“Sure.”
“Well, April solved another one.” Tony shook his head. “I can’t say this makes me completely happy, but it turns out that Emily’s son, Brandon, hired a couple of his friends to kill his abusive mother. The friends cracked under questioning. Brandon had promised them money after he inherited Emily’s estate. Brandon gave them some of it, but not all of it. He knew they would keep his secret because they didn’t want to go to prison. The police were able to convince them that Brandon was blaming them for the whole thing, so they shot their mouths off.”
“But Brandon hadn’t said anything, right?”
“Right.”
“I realize Brandon may have told himself he was trying to protect his sister,” River said, “but as we both know, there are much better ways. He could have contacted his father or family services for help.”
“You’re right. Anyway, the friends told the police where Emily is buried.” Tony shook his head. “This case makes me sad.”
“Me too,” River said. “But you know what? April seems to be closing more cases than a lot of police departments. I keep saying this, but she really impresses me.”
“I hear you.” Tony looked at the clock. “I think it’s time to get out of here. You have to prepare for tomorrow. What time do you want me there?”
“Supper is at six. Why don’t you get there at five? I may need you to talk me off the ledge.”
Tony chuckled. “Well, since your mother’s house is only one story, I think you’d survive the fall.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Tony said, grinning. “What can I bring?”
“I’d say wine if any of us drank.” River sighed. “Let me check with Mrs. Weyland. I’m not sure what’s on the menu.”
“Sounds good. Just call me later.”
While Tony gathered Watson’s things, she picked Watson up and held him in her arms.
“He can walk, you know,” Tony said.
“It’s a long way to the car and it’s freezing outside. I don’t want his paws to get cold.”
Tony shook his head. “You just want to carry him, don’t you?”
“Oh, hush. Let’s get going.”
As they walked toward the door, she realized she hadn’t grabbed her laptop or her notebook. She wouldn’t be working much over the weekend, and all of April’s information was with the police. Rather than put Watson down, she decided to leave her stuff behind. Monday would be here soon enough.
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.
