As she got her coat and waited for Tony, she tried to ignore the knot in her stomach. Tomorrow she would face her father for the first time in decades. She was an adult now. A former behavioral analyst for the FBI. So why did she feel like that same little girl who’d watched her father walk out of her life so many years ago?

CHAPTER

THIRTY-TWO

After dropping River off at her house and watching her go inside, Tony drove home. He pulled up in front of his apartment complex and got out of his SUV. Although there wasn’t a guard on duty, there was an entrance door that needed a code to open. The apartment doors faced inside, which also added security. Tony got Watson and his things out of the car, then headed to the entrance. Although he didn’t believe anyone was following him, he looked around, making certain no one was hanging around who shouldn’t be. He entered the code and went into the building. Once inside, he walked down the hall to his own apartment and let himself in. He had his own security system, even though he wasn’t sure it was necessary. River had insisted on it when they’d first realized the Strangler’s partner was stalking them. She’d told Tony that if she needed one, he did too. Rather than argue with her, he’d given in so she wouldn’t worry. He punched in his code, then put his stuff down and got Watson settled. He walked into the bedroom and changed his clothes. After that he headed into the kitchen and took a pizza out of the fridge. He’d just put the pizza on a plate and stuck it in the microwave when he heard a strange noise. He was on his way to check it out when a huge flash and the sound of an explosion knocked him to the floor.

SHE WAS BACK. She couldn’t believe it. How could they have found her? She tried to move her arms, but they were strapped down. She cried out for help, but no one answered. Where was Audrey? Was she all right? She started to cry. Then the door opened, and he came inside. How could he just show up? How could he face her? When he stepped up next to the bed, she wanted to hit him, but she couldn’t move.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t ever try it again. If you do, I may not be able to keep you alive. Promise me you’ll settle down and quit causing trouble.”

“I can’t do that. I won’t promise you anything of the sort. I’ll get away from here someday, and then I’ll tell the world the truth about you.”

“You know I can’t let you do that,” he said. “You’ve got to accept this for now if you want to live.”

“You mean if I don’t want you to kill me?” she asked. As he started to walk away, she called after him. “Where is Audrey? Is she okay?”

He never looked back or responded to her question. As the door closed behind him, she felt the tears roll down her cheeks, but she couldn’t wipe them away.

RIVER WAS DOING THE DISHES when her phone rang. Tony. She realized she’d forgotten to ask Mrs. Weyland what he could bring for supper tomorrow night. She answered by saying, “I’m sorry. I totally forgot to find out what . . .” As soon as she heard Tony’s voice, she knew something was wrong.

“First of all, I’m okay,” he said, his voice hoarse. After coughing several times, he said, “Look, there’s been a fire at my place. I’m going to check into a hotel near you. I felt like I had to call you tonight in case you heard about it some other way. There was a news crew filming . . .”

River waited until he finished another round of coughing. “On the news? How big is this fire?”

“Pretty big. Most of the damage was to my apartment, but some of the nearby apartments were affected too.”

“How in the world . . .”

“Look, River. Can I talk to you about this later? I’m really tired, and I need to find a hotel that will take Watson and doesn’t mind how much I stink right now.”

“Hush up,” River said. She was trying to sound forceful, but her voice shook. “You’re not going to a hotel. You’ll come here. Both of you. Now. You’ll stay with us. We’ve got a washer and dryer for your clothes.”

“I appreciate that, but you’ve got your father coming tomorrow. I don’t want to cause a problem.”

“Tony, I care a lot more for you than I care about my father. You get yourself over here, and I mean it. Our couch makes into a bed, and there’s even a bed somewhere downstairs in the basement if you decide you’d feel better down there.”

“Okay, okay,” he said. He sounded so tired.

“Are you sure you’re all right? And what about Watson?”

“Thank God he was with me. Sometimes he goes to bed before I do. If he’d been in the bedroom . . .”

This time, the sound River heard wasn’t from his coughing. She couldn’t help but cry along with him. “I’ll be watching for you. How long will it take you to get here?”

“Not long. I already loaded the car. As soon as the paramedics say I can leave, I’ll be on my way.”

“The paramedics? Oh, Tony, are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, just some smoke inhalation.”

“Did they treat you? What do we need to do?”

“Listen, River. I’ll give you all the details when I get there. If you don’t let me off the phone, it will be next week before I leave.”

In spite of herself, she laughed. “Okay. Just get here as soon as you can.”

“I will.”

When she heard the phone disconnect, she put her phone down and began to cry. Then she prayed, thanking God that Tony and Watson were all right.

“Honey, are you okay?”

River looked up and saw her mother standing there. She tried to tell her about the call, but she couldn’t get the words out. Rose came over and put her arms around her. She let her cry while she stroked her daughter’s hair. When River could finally talk, she told her mother about the fire.

“I told him he could stay with us, Mom. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want him going anywhere else. We’ll put him on the couch tonight. I think we can fix up that extra room downstairs sometime in the next few days if he would prefer to stay down there.”

“That’s exactly what I told him,” River said. “Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it.”

“I love Tony,” Rose said. “I only have one question.” She dropped her arms and took a step back. “Just when are you going to tell him that you love him too?”

River could only smile at her mother. “Is it that obvious?”

“I may have Alzheimer’s, but I’m not blind. You tell him how much he means to you, River. I want as many of my faculties working as possible when you get married, you hear me?”

“Oh, Mom,” River said, not caring about the tears running down her cheeks. This was the mother she’d always wanted. “I’ll tell him soon,” she said. “And after I do, you’ll be the first person I share it with.”

It was her mother’s turn to cry. She sat down at the small desk in the kitchen that River used when she paid the bills.

“I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” Rose said. “I have something I need to say. First of all, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after Joel left. I was just so . . . shattered. I thought I was a good wife. A good mother. I’d believed our marriage was ordained by God. When he walked out, I wasn’t certain who I was angrier with, God or your father. I felt so betrayed. Eventually, I blamed myself. I mean, there must have been something wrong with me, right? I was convinced your father was a godly man, so I must have been the problem.”

“Oh, Mom. That’s not true. You were a great wife. What he did wasn’t your fault. It was his. And hers. I hate that you believed that for even a moment.”

“Thank you, honey. Agatha has helped me so much. She reads the Bible to me and shows me Scriptures that prove how much God loves me.”

For a moment, River was confused about who her mother was talking about. Then she remembered that Mrs. Weyland’s first name was Agatha. She never called her anything except Mrs. Weyland. For some reason it seemed wrong to call her anything else. “I’m so glad,” River said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been more supportive, Mom. I’m going to try harder.”

“More supportive? Oh, my dear girl. You left your home and moved here to take care of me. What more could anyone do? I want you to know how much that means to me.” She paused for a moment and stared down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. “River, tonight, I feel like myself,” she said softly, her voice breaking as she spoke. “I want to talk to you about something, and I don’t want you to interrupt me, okay?”

“All right, Mom.”

“I know you’re praying for me. You and Tony and Agatha. You believe that God heals, and now, so do I. I keep hanging onto that Scripture that says we have the mind of Christ. But . . . Look, honey, if things don’t go the way we want . . .” She held her hand up when River started to say something.

She wanted her mother to stay positive. To believe she could fight this giant, but River suddenly realized that Rose needed to say what was on her heart, so she forced herself to stay silent. She simply nodded at her mother to continue.

“I want to add you to the title of my house, and on my checking and savings accounts. The house is paid for. It will just transfer to you. I want so badly to stay in my home.” Her voice cracked and she fought to continue to talk. “But if I can’t, I never want you to feel guilty about moving me to a facility that can care for me. I want you to live your life, River. I don’t want you to be tied down to someone who doesn’t even know who you are. You are never, ever to feel guilty about doing what needs to be done.”