“Okay, thanks,” River said. “How are you doing?”

“Well, they’re letting me work, and at least I feel safe. Have you figured out what’s going on yet?”

“Not yet. It will take a little time, but we’re working on it. You just relax and stay positive. We’re going through all of April’s cases to see who might want to stop you from trying to find her—or who might be concerned about someone reopening her cases. When we have something solid, we’ll let you know.”

“Okay. I just . . . really want to go home.”

“I know. Hang in there,” River said, trying to sound positive. She felt bad for Nathan, but she and Tony were doing their best. “Hey, before we hang up, have you heard the name Brent Wilkins? April wrote it down in her notes. It sounds familiar to me.”

Nathan was silent for a moment. “Sounds familiar to me too, but right now I can’t place it. If I remember I’ll call you back.”

“Thanks, Nathan.”

When she hung up, she told Tony about their conversation.

“So, Nathan didn’t take the episodes down,” he said. “Not sure what happened to the planner. Maybe Nathan missed it.”

“Could the person who took April have also stolen the planner?”

“And left all her other belongings behind?” Tony asked. “Doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it was still in the apartment and her dad took it. It probably wouldn’t have meant much to him since he didn’t know about the podcast.”

River sighed. “It could be anywhere. Besides, if the person or persons who took April wanted her sign-in information, they could have gotten it from her.”

“If she’s still alive.”

“Did Armbruster give you an email address to send the photos?” River asked.

“Yeah.” Tony read it off while River wrote it down. “You know we need to tell them we have April’s laptop, notebook, and phone. They may want to see them.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t asked for them yet. Maybe Nathan didn’t tell them that he gave them to us. I know they’re concentrating on Kevin’s murder, but by now they’ve got to be looking at the connection between Kevin and April’s podcast.”

“I agree,” Tony said. “We need to tell them the truth. If they don’t want April’s things, fine. Either way it won’t impact our investigation since we have copies of almost everything.”

“I’ll send the photos to Armbruster and let him know about them. We’ll leave it to him.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “I think that’s the right move.”

“We have a lot of work to do.”

“Step by step,” Tony said. “It’s not a race. It’s a marathon.”

“I hate that quote,” River said with a sigh. “Unfortunately, it almost always seems to be the case.”

At that moment, her phone rang, and she answered it. Nathan.

“I just remembered where I’d heard that name,” he said. “That’s the name of the reporter who coined the phrase the Castlewood Casanova.”

“Thanks,” River said. “I’d hoped it was a suspect, but at least I can let it go now.”

Nathan said goodbye and they hung up again. Although River wanted to forget about Wilkins, there was still something nagging at her. But what was it?

HE WAS GETTING TIRED OF WAITING. He felt as if he were dying of thirst, but he wasn’t desiring water. He was longing for death. Her death. He needed to watch the light leave another woman’s eyes. His patience was almost at the breaking point. Several times he’d come close to kidnapping another woman in an attempt to slake his craving. But if he did that and his offering was discovered, it would bring too much attention. Law enforcement would invade the area in full force, and River would be hidden away from him. As it was, she and her friend suspected he was near, but they couldn’t prove it. They’d been provided protection, but he could still get to her easily. He couldn’t risk losing her. Sometimes he wondered if his yearning to finish what had been started was foolish, but his longing for her overwhelmed him. River Ryland’s death would be his most outstanding accomplishment. The crowning achievement of his existence.

He was even ready to give up his own life if necessary. River Ryland would most certainly die. And she would die crying out for help from a God that couldn’t protect her.

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

Tony and River settled down to go over the seven cases mentioned on April’s podcast.

“I’ve combined information from the podcast and April’s notebook into my notes,” she told Tony. “So, I’ll just read from my own notebook.”

“Sounds good,” Tony said. “Go ahead.”

“Let’s start with the case of the Convenience Store Carnage. Five years ago, in January, a man walked into a convenience store in Chicago. There were two women working there, both in their twenties, and another woman, fifty-three, who was paying for gas. The man pulled a gun on the women, turned the Open sign to Closed, and then forced one of the employees to open the register and give him the money. He only got around forty dollars. Then he made all the women go into the back room, where he shot and killed every single one of them. There was a camera in the store, but the killer wore a ski mask. He also wore gloves, so no fingerprints. He left on foot. Police believe he had a car somewhere close by, but no one reported seeing him.”

“How busy was this store usually?” Tony asked.

“Not busy at all. It was on the outskirts of the city. Just a small operation owned by a large chain that didn’t seem to care how profitable it was.”

Tony frowned at her. “So why rob this place for such a small take? And if you’re wearing a ski mask, why kill everyone?”

“Exactly the questions April asked in her notes.”

“So, the police never arrested anyone?”

River shook her head. “Nothing to go on. From what I gather, they looked into the lives of all of the women, which they should have, but they didn’t go very deep. They believed it was a violent robbery and basically wrote it off.”

“So did April come up with anything?”

River read down a little farther. She’d gone through all of April’s notes, but she’d been so busy copying them, she hadn’t memorized everything. She was a little surprised by what she found.

“Seems she got quite a few tips, but she only took one seriously. One of the women who worked there, a Michelle Matisse, was supposedly having an affair with a married man. One of her friends said Michelle had given the man an ultimatum. The friend wondered if the man had killed everyone, trying to make it look like a robbery, so he could get rid of Michelle. Seems his wife had money. Maybe he was afraid of losing his golden goose.”

Tony sighed. “When will people learn that betrayal and lies only lead to sorrow?”

River looked over at him. “Too many won’t until lives are destroyed. If anyone understands that, it’s me.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking . . .”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s nice that you understand. I hate that people can be so selfish. I know the Bible says the devil is the one behind the evil in the world, but it’s hard not to be angry with people who choose to hurt others.”

“I know how much you were wounded, River,” Tony said gently. “But we don’t forgive people because they didn’t do anything wrong. I think we all have the ability to deceive ourselves. Some more than others.”

River sighed. “I’m sure you’re right. This forgiveness stuff is tough.” She met his gaze. “If I let my father come to visit, could you be there?”

“Are you sure?” Tony asked. “I mean, I’m not family.”