Did Jenn think that Riley had double-crossed her by slipping her a phony file?
Finally Riley said, That file was all Ive got. Im not holding out on you.
Jenn didnt reply. Riley wished she had some idea whether she believed her.
She also wondered if she had put that information to use earlier on, might Hatcher be behind bars right now? Or even dead?
When they reached the door to Merediths office, Riley stopped, and so did Jenn.
Riley felt a touch of alarm.
Jenn was obviously going to Merediths office too.
Why was the new agent in on this meeting? Had she told Meredith about Riley withholding information?
But Jenn just stood there, still making no eye contact.
Riley knocked on Merediths door, and then she and Jenn went inside.
Chief Meredith was sitting behind his desk, looking as intimidating as usual.
He said, Sit, both of you.
Riley and Jenn obediently sat down in chairs in front of the desk.
Meredith was quiet for a moment.
Then he said, Agent Paige, Agent Roston Id like each of you to meet your new partner.
Riley stifled a gasp. She glanced at Jenn Roston, whose dark brown eyes had widened at the news.
That had better not be a problem, Meredith said. The BAU is overloaded with cases right now. With Agent Jeffreys on leave and everybody else on assignment, you get each other. Consider it settled.
Riley realized that Meredith was right. The only other agent she might really want to work with right now was Craig Huang, but he was busy watching her home.
This is fine, sir, Riley said to Meredith.
Jenn said, Ill be honored to work with Agent Paige, sir.
Those words surprised Riley a little. She wondered if Jenn really meant them.
Dont get too excited, he said. This case probably wont amount to much. Just this morning, a teenage girls body was found buried in farmland near Angier, a small town in Iowa.
A single murder? Jenn asked.
Why is this a case for the BAU? Riley asked.
Meredith drummed his fingers on his desk.
My guess is it probably isnt one, he said. But another girl went missing earlier from the same town, and she still hasnt been found. Its a small, quiet place where this sort of thing just doesnt happen. Folks there say that neither girl was the type who might run away or take up with strangers.
Riley shook her head doubtfully.
So what makes anybody think this a serial? she asked. Without another body, isnt that a little premature?
Meredith shrugged.
Yeah, thats the way I see it. But the police chief in Angier, Joseph Sinard, is in a panic about it.
Rileys forehead crinkled at the sound of the name.
Sinard, she said. Where have I heard that name before?
Meredith smiled a little and said, Maybe youre thinking of the FBIs executive assistant director, Forrest Sinard. Joe Sinard is his brother.
Riley almost rolled her eyes. It made sense now. Somebody high in the FBI food chain was being pestered by a relative in the heartland, so the case had gotten kicked to the BAU. Shed been stuck with politically driven investigations like this in the past.
Meredith said, You two need to go out there and see if theres even a case to look at.
What about my work on the Hatcher case? Jenn Roston asked.
Meredith said, Weve got plenty of folks working on that technicians and fact-finders and such. I assume theyve got access to all your information.
Jenn nodded.
Meredith said, They can spare you for a few days. If this even takes that long.
Rileys feelings were decidedly mixed. Aside from not being sure about whether she wanted to work with Jenn Roston, she didnt much look forward to wasting her time on a case that probably didnt even need BAU help.
Shed rather be helping Blaine learn to shoot.
Or doing other things with Blaine, she thought, suppressing a smile.
So when do we leave? Jenn asked.
As soon as possible, Meredith said. Ive told Chief Sinard not to move the body until you get there. Youll fly into Des Moines, where Chief Sinards people will meet you and drive you to Angier. Its about an hour from Des Moines. We have to get the plane fueled up and ready to go. In the meantime, dont go too far. Takeoff will be in less than two hours.
Riley and Jenn left Merediths office. Riley went straight to her own office, sat down for a moment, and looked around aimlessly.
Des Moines, she thought.
Shed only been there a few times, but it was where her older sister, Wendy, lived. Riley and Wendy, estranged for years, had gotten in touch last fall when their father was dying. Wendy, not Riley, had been with Daddy when he died.
Thinking about Wendy stirred up guilt over that as well as other disturbing memories. Daddy had been hard on Rileys sister, and Wendy had run away when she was fifteen. Riley had been just five. After their father died, they had vowed to keep in touch, but so far that had amounted to a video chat.
Riley knew she should visit Wendy if she had the chance. But obviously not right away. Meredith had said that Angier was an hour away from Des Moines and that the local police would pick them up at the airport.
Maybe I can see Wendy before I come back to Quantico, she thought.
Right now, she had a little time to kill before the BAU plane took off.
And there was someone she wanted to see.
She was worried about her longtime partner, Bill Jeffreys. He lived near the base, but she hadnt seen him for several days. Bill was suffering from PTSD, and Riley knew from her own experience how tough recovery could be.
She took out her cell phone and typed a text message.
Thought Id stop by for a few minutes. U home?
She waited a few moments. The message was marked delivered but not yet read.
Riley sighed a little. She didnt have time to wait for Bill to check his messages. If she wanted to see him before she left, she had to drop by right now and just hope he was home.
*It was only a few minutes drive from the BAU building to Bills little apartment in the town of Quantico. When she parked her car and started toward the building, she noticed again what a depressing place it was.
There was nothing especially wrong with it as apartment buildings went it was an ordinary red brick building, not a tenement or anything like that. But Riley couldnt help remembering the nice suburban home where Bill had lived until his divorce. In comparison, this place had no charm at all and now he lived alone. It wasnt a happy situation for her best friend.
Riley walked into the building and headed straight toward Bills second-story apartment. She knocked on the door and waited.
No reply came. She knocked again and still got no response.
She took out her cell phone and saw that the message was still unread.
She felt a burst of worry. Had something happened to Bill?
She reached for the doorknob and turned it.
To her alarm, the door was unlocked, and it swung open.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Bills apartment looked like it had been burglarized. Riley froze in the doorway for a moment, about to draw her gun in case an intruder was still here.
Then she relaxed. Those things strewn about everywhere were food wrappers and dirty plates and glasses. The place was a mess, but it was a personal mess.
She called out Bills name.