“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
FIFTEEN
“I . . . I don’t understand,” River said, stunned. “How . . . I mean, how did Arnie know to call us?”
I told him the whole story when I spoke to him a few minutes ago,” Tony said. “And I mentioned where Nathan lives. We’d just hung up when he got word about the murder. He saw that the victim was a security guard at Nathan’s complex and put two and two together.”
River glanced over at Nathan. His face was white as a sheet. “How was he murdered?” she asked.
“He was shot. Arnie said his body was discovered this morning in his backyard. His wife found him. She woke up and realized he wasn’t in bed, so she went looking for him. When she couldn’t locate him inside the house, she stepped out onto their back porch. That’s when she saw him. The police haven’t been able to talk to her much. She’s understandably upset.”
“He’s . . . he’s dead because of me,” Nathan said, his voice shaking.
River shook her head. “No, Nathan. That’s not true. He’s dead because someone really bad killed him. None of this is your fault. Don’t let thoughts like that get into your head.”
“Arnie’s sending a couple of officers over to take Nathan somewhere safe,” Tony said. He looked at Nathan. “Until the police know what’s going on, they don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”
“But what exactly does that mean?” Nathan asked, looking worried.
“The police will take you to a secure location and keep a close watch on you until they can find out who killed Kevin and why. Right now, they’re not sure if you’re a target.”
“How could they not be sure? Kevin’s dead.”
“We understand how you feel,” River said, “but the police are just now getting involved with your situation. As it is, the police chief is taking our word that you might be in danger.”
Nathan swallowed hard. “Okay. Will . . . will I be able to see you?”
“I think so,” Tony said. “We’ll have to get clearance, but I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“So, you think whoever threatened me killed Kevin? And now they could be after me?” Nathan shook his head. “This is nuts. Why is this happening?”
“We’re not sure yet,” River said. “It could have something to do with April’s disappearance, or it could be connected to one of her cold cases. Right now, we have no idea. You’re going to have to let the police investigate—and we’ll be doing what we can too.”
“What about work?” Nathan asked. “I can’t afford to lose my job.”
“That’s something the detective in charge of your case will have to decide,” River said. “You can’t do anything that might lead whoever killed Kevin to your location.” She swung her gaze to Tony. “What do you think?”
“I have no idea. Unless Kevin’s killer has access to Nathan’s emails or his laptop, I don’t see why he can’t work. But if our killer knows who Nathan’s employer is, that might be a way for them to locate him.”
Nathan frowned. “No one really knows who I work for. I mean, they’re in another state. I’m not sure even April could have told you who they are.”
