Once Dormant

Maybe Dad could tell me something, she thought.

Maybe he’d have some ideas.

But Sam’s heart sank as she realized that wouldn’t be such a good idea. Her father was in a local nursing home and was suffering from bouts of dementia. He had his good days and his bad days, but bringing up a case from his past would almost certainly upset and confuse him. Sam didn’t want to do that.

Right now she had nothing much to do until her partner, Dominic, showed up for their morning beat. She hoped he’d get here soon, so they could make a round of the area before the heat got too oppressive. Today was expected to break some records.

Meanwhile, there was no point in worrying about things she couldn’t do anything about—not even the possibility that a serial killer might be right here in Rushville, getting ready to strike again.

Try not to think about it, she told herself.

Then she scoffed and murmured aloud …

“Like that’s going to happen.”

CHAPTER SIX

Riley’s cell phone buzzed while Blaine was driving them all back to Fredericksburg. She was surprised and unsettled to see who the call was from.

Is this some kind of emergency? she wondered.

Gabriela never called her just to chat, and she had made a point of not calling at all during their two weeks at the beach. She’d only sent an occasional text to let Riley know that everything was all right at home.

Riley’s concern grew when she took the call and heard a note of alarm in Gabriela’s voice …

“Señora Riley—when will you be home?”

“In about half an hour,” Riley said. “Why?”

She heard Gabriela inhale sharply, then say …

“He’s here.”

“Who’s here?” Riley asked.

When Gabriela didn’t answer immediately, Riley understood …

“Oh my God,” she said. “Ryan’s there?”

“Sí,” Gabriela said.

“What does he want?” Riley asked.

“He does not say. But he says it is something important. He is waiting for you.”

Riley almost asked Gabriela to put Ryan on the phone. But then it occurred to her—whatever Ryan wanted was probably nothing she’d want to discuss on the phone right now. Not with everybody else right there in the car.

Instead Riley said, “Tell him I’ll be home soon.”

“I will,” Gabriela said.

They ended the call and Riley sat staring out the SUV window.

After a moment Blaine said, “Um … did I hear you say something about …?”

Riley nodded.

Sitting behind them listening to music, the girls hadn’t been listening until just now.

“What?” April asked. “What’s going on?”

Riley sighed and said, “It’s your father. He’s at home waiting for us.”

Both April and Jilly gasped aloud.

Then Jilly said, “Couldn’t you tell Gabriela to just make him go away?”

Riley was tempted to say she’d really like to, but it wouldn’t be fair to unload that task on Gabriela.

Instead she said …

“You know I can’t do that.”

April and Jilly both moaned with dismay.

Riley could well understand how her two daughters felt. Ryan’s last unannounced visit to their house had been unpleasant for everybody—Ryan included. His attempt to charm his way back into the girls’ lives had backfired. April had been cool toward him, and Jilly had been downright rude.

Riley hadn’t been able to blame either one of them.

One too many times, Ryan had built up their hopes that he could still act like a father. He’d dashed those hopes yet again, and the girls had wanted nothing to do with him.

What does he want now? Riley wondered, sighing again.

Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn’t going to sour everybody’s good feelings about the vacation they’d just had. It had been a lovely two weeks, despite Riley’s dream about her father. Since then she had done her best to put Agent Meredith’s call out of her mind.

But now the news about Ryan seemed to trigger her dark thoughts again.

A hammer, she thought.

Someone was killed with a hammer.

She reminded herself sternly that she’d done the right thing by saying no to Chief Meredith. Besides, he hadn’t called her again about it, which surely meant that he wasn’t very concerned about it after all.

It was probably nothing, she thought.

Just a case for the locals to take care of.

*