“They interviewed several people, ruled them all out. But April felt there was one man who could have done it. She also suspected that he’d killed before. She didn’t talk much about it, but I could tell those murders really bothered her.”

“Are there any notes on her laptop about that particular case?” River asked.

“Yes, some. But she kept most of her notes in her notebook. She was kind of old school when it came to that. She’d take that notebook with her wherever she went so she could write down things that occurred to her when she wasn’t home. Look, she was working on seven cases when she disappeared.” Nathan frowned. “I don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction. The Casanova case might not have been the one she was concentrating on when she disappeared. April was . . . is . . . the kind of person who doesn’t know how to let go of something. She could have been super focused on any one of her cases.”

“We need to go through the items we asked for,” River said. “If we have questions about them, we’ll let you know when we see you. After we’re through, we’ll talk about our next steps. Is that okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll do anything I can to help. I need to go home and get back to work. Where can I meet you to give you everything?”

“What time do you quit working today?” Tony asked.

“Around six.”

River looked at Tony. “Why don’t we come by your place? We’ll pick up your phone, April’s phone, both laptops, and the notebook.”

Nathan nodded. “That’s fine. Then you’ll bring my phone and laptop back in the morning?”

Tony nodded. “Around eight?”

“That’s perfect. I never get calls from my boss before nine.” Nathan recited his address and River wrote it down on the notepad on her desk.

“Can we find April’s podcast by searching for Hot Coffee and Cold Cases?” River asked.

“Yes, but here’s a card with the URL.” He stood up and reached into his back pocket, taking out his billfold. He opened it, took out a card, and handed it to River.

“Okay. We’ll see you around six,” Tony said.

“Do I need to give you a retainer or something?”

“Why don’t we take a look at April’s things first?” Tony said. “Then we’ll tell you if we think we can help you.”

Since their past cases hadn’t made them much money, River decided to tell Nathan the amount of their retainer and how much they would charge each day the case extended beyond the initial amount if they took his case.

“That’s fine,” Nathan said, not reacting at all when River mentioned the totals.

Rather than walk toward the door, he stood where he was, shifting from one foot to the other. Something else was bothering him, but River had no idea what it was. Had she read him wrong? Was he actually concerned about the retainer? “Are you certain our fee isn’t a problem for you?”

He shook his head. “I earn quite a bit, and I inherited some money when my father passed away. Like I said, I have money.”

He was pretty young to have lost his dad. “I’m sorry about your father.”

“Thank you. We were shocked when he died. A sudden heart attack.”

“That’s rough,” Tony said. “My condolences.”

“I miss him every day. I wish he were here to give me advice now.” He blinked away tears. River felt empathy for Nathan. First he lost his father, and then the woman he loves disappeared? Compassion made her really want to help him, but would they be able to? This case really was cold. When it came to a missing person, those in law enforcement believed the first forty-eight hours were crucial. After that, it was likely they would only recover a body. The note had brought April’s disappearance back to life, but was it real? If April’s podcast had a lot of followers, could one of them have sent it for their own reasons? People did strange things. As behavioral analysts, she and Tony had seen individuals take actions that were hard to explain—even with their training. Was there actually a reason to hope they could find the answers Nathan was looking for?

“Is there anything else?” Since their fee didn’t seem to bother him, why was his body language telling her that something was on his mind?

“Look, I hadn’t planned to bring this up. I love April. With all my heart. But loving someone doesn’t mean you think they don’t have flaws. April wasn’t perfect. I’m not perfect. Even though she had her . . . problems, she was . . .” He sighed. “Is . . . the best person I’ve ever known.”

He was trying hard to keep April in the present tense, but it was obviously difficult even though Nathan desperately wanted to believe she was alive.

“What are you trying to tell us?” Although Tony was attempting to be patient with the young man, it was clear he was exasperated with the way Nathan was dispensing information in dribs and drabs.

Nathan didn’t respond. He just stared down at the floor.

“Nathan, you have to be completely honest with us if you want us to help you,” River said sternly. “No hiding anything. Even if something doesn’t seem important to you, it might be vital to us. If you don’t trust us, this isn’t going to work.”

“All right, all right,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you to think April was unbalanced—or paranoid. She was . . . is . . .”

“I realize you’re struggling to believe she’s still alive,” Tony said. “We understand that. Don’t worry about how to talk to us about her. We get it, okay?”

“Thank you. I want to believe I’ll see her again. Life without her is so . . . nothing.” He looked up at them, his eyes shiny with tears. “Please . . . please don’t give up on her, okay?”

“Tell us what you don’t want to tell us,” Tony said. “Trust us.”

Nathan took a deep breath. “Before she disappeared, she told me that . . . she wondered if she might be putting me in danger. She talked about leaving so she could be certain I was safe.”

CHAPTER

FOUR

River suddenly felt cold. Nathan’s revelation rocked her to her core. It mirrored her own feelings about Tony. She wanted to respond, but she couldn’t seem to find any words. Thankfully, Tony took over.

“It isn’t just that you don’t want us to believe April was paranoid,” Tony said, “you were afraid we might think she left on her own, right?”

Nathan didn’t say anything, he just nodded.

River took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. “If it helps,” she said, “I understand.” River offered him a small smile. “There is good reason to believe that’s not the case. If it were true, she would have packed all of her clothes and taken her phone, laptop, and purse. Most importantly, she would have taken her cat. My mother has a cat, and it means the world to her.”

“Is that it, Nathan?” Tony asked, his voice steady. “Is there anything else you’re hiding from us?”

“No, I promise. I’ve told you everything I know. Please believe me when I say I’m certain she didn’t just walk away on her own.”

“We do,” River said. “Don’t worry.”

“Go home,” Tony said. “We’ll see you around six.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“And Nathan,” Tony added, “be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet. Just keep your eyes open, watch your back, and don’t let anyone into your apartment that you don’t know.”

“You really think I’m in danger?” he asked, his eyes wide.

“I seriously doubt it, but it never hurts to be careful,” Tony said. “Until we get an idea of what April was into, it’s just best to err on the side of caution.”

“Okay . . .”