminologist. He still fascinated her now that he was at large—fascinated her with his brilliance, his ruthlessness, and his strange capacity for loyalty. In fact, Riley felt an uncanny bond with him—a bond that Hatcher did everything he could to strengthen and manipulate.

  It was just like Hatcher had sometimes told her:

  “We’re joined at the brain, Riley Paige.”

  Riley shuddered at the thought.

  She hoped that at long last she had broken that bond.

  But had she also brought the wrath of Shane Hatcher upon the people she loved most?

  Just then Riley heard a voice behind her.

  “Agent Paige …”

  Riley turned and saw that Jennifer Roston had just stepped back into the room.

  “I think that you and I need to talk some more,” Roston said, sitting down at the table across from Riley.

  Riley’s mind flooded with dread.

  What trick might Roston have up her sleeve now?

  CHAPTER TWO

  Riley and Jennifer Roston sat looking at each other across the conference room table in silence for almost a full minute.

  The suspense was almost more than Riley could take.

  Finally Roston said, “That was quite a performance you just gave, Agent Paige.”

  Riley felt stung and angry.

  “I don’t need this,” she growled.

  She started to get up from her chair to leave.

  “No, don’t go,” Roston said. “Not without hearing what I’ve got on my mind.”

  Then with an odd smile, she added, “You might be surprised.”

  Riley felt as though she knew perfectly well what Roston had in mind.

  She had set her mind on destroying Riley.

  Nevertheless, Riley stayed seated. Whatever was going on between her and Roston, it was high time to settle it. And besides, she was curious.

  Roston said, “First of all, I think we got off to a bad start. There have been some misunderstandings. I never meant for us to be enemies. Please believe me. I admire you. A lot. I came to the BAU eager to work with you.”

  Riley was a little taken aback. Roston’s facial expression and tone of voice seemed perfectly sincere. The truth was, Riley had been deeply impressed by everything she’d heard about Roston. Her academy scores were said to be astonishing, and she’d already won commendations for field work in Los Angeles.

  And now, sitting here looking at her, Riley was impressed anew with Roston’s demeanor. The woman was short but compact and athletic, and she radiated energy and enthusiasm.

  But now seemed no time for Riley to heap praise on the new agent. There had simply been too much tension and mistrust between them.

  After a pause, Roston said, “I think we’ve got a lot to offer each other. Right now. In fact, I’m pretty sure we both want exactly the same thing.”

  “What’s that?” Riley asked.

  Roston smiled and tilted her head a little.

  “To put an end to Shane Hatcher’s criminal career.”

  Riley didn’t reply. It took moment for Riley to register that Roston’s words were perfectly true. She no longer considered Shane Hatcher to be an ally. In fact, he was a dangerous enemy. And he had to be stopped before he did harm to any of Riley’s loved ones.

  To do that, he would have to be caught or killed.

  “Tell me more,” Riley said.

  Roston tucked her chin on her hand and leaned toward Riley.

  “I’m going to say a few things,” she said. “I’d like you to listen without saying anything in reply. Don’t deny or agree with what I say. Just listen.”

  Riley nodded uneasily.

  “Your relationship with Shane Hatcher continued even after he escaped Sing Sing. In fact, it became more intense than ever. You’ve communicated with him more than once—several times, I’m pretty sure, occasionally in person. He’s helped you on official cases, and he’s helped you in more personal ways. Your relationship with him has become—what’s the word? Symbiotic.”

  It took Riley considerable self-control not to react to any of this.

  All of it was, of course, absolutely true.

  Roston continued, “I’m pretty sure you were aware of his presence at your cabin. In fact, you probably agreed to it. But the death of Shirley Redding was no accident. And it wasn’t part of your bargain. Hatcher has gotten out of control, and you want nothing more to do with him. But you’re scared of him. You don’t know how to break the connection.”

  An unsettling silence fell between Riley and Roston. Riley wondered how she knew all this. It seemed downright uncanny. But Riley didn’t believe in mind reading.

  No, she’s just one hell of a detective, Riley thought.

  This new agent was extremely smart, and her instincts and intuition seemed to be as strong as Riley’s.

  But what was Roston trying to do right now? Was she setting a trap, trying to get Riley to confess all that had gone on between her and Hatcher?

  Somehow, Riley’s gut told her otherwise.

  But did she dare trust her?

  Roston was smiling enigmatically again.

  “Agent Paige, do you think I don’t know how you feel? Do you think I don’t have secrets of my own? Do you think I haven’t gotten in over my head, made a pact with someone I shouldn’t have? Believe me, I
know exactly what you’re dealing with. You took a chance, and rules sometimes need to be broken. So you broke them. Not many agents have your guts. I really do want to help.”

  Riley studied Roston’s face without replying. She was again struck by the younger agent’s sincerity.

  Riley could feel a grim smile forming at the corners of her mouth. Apparently something dark lurked inside Roston, as it did in herself.

  Roston said, “Agent Paige, when I first started working on the Hatcher case, you gave me access to all the computer files you had relating to him. Except for one titled ‘THOUGHTS.’ It was listed in the summary, but I couldn’t find it. You told me you’d deleted it. You said it was just rough notes and redundant stuff.”

  Roston leaned back in her chair, seeming to relax a little.

  But Riley was anything but relaxed. She’d rashly deleted the file called THOUGHTS, which actually contained vital information about Hatcher’s financial connections—connections that allowed him to remain at large and wield considerable power.

  Roston said, “I’m pretty sure you’ve still got that file.”

  Riley suppressed a shudder of alarm. The fact was, she had kept the file on a thumb drive. She’d often thought about simply erasing it, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Hatcher’s spell over her had been strong. And just maybe she’d thought she might need to use that information someday herself.

  Instead of erasing it, she’d been carrying it around in a state of indecision.

  It was in Riley’s purse right now.

  “I’m pretty sure that file is important,” Roston said. “In fact, it might contain information that I need to put Hatcher away once and for all. And we both want that to happen. I’m sure of it.”

  Riley gulped.

  I mustn’t say anything, she thought.

  But didn’t everything Roston said make perfect sense?

  That thumb drive might well be the key to freeing Riley from Shane Hatcher’s clutches.

  Roston’s expression softened more.

  “Agent Paige, I’m going to make you a solemn promise. If you give me that information, nobody will ever know that you ever withheld it. I won’t tell a soul. Never.”

  Riley felt her resistance collapse.

  Her every instinct assured her of Roston’s sincerity.

  She silently reached into her purse, took out the thumb drive, and handed it to the younger agent. Roston’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t say a word. She just nodded and put the drive in her pocket.

  Riley felt a desperate need to break the silence.

  “Do you wish to discuss anything else, Agent Roston?”

  The younger agent chuckled a little.

  “Please, call me Jenn. All my friends do.”

  Riley squinted uncertainly as Roston got up from her chair.

  “Mind you, I won’t presume to call you anything except Agent Paige. Not until you feel comfortable otherwise. But please. Do call me Jenn. I positively insist.”

  Roston left the room, leaving Riley sitting there in astonished silence.

  *

  Riley settled down to catch up with paperwork in her office. Whenever she wasn’t working on a case, it seemed as though tons of bureaucratic tedium awaited her and didn’t let up until she went out into the field again.

  It was always unpleasant. But today she had an especially hard time focusing on what she was doing. She grew more and more worried that she’d just made a terribly foolish mistake.

  Why on earth had she just handed that file over to Jennifer Roston—or “Jenn,” as she now insisted Riley call her?

  It was nothing less than a confession of obstruction on Riley’s part.

  Why had she given it to this particular agent when she’d never shown it to anyone else? How could an ambitious young agent do anything other than report Riley’s transgression to her superiors—maybe even to Carl Walder himself?

  Any minute now, Riley might find herself under arrest.

  Why hadn’t she just erased the file?

  Or she could have gotten rid of it, as she had done with the gold chain Hatcher had given her. The chain had been a symbol of her bond with Hatcher. It had also contained a code for contacting him.

  Riley had thrown it away in a frantic effort to free herself of him.

  But for some reason, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to do the same with the thumb drive.

  Why?

  The financial information it contained was surely enough to at least limit Hatcher’s movements and activities.

  It might just be enough to stop him for good.

  It was a riddle, as were so many aspects of her relationship with Hatcher.

  While Riley was sorting papers on her desk, her cell phone rang. It was a text message from an unknown number. Riley’s gasped when she saw what it said.

  Did you think this would stop me? Everything is already moved. You can’t say you weren’t warned.

  Riley found it hard to breathe.

  Shane Hatcher, she thought.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Riley stared at the text message, panic rising inside her.

  It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened. Jenn Roston had opened the file as soon as she and Riley had parted. Jenn had found out what was in it and had already gotten right to work trying to shut down Hatcher’s operation.

  But in his message, Hatcher himself defiantly announced that Jenn hadn’t succeeded.

  Everything is already moved.

  Shane Hatcher was still at large, and he was angry. With his financial resources intact he might be more dangerous than ever.

  I’ve got to answer him, she thought. I’ve got to reason with him.

  But how? What could she possibly say that wouldn’t infuriate him more?

  Then it occurred to her that Hatcher might not fully understand what was happening.

  How could he know that it was Roston sabotaging his network, not Riley? Maybe she could make him understand at least that much.

  Her hands shook as she typed in a reply.

  Let me explain.

  But when she tried to send the text, it was marked “undeliverable.”

  Riley groaned with despair.

  Exactly the same thing had happened the last time she’d tried to communicate with Hatcher. He’d sent her a cryptic message, then cut her off. She used to be able to communicate with Hatcher by video chat, text, and even phone calls. But those days were over.

  Right now, she had no way at all of reaching him.

  But he could still reach her.

  The second sentence of his new message was especially chilling.

  “You can’t say you weren’t warned.”

  Riley flashed back to what he had written the last time she had communicated with him.

  “You will live to regret it. Your family might not.”

  Riley gasped and said aloud …

  “My family!”

  She fumbled with her cell phone as she punched in her home number. She heard it ring, then keep on ringing. Then the outgoing message came on, her own voice.

  It was all Riley could do to keep from screaming.

  Why wasn’t anyone answering? The schools were on spring break. Her kids were supposed to be home. And where was Riley’s live-in housekeeper, Gabriela?

  Just before the outgoing message ended, she heard the voice of Jilly, the thirteen-year-old that Riley was in the process of trying to adopt. Jilly sounded breathless.

  “Hey, sorry, Mom. Gabriela went to the grocery store. April and Liam and I were out in the backyard kicking a soccer ball around. We’re expecting Gabriela to get back any minute.”

  Riley realized she’d been holding her breath. She made a conscious effort to start breathing again.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Jilly said with a shrug in her voice. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  Riley struggled to calm herself down.

  “Jilly, could you go
and look out the front window for me?”

  “OK,” Jilly said.

  Riley heard a few footsteps.

  “I’m looking,” Jilly said.

  “Is the van with the FBI agents still out there?”

  “Yeah. And so is the one in the alley. I just saw it when I was in the backyard. If that Shane Hatcher guy comes around, those guys are sure to catch him. Is something wrong? You’re kind of scaring me.”

  Riley forced a laugh.

  “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just—being a mom, I guess.”

  “OK. I’ll see you later.”

  The call ended, but Riley’s worry was still surging inside her.

  She went down the hall and straight to Brent Meredith’s office.

  She stammered, “Sir, I—I need to take the rest of the day off.”

  Meredith looked up from his work.

  “May I ask why, Agent Paige?” he asked.

  Riley opened her mouth, but no words came out. If she explained that she’d just gotten a threat from Shane Hatcher, wouldn’t he insist on seeing the message? How could she show it to him without admitting that she’d just given the file to Jenn Roston?

  Meredith looked concerned now. He seemed aware that something was wrong that Riley couldn’t talk about.

  “Go,” he said. “I hope everything is all right.”

  Riley’s heart flooded with gratitude at Meredith’s understanding and discretion.

  “Thank you, sir,” she said.

  Then she hurried out of the building and got in her car and drove home.

  *

  As she neared her townhouse in a quiet Fredericksburg neighborhood, she was relieved to see that the FBI van was indeed still there. Riley knew there was another van stationed in the alley. Although the vehicles were unmarked, they were hardly inconspicuous. But there was nothing to be done about that.

  Riley parked her car in her driveway, walked over to the van, and looked inside the open passenger window.

  Two young agents were sitting in the front seats—Craig Huang and Bud Wigton. Riley’s spirits lifted a little. She thought highly of both agents, and she’d worked with Huang several times recently. Huang had been a little too gung-ho for Riley’s liking when he first came to the BAU, but he was rapidly maturing into an excellent agent. She didn’t know Wigton as well, but he had an excellent reputation.