After a great lunch, River made herself a cup of cappuccino and parked herself in front of her laptop. It had been a snowy winter so far in Missouri, but today was bright, the sun shining as if promising that spring would surely come. Still, it was really cold, with temperatures in the teens. The coffee helped to warm her up, but each time she brewed a cup, she couldn’t help but think about the deranged man who had added a drug to some of the flavored pods they’d used in their single-serve coffeemaker a few months ago. These were new, and that man was gone, but the memory of that awful day still tickled her thoughts whenever she touched her lips to the rim of her cup. She pushed the uncomfortable memory back into the recesses of her mind and glanced toward the large windows at the front of their office. They looked out onto the hallway, which was also lined with glass that faced outside. Even though it didn’t look like winter from her vantage point, she felt sad knowing that each day brought them closer to the end of her favorite season. She’d loved snow ever since she was a little girl. It had made her feel safe, as if nothing bad could happen when it snowed. Evil was frozen and covered with a blanket of white that kept it hidden from the world. But of course, that wasn’t true. Evil flourished in winter just as it did in any other season. Their recent cases had proven that.

She turned her attention back to the matter at hand. It only took a couple of minutes to find a website for April’s podcast, Hot Coffee and Cold Cases. River was surprised to see how many people followed it. Ads along the sides of the first page made it clear there were several sponsors connected with the site. She wondered how long they would hang on with April gone. River grabbed her headphones and plugged them in so she wouldn’t disturb Tony as she listened.

The main page featured a picture of April. She was lovely—long brown hair and dark eyes. A smile that made it look as if she enjoyed her life and what she was doing, yet there was something in her gaze that caught River’s attention. An echo of pain. Of fear. River recognized it because she’d experienced the same thing. That cloud following you everywhere, casting its shadow on every aspect of your life. She sighed. Had the cloud finally consumed this young woman? Was April really dead? Had she been killed by someone connected with one of the cases mentioned on her site?

River scrolled down the page and found links to several different cases. Each one had a title.

She located the two cases April had helped crack. Just like the others, they had rather silly titles, but both of them had a large red circle across the page with the words Solved by Hot Coffee and Cold Cases within its border. River quickly looked through them. Each case had pages that detailed the crime and how the killers were caught. Although they were interesting, both criminals were in prison and unlikely to be the reason someone might want to stop April from further investigation. She proceeded to the unsolved cases. April had added new cases every couple of months. There was a written description about each one, as well as the podcast that people could listen to. April also had a disclaimer stating that the identity of anyone contacting her with a tip would be kept confidential. Besides the actual podcast, April had recorded updates as things changed with each case. It would take a while to listen to the original recording as well as the updates. River grabbed her notebook and settled into her chair, determined to get as far as possible before they had to leave for Nathan’s. Each one had an interesting title.

The Case of the Missing Mother

The Case of the Railroad Rage

The Case of the Convenience Store Carnage

The Case of the Hit-and-Run Hitchhiker

The Case of the Virtuous Volunteer

The Case of the Disappeared Diabetic

The Case of the Castlewood Casanova

The last case was the one Nathan had mentioned. River decided to listen to it first. She clicked on the link and a female voice began to talk. April. She had a soft, pleasing tone. River wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but April sounded so . . . normal. Why was this young woman so interested in these violent cold cases? It was an important question. One she wished they’d asked Nathan when he was here. She paused the episode and then went back up to the top of the page, where she found a link to April’s bio.

She selected it and found herself on a page with a different photo of April. The bio contained the usual things, where she was born, where she’d attended college, etc. It turned out that at one point, she’d been studying for a degree in English. She’d wanted to be an English teacher. River wondered why that hadn’t happened. Had she dropped out? How do you get from wanting to be a teacher to investigating cold-crime cases?

Then she started on the second paragraph. When April was a child, her mother was murdered. At one time, April’s father was the prime suspect. River wasn’t completely surprised. Family members are always looked at first. Most murders are committed by family or so-called friends. But after he was cleared, there were no arrests. It seemed that the case turned cold. April actually left college to investigate the murder herself. She was never able to figure out who killed her mother—nor could the police. It was now obvious to River why April began the podcast. She’d seen what can happen when murders remain unsolved. She obviously felt driven to help others who were in the same situation she’d been in. River couldn’t help but feel sorry for April’s father. He lost his wife, and now his daughter had disappeared. She could understand why he might suspect that Nathan was involved in some way. If River was in his shoes, it would certainly occur to her. However, if Nathan was guilty, he wouldn’t come looking for someone to investigate his crime. He’d want it ignored. If she and Tony decided to take this case, they would want to talk to April’s dad. Would he be willing to talk to them? Hopefully, he’d welcome the idea that someone was looking for his daughter, even if he believed she’d left on her own accord.

Following the bio, there was a Scripture. Job 12:22. “He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.”

For some reason, the Scripture made River shift in her chair. The words were so powerful, and they resonated with her. Is that what she and Tony were doing? Working with God to bring darkness into the light? River suddenly felt an even deeper bond with April. It was as if the cries of their souls were the same. From the time she was a young girl, River had felt called to battle wickedness. Her father’s betrayal had awakened something inside her. His rigid standards and his commitment to pastoring a church he professed to care for wasn’t enough to keep him from running off with the church secretary and abandoning his wife and children. River had watched her mother disintegrate and had felt her father’s rejection. It made her angry, even vengeful. It had also given her a deep understanding of right and wrong as well as a desire to see justice done. As crazy as it sounded, her father’s treachery was the impetus that led her to becoming a behavioral analyst for the FBI. A dream had died when her father left—and a dream had died when April’s mother was killed. Yet both she and April had developed a quest for righteousness. Of course, once she came face-to-face with a loving and merciful God, River finally realized that He wasn’t the God her father had preached about. God was love, and although River was still driven to eradicate criminals from society, her desire was no longer based in hate.

River heard a muffled noise and looked over at Tony. He gestured toward her headphones, and she took them off.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Sure. Why do you ask?”

“You were making odd noises.”

She frowned at him. “What kind of odd noises?”

He smiled, the corners of his gray-blue eyes crinkling. “Hard to explain. Kind of a cross between sighing and humming.”

“Humming? I don’t think I . . .”

He shook his head. “Not like humming a tune. You kept saying hmmmm over and over.”

This made River laugh. “That makes more sense. I don’t see myself as the humming type.”

“Definitely not.” He appeared to study her for a moment before saying, “Something interesting?”

“Yes. I was reading April’s bio.” She quickly filled him in on what she’d discovered.

“Wow. I guess we know why she was so interested in solving crimes.”

“Sorry about the sighing and humming.”

“Not a problem,” Tony said. “While you were busy making noises, I called Arnie. Sent the fingerprints to him, but as we suspected, he wants the actual letter.”

“Why don’t you take it to him?” River said. “I’ve got quite a bit of work to do here.”

“I . . . I don’t want to be gone that long,” Tony said. “A trip to pick up lunch is one thing, but . . .”

“It’s been almost a month since the Strangler’s little friend sent that Christmas card,” River said. “We haven’t heard a peep since then. Could you be overreacting?”

“He bugged our offices, River,” Tony said sternly. “We can’t just blow that off. He’s been in here.”

“Calm down,” she said. “I understand what you’re saying, but I’m tired of letting this guy control us, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I really am. But we have to keep our guard up until he’s behind bars.” Tony frowned at her. “He helped Baker kill all those women, and if he didn’t kill Jacki himself, he most surely murdered David.”

David Prescott was the man who just happened to be walking near the Salt River the night Baker shot Tony and threw River into the water. David called the police, and they arrived just in time to pull River out before she drowned. He testified at Baker’s trial and helped to put the serial killer behind bars. Then a few months ago, he disappeared. Law enforcement hadn’t been able to find him.

“I don’t want to sound like a grump,” Tony continued, “but I really don’t want you to leave this office again when I’m not here. Even to chase me down because you want to add something to your lunch order.”

“Tony, that’s ridiculous. It’s daytime. We’re surrounded by people. The building even has a security guard. With all the cameras, no one would try anything here.” She pointed her finger at him. “Besides, aren’t I safer with my phone? What if I needed to call for help?”

“It’s a good point. So from now on, don’t leave it in the car.”

“Great idea,” she said, her tone slightly sarcastic. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “We’ve done everything we can to stay safe in this building. You need to trust that.”

“I’m not so sure,” he said slowly. “I still wonder if we should move out of here.”

“We talked about that and decided that this is the most secure place for us.” She waved her hand toward the cameras mounted on the ceiling. “Look, I’ve been worried about our safety, that’s true. But not here. Not in our office. Since installing the cameras, I feel we’re very well protected. Better than anywhere else we could go.”

He shook his head. “I know. Still, I’ll be glad when that slimeball is in prison—or dead.”

“Wow, where’s all the ‘love your enemy’ stuff you said you believed? And where is your faith? I lean on your strength, you know.”

Tony sighed loudly. “I do have faith, and don’t preach my own words back to me. I pray for this guy, River. But I’m tired of this. How long do you have to live under the Strangler’s influence?”

River just stared at him. It was a good question, and one that she couldn’t answer. Tony was usually so strong. But he was a human being too, and it was clear that he was getting weary from the pressure. At that moment, a Scripture popped into her head. She was pretty sure it wasn’t just her own thoughts. “Isn’t there something in Isaiah that says, ‘But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint’?”

Tony stared at her for a moment, and the tightness in his face relaxed. “Yes. Yes, there is. Isaiah 40:31.” He sighed. “If anyone had told me a couple of months ago that you would be encouraging me with Scripture, I wouldn’t have believed it. But here you are. You’ve come a long way in a short time.”

“I told you that I read the Bible when I was younger, and my father quoted verses a lot. I heard it. I memorized it. But he used God’s Word as a weapon. Thanks to you, those Scriptures he parroted have finally come alive. I’ve learned the Bible is full of hope, faith . . . and love. Now it’s powerful. Real. I’m seeing it in a whole new light.” Her voice caught as she choked out the next words. “And it’s because you just . . . cared about me. Kept being an example of what Christians should be. I don’t know where I would be . . . without you.”