“You could have asked the guard to use his phone.”
“To be honest, I was afraid to. Especially after this note. I only ventured out this morning because the laptop you took has work on it that I need. I had no choice.” He shook his head. “I made one stop on the way here and bought another phone. I guess it pays to have two.”
“I keep a spare,” River said.
For a moment, her comment confused Tony. Then he remembered the extra phone she’d bought as a backup in case she was in trouble and couldn’t get to her regular phone. River believed that if she’d had an extra phone when she was attacked by the Strangler, who’d taken the phone in her pocket, she could have gotten help sooner. She liked to call the second phone her boot phone. Anytime she felt she might be facing a dangerous situation, she planned to put it in her boot. He’d forgotten all about it. She hadn’t mentioned it in a long time.
“You realize that this confirms that April is alive, right?” Nathan said.
River shook her head. “Not really. They may be saying this because they’re trying to control you. The one thing it does tell us though, is that whoever wrote this knows about April. They might very well have something to do with her disappearance.”
“Why can’t you believe she’s alive?”
Tony could tell he was frustrated.
“Look, for now, let’s talk about you,” Tony said. “I know you’re afraid. I think we need to err on the side of caution. I believe we should move you to a more secure location.” Even though he found the continued warnings problematic, Tony had no intention of taking another chance with Nathan’s welfare.
“I live in a gated community,” Nathan said. “I should be okay at home.”
“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.
