“But whoever left that note knows where you live,” River said. “The guards at the gate aren’t law enforcement. They’re people. People who have to use the bathroom—or who can be bribed. Or even fooled by someone pretending to be with a utility company.”

“Actually, they’re planning on adding an electric gate,” Nathan said. “It will take a code to get inside the community.”

“But that gate isn’t up yet, and you need security now,” River said. “Besides, the code can be shared by anyone living in the complex. A gated community is safer than living in a regular neighborhood, but it isn’t totally secure. If someone wants in, they’ll figure out a way.”

“What’s the name of the guard who was on duty last night? The one who called you about the note?” Tony asked. “I’d like to talk to him.”

Nathan frowned. “I only know his first name. It’s Kevin.”

“Surely they have some kind of video camera at the guard shack,” River said.

“I think so. I mean, I remember noticing something mounted underneath the small roof that covers the building where they sit. I assume it’s a camera.”

“Okay.” Tony looked at River. “We need to get the guard’s full name and number.” He turned his attention back to Nathan. “Do you know the guard who’s working today?”

“Yes. His name is Darrell. He’s the friendliest guard. I think he likes me.”

“Good,” Tony said. “Can you call him and see if you can get Kevin’s last name and his telephone number? And when you talk to Kevin, ask him for a description of the person who dropped off the envelope.” He paused for a moment. “If we want to see the video, we’ll have to bring the police in. They can get a warrant. We can’t.”

“But the note said no police,” Nathan insisted.

“If they were watching you this morning, they already know you came here. Believe it or not, bringing the police into the situation will actually keep you safer. These people are afraid of the police because they know they’re vulnerable now and it’s harder to get to you.”

“I’m not worried about me,” Nathan said. “I don’t want them to hurt April.”

“We were trained as behavioral analysts with the FBI,” River said gently. “What some people call profilers. If whoever took April has kept her alive for several months, they’re most likely not going to kill her now. Bringing law enforcement into the situation may actually cause them to let her go so they won’t get caught—or if they do, at least they won’t be charged with murder.”

River was telling the truth, but Tony had very little hope that April was still alive. In fact, he was fairly sure she’d been dead for quite some time.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

When Nathan got off the phone, he said, “Darrell couldn’t give me Kevin’s number. He wants to help, but if he told me how to reach Kevin, he could lose his job. But he did say he’d call Kevin and ask him to phone me.”

“Great,” River said. “When Kevin calls, ask him to describe the person who dropped off the note. And don’t forget a description of the car.”

“Sure. Do you suppose you could give me back my phone now?”

“Oh, sorry,” Tony said. “I guess that would help.” He took Nathan’s cellphone and laptop out of the tote bag where he’d placed them. He handed both items to Nathan.

Nathan took his new phone and put it on the edge of River’s desk. “I guess we wait,” he said.

“I’m going to call Arnie and let him know what’s going on,” Tony said. “Although right now, we don’t have any proof of a crime. I’m not sure what he can do.”

“Well, we have a threat,” River said.

“True. Hopefully, that will be enough.” Tony got up and walked out into the hallway. River was certain he didn’t want Nathan to overhear the conversation.

“How about a cup of coffee?” River asked Nathan.

He sighed deeply. “Thank you. I didn’t get time to make any before I left.” He frowned. “I’ve got to get on my laptop and contact my employer. I’ll tell them I need a sick day. It won’t be a lie. I really do feel ill.”

“Look,” River said as she went over to the coffeemaker, “I’ve learned that most of the things we worry about never happen. Worry can be a huge waste of time and energy. Let’s relax until we know we can’t, okay? Tony and I both believe that whoever wrote that note is just trying to intimidate you. If he really wanted to hurt you, he would have done it without warning you first.”

“That actually makes sense,” Nathan said. The tightness in his face loosened a bit.

“What kind of coffee do you want?” River read off the different flavors of pods they had.

“I think straight black coffee for now,” Nathan said. “Maybe after I wake up a bit more, I might try a mocha latte. But honestly, at the moment, all I want is caffeine. As you might imagine, I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“I wish we’d suggested you pick up a cheap cell phone last night,” River said. “It never occurred to us.”

Nathan’s laugh was almost like a moan. “I thought it might be nice not to have a phone for one evening, you know? I tend to look at mine too much. I convinced myself it would be restful.” He looked at her and raised his eyebrow. “It wasn’t.”

In spite of herself, River laughed. “No, I guess it wouldn’t be.” She gazed at him for a moment before saying, “Nathan, I know things seem scary, but Tony and I aren’t going to leave you alone. We’re with you in this. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

He grinned. “I guess this means you’re hired again.”

“Let’s not worry about that right now. We just want to help you.” River was committed to protecting this young man from whoever was trying to frighten him. It made her angry, and she was certain Tony felt the same way. All she cared about was Nathan and finding the truth about April.

River carried a cup of coffee over to him and put her own cup on her desk. She looked up as Tony opened the door and came inside the office.

“Arnie says the police will be happy to send someone down to take Nathan’s statement. They’ll want the note. As far as the other things we gave them, the copy of the photo has no fingerprints. There was a trace of powder on one edge meaning whoever sent the picture wore the kind of gloves that have talcum powder. Most people buy those. All that tells us is that the person who took the picture probably isn’t in law enforcement. There were fingerprints on the envelope with the photo, but only one set besides ours. I’m sure they’re Dustin’s. As far as the note Nathan got originally, there was a discernible print on the note. Nothing in the system, but they can tell it’s either from a young boy or a woman due to the size of the print. As we suspected, the envelope was so covered with prints, they couldn’t pull anything off of it that was usable.”

“Could the fingerprint on the note I got in the mail be April’s?” Nathan asked.

“No, actually, she was in the system,” Tony said. “When she was eighteen, she worked for a daycare center. All employees were fingerprinted as a requirement for the job.”

“She told me about that job,” Nathan said. “She didn’t mention that she was fingerprinted.”

“It’s required in almost every job or volunteer position where children are involved,” River said. “People are much more cautious now. The world isn’t as safe as it used to be.”

“I believe it,” Nathan said. “April said the same thing more than once. It makes us both sad. April’s a Christian. She’s convinced that we’re in the last days and that evil is growing stronger.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s true, but it would certainly explain a lot. Of course, April spent a lot of time looking at evil. I’m sure it affected her outlook.”

“What about you, Nathan?” River asked. “Are you a Christian?”

He looked a little uncomfortable. “I went to church several times with April. I’ve never gone up to the front and prayed for . . . salvation, or whatever . . . but I’ve thought a lot about it.” His smile looked a little sad. “When she went missing, I got mad at God. I haven’t been back to church since.”

River was a little startled by his response to her question. She completely understood how he felt. Maybe at the right moment, she could talk to him. Share her story. Whether April was alive or dead, she wanted Nathan to know God. She started to say something else when Tony’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at it.

“It’s Arnie,” he said, frowning. He answered and then listened silently for what seemed like a long time. Finally, he said, “Okay. I get it. We’ll wait here for someone. And thanks.”

When he put the phone down, River could tell something was wrong. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“This case has changed,” he said, his face tight. “The police just found the security guard, Kevin Bittner. He’s been murdered.”

CHAPTER