One of the officers nodded at her, so she grabbed her notebook and quickly wrote down the number Nathan read off to her. She’d just put her notebook down on her desk when Nathan suddenly moved forward and hugged her. It startled River, and she almost pulled away. Her parents weren’t huggers, so she wasn’t used to physical affection. However, she realized Nathan was afraid and needed comfort, so she hugged him back. The action made her feel even more committed to helping him. When he let her go, she could see that he was a lot more relaxed than he’d been when he came into the office.

“Everything will be okay,” she said, not completely sure it would be. But for his sake, she prayed it would.

“Okay.” He put his hand out and shook hands with Tony, then he turned and went out the door with the officers right behind him.

“Do you really think he’ll be all right?” she asked Tony.

“I don’t know. I certainly hope so.” He shook his head. “I have a bad feeling that this case has just started, and it’s only going to get worse. One thing that really worries me?”

“Just one thing?”

“Good point. Kevin’s wife obviously didn’t hear a shot. Neither did his neighbors.” He looked at her and frowned. “If our killer used a silencer, he could be very dangerous. He might be a professional. And he may not be through.”

Although River wanted to challenge him, she couldn’t because she was afraid he was absolutely right.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

He watched as police escorted a young man to their squad car. He was certain this was the same kid who’d visited River and Tony before. What was going on? For just a moment, he thought about following them. Find out where they were going. The kid wasn’t handcuffed, so he wasn’t under arrest. At the last second, he decided to let it go. He couldn’t get sidetracked from his ultimate goal. River Ryland was his target. Whatever was going on in this guy’s life wasn’t his business, nor did it really interest him.

He had everything planned down to the last detail. His only regret was that he wouldn’t be able to watch the life drain from her eyes. It was the best part of taking a life. But he’d experienced that quite a bit. No, he wanted her to die in terror. Even if he couldn’t see it, he could envision it, and that would bring him great satisfaction.

He wasn’t certain why he hated her so much. It wasn’t her fault she’d survived the first time. Not at all. But there was just something about her. Something that repelled him. Seems she believed in God now. Maybe that was it. He believed in God too. He just didn’t bow down and degrade himself at His feet. He worshipped no one but himself and fully embraced the hate that fueled him. It was that hate that strengthened him. Hate had taught him to kill from the very beginning. His mother had been his first victim, and her death had taught him that he was the one with the power. Not her. He’d shoved that horror of a human being down the basement stairs when he was eight years old. Then he’d gone outside to play. No one ever suspected him. His big sister had raised him, and he never endured the beatings and the torture again. Natalie had done her best, but he’d already learned true dominance. Real power. He’d waited patiently until he could move out and use his new power to prove his superiority. Then he’d met Joseph Baker. He’d never known anyone else who understood him the way Joe had. They were the same. Forged in the same fires of destruction. Scores of dead human beings lay in their wake. And no one suspected he was part of a team. Until it was too late, that is. River Ryland had been his last victim, but she was still alive. He wasn’t going to allow that to continue.

However, the next time, no one would step up to save her. He smiled to himself and went back to pretending to be busy. The words he typed on his laptop were repeated over and over.

River Ryland is going to die screaming. River Ryland is going to die screaming. River Ryland is going to die screaming.

“SO NOW WHAT?” Tony asked after Nathan left.

“We get back to work,” River said. “Why don’t we go through April’s cases together?”

“Sure,” Tony said. “Should we get lunch first?”

“Fine with me, but can we go out? I’m getting a little claustrophobic. Between work and home, I haven’t gone anywhere lately. We haven’t gone out to eat for quite a while, even though we’ve planned to.”

“We drove over to Nathan’s twice,” Tony said, trying not to sound snarky.

“Yeah, that was great fun. But that’s about it since we got back from seeing your parents.”

“By the way, I talked to my mom last night. She told me to tell you hello and asked when you could visit again.”

River sighed. “I’d love to see them, but I guess that won’t happen until we solve this case.”

“I know. After this is done, and when the Strangler’s friend is caught and put away forever, we can go back if you want to.”

“I’m surprised you let me leave town last month,” River said, rolling her eyes.

“And maybe I shouldn’t have.” Tony looked away. “I wanted to help my dad, and I knew you needed a break. Maybe it was too risky.”

“If it had been I wouldn’t still be alive. I realize we owe it to Nathan to stay here and look for April before we leave town again, but we have no idea when the Strangler’s partner will be caught. I don’t want to live sheltered from life forever.”

Tony met her gaze. “The problem is that the longer he waits, the less time we may have. He won’t hold off forever.” He scowled at her. “I can’t believe you considered leaving me for one second. You would have walked right into his path. How could you . . .” He was surprised and embarrassed when his voice broke. When he’d found out what she’d been thinking, he was horrified. How could she have considered something so reckless? He knew his sister had planted the notion, but he was still shocked that River had fallen for it. River’s expression made him look away. He struggled to regain his composure.

“Tony, you know why I thought about getting away. I was afraid . . . am still afraid . . . this guy will hurt you. Don’t you think you’ve given up enough for me? Your health? Your career? I can’t have you give up your life as well.”

The look on her face almost made him lose it again. He struggled to keep his tone steady. “I can protect you . . .”

“I know you believe that, and like I told you, I’m now convinced that we’re stronger together. But sometimes I think you forget that I was trained by the FBI just like you were. And I’m a better shot than you are.”

Tony was able to laugh lightly. “Not so fast. We need to go to the range. You’ll have to prove that.”

Although they had a friendly competition, the truth was, she really was a better shot. He didn’t care. He loved it anytime he saw that old spark in her eyes. She was so much better now than she’d been right after her encounter with the Strangler. When she let God back in her life, healing had begun. She was still on a path to total freedom, but Tony was convinced she’d get there. She was determined, and so was God. He never gave up on His children.

“You’ve got a deal,” River said. “So how about lunch? In a real restaurant?” She shrugged. “I’m armed, so if we’re attacked by anyone, I’ll just take them out. You know how much I hate having my meal interrupted.”

“I’m sure the other customers would love that,” he said dryly. Tony wanted to grant her request. They’d eaten out before, usually on the way to work or on the way home, but the past few days, he’d felt an impending sense of unease. He wasn’t certain if it was his own fear, or if it was something else. He believed the Holy Spirit warns His children and leads them away from danger if they listen. He sent up a quick silent prayer about going out for lunch, but he didn’t feel any check in his spirit.

“We can go somewhere and get a fast meal,” he said, “if you really think it’s the right thing to do. We need to jump on Nathan’s case as soon as we can.”

“I feel like getting out of here for just a bit will give me a new burst of energy,” River said with a smile.

He loved her crooked smiles. They made him feel happy. He suspected that she knew that and from time to time used them to her advantage. He sighed. “Okay, so where do you want to go?”

“The new Chinese place down the street?” she said. “Their General Tso’s chicken is so good.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Tony said, chuckling. “But we can’t stay too long.” He started to stand up but then stopped. “First, I think we need to talk about April’s stuff. I want to be certain we have everything we need. I have a feeling we’ll have to hand all of it over to the police before long.”

“Have you downloaded all the files you took from her laptop and Nathan’s to your laptop?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I’ve got the flash drives, so it won’t take me long to do it. By the way, I looked up the numbers on April’s phone. There were some calls to certain police stations. I’m assuming she called them in an attempt to get information. There were also some business numbers like fast-food restaurants, her father’s phone number, Nathan’s . . .” Tony shook his head. “What I couldn’t find were calls to friends and other family. I think she was so focused on her podcast, there wasn’t much time for anything else.”

River sighed. “That’s sad.”

Tony frowned at her. “Does that sound like anyone else you know?”

“I have friends.”

“I meant here. Since we moved to St. Louis.”

“Tony, that’s not fair. I’ve been focusing on my mother and starting our agency. I’ll make friends when I can.”

“I hope so,” he said.

“Back to this case. . . . The pictures I took of April’s notebook are on my phone so they’re safe. And her podcast is online so that’s not a problem.”

“What about the notes you’ve made?”