Once Lost

“I’ve got a case in Iowa,” Riley explained. “The plane’s waiting right now. Don’t skip out on Mike Nevins. I’ll find out about it, and there will be hell to pay.”

Bill grumbled, but then said, “OK, I’ll get there.”

Riley turned to leave. Then she thought of something she wasn’t sure she should bring up.

Finally she said, “Bill, Shane Hatcher’s still on the loose. There are agents posted around my house. But I got a threatening text from him, and nobody knows about it except you. I don’t think he’d attack my family, but I can’t be sure. I wonder if maybe …”

Bill nodded.

“I’ll keep an eye on things,” he said. “I need to do something useful.”

Riley gave him a quick hug and left the apartment.

As she walked toward her car, she checked her watch again.

If she didn’t run into any traffic, she’d make it to the airstrip in time.

Now she had to start thinking about her new case, but she wasn’t particularly worried about it. This one probably wouldn’t take long.

After all, how could a single small-town murder demand much in the way of time and effort?

CHAPTER NINE

Even as she walked across the tarmac toward the plane Riley started psyching herself up for her new case. But there was one thing she needed to do before she got too wrapped up in it.

She sent a text to Mike Nevins.

Text me when Bill shows up. Text me if he doesn’t.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Mike responded immediately.

Will do.

Riley told herself that she’d done all she could do for Bill right now, and it was up to him to make the most of her help. If anybody could help Bill deal with the things that were tormenting him, Riley was sure that Mike could.

She climbed the steps into the cabin, where Jenn Roston was already seated and working on her laptop computer. Jenn glanced up and nodded as Riley sat down across the table from her.

Riley nodded back.

Then Riley looked out the window during takeoff and as the plane climbed to cruising altitude. She didn’t like the chilly silence between her and Jenn. She wondered if maybe Jenn didn’t like it either. These flights were normally a good time to talk over details of a case. But there was really nothing to say about this one yet. The body had just been found that morning, after all.

Riley took a magazine out of her bag and tried to read, but she couldn’t focus her attention on the words. Having Jenn sit across from her quietly like that was too distracting. Instead, Riley just sat there pretending to read.

The story of my life these days, she thought.

Pretending and lying were becoming all too routine.

Finally Jenn looked up from her computer.

“Agent Paige, I meant what I said at the meeting with Meredith,” she said.

“Pardon?” Riley asked, looking up from her magazine.

“About being honored to work with you. It’s been a dream of mine. I’ve followed your work ever since I started at the academy.”

For a moment, Riley didn’t know what to say. Jenn had said much the same thing to her before. But again, Riley couldn’t tell from Jenn’s expression whether she was sincere.

“I’ve heard great things about you,” Riley said.

As noncommittal as it sounded, at least it was true. Under different circumstances, Riley would have been thrilled at the chance to work with a smart new agent.

Riley added with a weak smile, “But I wouldn’t get my expectations up if I were you – not for this case.”

“Right,” Jenn said. “It’s probably not even a case for the BAU. We’re liable to fly back to Quantico tonight. Well, there will be others.”

Jenn turned her attention back to her computer. Riley wondered whether she was working on the Shane Hatcher files. And of course, she worried anew that she shouldn’t have given Jenn that thumb drive.

But as she sat there thinking about it, she realized something. If Jenn had really meant to double-cross her by asking for that information, wouldn’t she have used it against her already?

She remembered what Jenn had said to her yesterday.

“I’m pretty sure we want exactly the same thing – to put an end to Shane Hatcher’s criminal career.”

If that was true, Jenn really was Riley’s ally.

But how could Riley be sure? She sat there considering whether she should broach the subject.

She hadn’t told Jenn about the threat she had received from Hatcher.

Was there really any reason not to?

Might Jenn actually be able to help her in some way? Maybe, but Riley still didn’t feel ready to take that step.

Meanwhile, it seemed downright weird that her new partner still called her Agent Paige while insisting that Riley call her by her first name.

“Jenn,” she said.

Jenn looked up from her computer.

“I think you should call me Riley,” Riley said.

Jenn smiled a little and turned her attention back to her computer.

Riley set her magazine aside and stared out the window at the clouds below. The sun was shining brightly, but Riley didn’t find it cheerful.

She felt terribly alone. She missed having Bill around to trust and confide in.

And she missed Lucy so much that she ached inside.