Run, River, Run

by C. F. Francis

  Would those same faces give something away this time? She was scared, but she’d be damned if she’d give them a pass. If they were behind any of this shit, they wouldn’t get away with it this time either.

  Kevin stood in the doorway to River’s studio. She didn’t acknowledge his presence. He suspected she didn’t even know he was there. Her focus was solely on the photograph above her workspace.

  “Hi,” he said softly, not wanting to startle her. If he did, she didn’t show. How often had he seen her fight to conceal her emotions? Last night, at least, she’d set some of them free.

  “Hi.” A tender smile lit up her face. “Your timing is perfect.”

  “How so?”

  “I was working myself up into a fit of anger over the Engleharts. I sometimes forget they don’t deserve my energy.”

  “You’re right. They don’t,” he agreed. “You were thinking of your family, though, so it’s understandable. The sculpture is moving,” he said, indicating the picture with a nod of his head. “You designed it, didn’t you?”

  “I drew the sketch, but the woodworking artist deserves credit for capturing what I was trying to say.”

  “You both told a story,” Kevin confirmed, gazing at the photo.

  “If the Engleharts are somehow behind the shit that’s been happening to me, I want to know. If not, I want to find out who is,” she said. “Will you help me end this?”

  It was an invitation he hadn’t expected, but one he would do everything to see through. “I’ll do all I can.” Surprising him again, she pulled him down to kiss him.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. We’ll continue this later.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “We have company coming.”

  “I expected as much. Do they have more news?”

  “Nothing urgent or Steve would have shared it with me. Cat and Josie would like to join the guys, if you have no objection. Cece, too.”

  “None, but I’m surprised they want to come. I’ve either been snapping at them or running from them.”

  “Trust me, they understand.”

  “I guess we’d better feed them,” she said, checking the clock.

  They settled on a delivery from a local pizza place. The team would gladly bring the food, but River insisted on making the arrangements and the purchase.

  The meal arrived, followed shortly by Steve, Josie and Cece. Kevin watched as Cece reached for River. She appeared stunned and hesitant, but after a nod from Josie, took the child into her arms. The sight was another gut punch for Kevin. River was constantly knocking the air from his lungs. Smiling, Cece reached up and pinched River’s cheek before falling into a fit of giggles. River immediately recognized the game and softly pinched Cece’s chubby cheek, bringing on more laughter from the little girl.

  Both laughing, River headed back to the kitchen with Cece on her hip. Setting out the food and dishes one-handed while keeping up a conversation with the tittering child. Kevin was enthralled. He couldn’t take his eyes off the two of them.

  “I’d better get in there and help. She’s a natural,” Josie whispered, as she passed Kevin, sending him a wink as she did.

  Kevin couldn’t dwell on Josie’s comment, or admire the way River so easily dealt with the child. That time was stolen with the arrival of Shayne, Cat, Rick and Gib. The pizza was passed around the room and everyone ate their fill—with the exception of Cece who played with any food within her reach. Kevin stole glances of River as she reached to wipe the child’s face or chuckle at one of Gib’s obvious passes. He regretted the social part of this evening would end too soon. River was relaxed and laughing, something he hadn’t seen her do much, but they’d be leaving in the morning and there were still questions to be asked and plans to be made.

  “Colt said to call when we’re ready,” Cat said, reading his mind.

  “Get them on the phone,” Rick added. “I’ve got a bit to add to last night’s discussion.”

  It was Troy who answered, however. “Hey, guys.”

  “Where’s Colt?” Cat immediately asked.

  “Not to worry, Cat. He ran downstairs to grab a couple of brews. We checked into the resort this afternoon. We’ve done all we can at the cabin. We’ve also talked to your closest neighbors, although I wouldn’t call them close. Your place is really out in the sticks, River.”

  “Part of its appeal,” she said.

  “Is Shayne there?” Troy asked.

  “I’m here.”

  “Sorry I didn’t have time to call today.”

  “I wouldn’t have had time to talk. Snowbirds were flocking into the garden center like mosquitos on a summer night.”

  “Call me when you get home, baby.”

  “You two can have phone sex tonight,” Gib interrupted.

  Kevin noted the sparkle in Gib’s gray eyes and the slight blush on Shayne’s cheeks. Troy had shared the fact it had been Gib who’d been instrumental in pushing the two of them together. Initially, the couple barely tolerated one another.

  “And speaking of calls,” Gib added. “I spoke with TAC Air at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. I’ll shoot you their exact location. They’re expecting you and Colt in the morning. River and Kevin should be arriving around 11:00 a.m. You’ll have plenty of time to get to the prison.”

  “Is everyone there?” Colt’s deep voice resonated through the telephone, joining the conversation.

  “Here, and ready to get started,” Rick announced.

  “Did you find anything of interest on Roxbury?” Troy asked, his voice becoming clearer as he approached the phone at the other end.

  “Nothing major, but he has a record,” Rick told them. “One assault charge, and a string of misdemeanors. The assault charge was dropped. The misdemeanors were for harassment, disturbing the peace, that kind of shit. He did community service.”

  “Any recent run-ins with the law?” Troy probed further.

  “Not in the last couple of years. He either cleaned up his act when he found God, or people aren’t reporting it.”

  “I haven’t found anyone to say differently, but I plan to go back tomorrow. Troy will meet you at the airport, Kevin. I want to keep working the Roxbury angle. There are too many questions about him that beg for answers,” Colt explained.

  “We’re still meeting with the son tomorrow?” River asked.

  “Unless we hear something different from the prison or Rick, we’re still scheduled to question Zeke,” Troy confirmed. “You positive you want to do this?”

  “In all honesty, no, but I think my being there will get a reaction that might be helpful. Besides, I want them to know they didn’t break me.”

  Kevin squeezed River close then placed a kiss on her temple. His friends thought nothing of the gesture. Relationships had a way of blossoming on this island.

  “The cabin has been cleaned up, but if you want, we can get another room at the resort for you,” Colt offered.

  “Thank you, but I’m staying at the cabin.” River stated. “I have to make up my mind whether I’m going to keep it. It’s seen so much loss…” Her voice trailed off. “I need to spend some time there in order to make that decision.”

  “Anything else on the Engleharts?” Steve asked Rick, his tone low. Cece was already asleep in the crook of Steve’s arm. Kevin suspected it was way past her bedtime.

  “I don’t think the warden held anything back. The family hasn’t caused any trouble. For the most part, they’re kept away from the general population. Even convicted felons don’t like child killers. Their single visitor in all this time has been the Reverend. He scheduled another visit for the end of the month—a couple of weeks from now.” Rick took a pull from his beer.

  “He didn’t mention that to me,” Colt told the group. “But he wouldn’t open up about them, so it’s not surprising. I think Troy and River are our best bet to get information out of the Engleharts, if there’s any to get.”

  “Are we sure we’re not missing something?�
� Kevin asked. “I feel like we’re putting all our efforts in one direction. Could there be another avenue we need to explore?”

  “River,” Cat said, making her way to the kitchen, “I suggest you spend some time giving thought to anything odd or out of the ordinary that’s happened to you, other than the obvious.” River and Shayne joined Cat as she began to clean up. “Any former friends, vendors or clients—anyone who might have an axe to grind.”

  “They can pop up and surprise you. Trust me,” Josie added. She took Cece from Steve’s arms and tucked her in her carrier. “I’m still reaching out to my contacts, but nothing new has turned up. There wasn’t a lot of media interest in events surrounding your gaslighting.”

  “You’re certain the break-ins here weren’t connected to the stalking in North Carolina?” Kevin asked Rick.

  “Pretty damn sure. There’s been no threat to River since it was made clear the diamond was removed from her possession. The SATG group would get the hell out of the area. There’s no way they’d stick around with the FBI involved. Not when they don’t have a chance of recovering the stone. They’ve written that one off as a loss.”

  “And they wouldn’t hold River responsible?” Gib questioned Rick.

  “It wouldn’t serve them any purpose and would cause them more trouble than they needed. They sent the message they wanted to send when they killed the dealer who screwed up. We made it clear River wasn’t aware she had the diamond. No. I’d bet my next paycheck they’ve packed up and gone home.”

  “Speaking of home,” Josie said, her voice softening, “it’s time to get this young lady to bed.”

  “I guess we’ve covered all we can cover for now. We’ll see you two tomorrow,” Kevin confirmed before disconnecting the call.

  After River said her goodnights, Kevin walked his friends to the door, then set the alarm. Once they were secure, he faced River and opened his arms. They’d done all they could do tonight. He had something else in mind for the remainder of the evening.

  28

  River was grateful they hadn’t discussed what was to come in the following days. Instead, they exuberantly enjoyed one another’s bodies. She suspected she was more than infatuated with Kevin, but having never been in love, how would she know? Regardless, common sense told her to keep it to herself. She’d be leaving Sanibel permanently, sooner or later. Kevin would be returning to duty and shipping out. Thoughts of anything deeper developing between them were wasted and would lead to heartbreak. She’d be grateful for her time with him and live with those memories when he was gone.

  Shayne delivered them to the airport early the next morning. She told River to give her husband a kiss for her. It was easy to see how much she missed Troy. River suffered a bit of guilt for stealing him for a while.

  Troy and Shayne were quickly forgotten when she stepped inside the small jet. “Holy, crap,” she exclaimed. “Who owns this thing?” The inside wasn’t huge, but it was luxurious. Plush leather seats, crisp, clean lines, tasteful yet minimal decor.

  “A friend of Gib’s.”

  “Some friend,” she said, as she settled into a cushy seat next to the window.

  “He’s pretty mysterious about the whole thing. Knowing Gib, he gets his kicks by keeping us in suspense.”

  “I get the impression everyone loves Gib,” River remarked, buckling her seat belt as the plane taxied onto the runway.

  “I’ve never met anyone like him, but don’t let his good looks and charm fool you. He’s tough as nails and he’d lay down his life for any one of us. He took a bullet for Cat. He doesn’t have our military training, but we’d all trust him with our lives.”

  River glanced out the small window as the runway rushed by. The plane left the ground, forcing River deep into her seat. She gripped the armrest. Flying didn’t terrify her, but it wasn’t high on her list of fun things to do.

  “Look at me instead of the ground.” Kevin gently pried her hand from the seat’s arm. “It makes take-offs a bit easier in my opinion.”

  “You’re not afraid of flying.” She couldn’t imagine him afraid of much.

  “No. I’ve been on so many planes you get used to them.”

  “Take-offs always screw with my equilibrium.” Her grip loosened as the plane began to level off. “Thanks.”

  “Any excuse to hold your hand.”

  He’d done more than that last night. That hand had wandered, caressed and aroused. She had met him, stroke for stroke. She imagined he had a few nail marks across his back as she’d dug in and held on for the ride. The image made her smile.

  “Let’s talk boyfriends,” Kevin said, leaning back in his seat.

  “Excuse me?” A bit stunned by the question, she stared at him. After last night’s lovemaking, he wanted to ask about her old boyfriends?

  “Cat was right when she suggested we run through your background outside of the death of your family. Is it possible there’s another reason for targeting you?”

  River relaxed into her seat. “My love life, if you can even call it that, has been sparse. I dated infrequently in college and a few times since graduating. All partings were mutual. There were never any sparks—good or bad,” she added. Kevin grinned. Did he know he set off sparks within her? Did he feel the same?

  “Okay. Any vendors, college professors, clients you’ve had issues with? Anyone you dealt with who struck you as odd?”

  River took a few minutes to ruminate her professional history. She’d had some picky clients and a few college professors she’d like to forget, but nothing significant came to mind.

  She blew out a long breath. “With the exception of the gem dealer, all the drama in my life has taken place due to the death of my family. Besides dealing with the trial, there were death threats.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I never understood the why of it. Dan told me most of it was bluster. A few crazies firmly believed my testimony was believed over the Engleharts’ denials because I came from a wealthy family and they were poor. It was all a bunch of crap and died down soon enough. The evidence against the Engleharts was overwhelming.”

  “It was your quick thinking and testimony that nailed them.”

  “True. The police didn’t have any real leads. They knew there were multiple killers, but they hadn’t developed any substantial leads until my family was killed. Whether they would have caught up with them because they stole my dad’s car, is questionable. The Engleharts would have dumped it and stolen another. That was their pattern. They’d hiked to our cabin after ditching their last ride.”

  “Were any of the threats you received serious enough to warrant another look now?”

  River glanced out the window as clouds, instead of a runway, floated by. Dan would know, she almost said. “Rick might want to ask the authorities when he talks to them. I don’t remember the details. I was still trying to process the loss of my family and deal with the trial. I can ask my aunt when I see her.”

  “When will that be?”

  “I’ll call her in the morning. By the time we get back from the prison tonight, it’ll be late.”

  “You didn’t tell her you were coming?” Kevin’s eyebrows rose.

  “No. She’d ask all sorts of questions.” Aunt Amy would vehemently object to her visit to the prison and River didn’t see any reason to cause her upset. She’d put her aunt through enough during her lifetime.

  “I’d assumed you were close.”

  “We are.” River didn’t care for his assumption. “I didn’t want to worry her. She’d want to talk me out of going to the prison.”

  “What have you told her about this past week?” His eyes bore into hers.

  “As little as possible.”

  “You could write a novel about the shit that’s happened to you in the last seven days. Won’t she be a bit upset she’s been excluded?”

  “I know my aunt. You don’t.” The idea of dissecting each day was exhausting. Being barraged by questions would make it much harder to r
elate the events—and her aunt would take each day apart piece by piece.

  “You’re right,” Kevin said, returning to his seat. He’d grabbed two bottles of water from the small refrigerator at the front of the cabin. He handed her one. “I don’t know her. Why don’t you tell me what she’s like? What does she do?”

  “She owns a catering business. It’s small but has an excellent reputation.”

  “You sound proud of her.”

  “I am. Besides taking me in, she built the business from the ground up. Clawed her way to being successful. She found a niche that makes her stand out from the other caterers in the area. Not only is she a great cook—who is embarrassed by my lack of culinary skills—but she can market.”

  “What’s her special ‘niche’?”

  “In addition to the traditional menu items, she creates delicacies made exclusively with local produce and meats. No one else goes to the trouble of providing the unique variety she does. She’s worked hard to build her business.”

  “Like you did. You started your graphics design business from scratch,” Kevin commented.

  “With the help of a hefty inheritance which was waiting for me when I turned twenty-one. I had a foot up when I started the business. She didn’t.”

  “You’re an heiress?” he joked, taking a slug of water.

  “I’m not near that category. My family left me well off, but I’d rather have them than the money.”

  Kevin took her hand. “I know you would.”

  They spent the remainder of the flight trading stories about their histories and families. They’d been together for days, but they’d barely touched on their personal lives, unless that history had something to do with her recent problems. As they flew north, he’d occasionally dig a bit deeper than casual conversation. She suspected it was his attempt to jog her memory toward something significant as Cat had suggested. It didn’t.