Mike, theyve assigned him to Dr. Leo.
Another silence fell.
Ill bet that did the trick, Riley thought. She knew perfectly well that Mike despised the celebrity therapist with all his heart.
Finally Mike said, When can Bill come in?
What are you doing right now?
Im in my office. Ill be tied up for a couple of hours but I can be available after that.
Great. He can get there by then. But please let me know if he doesnt show up.
Ill do that.
As they ended the call, coffee was trickling into the carafe. Riley poured a cup and went back to Bills bedroom. He wasnt there. But the door to the adjoining bathroom was closed, and Riley could hear Bills electric razor on the other side.
Riley rapped on the door.
Yeah, Im decent, Bill said.
Riley opened the door and saw that Bill was shaving. She set the coffee down on the edge of the sink.
I made you an appointment with Mike Nevins, she said.
For when?
Right now. As soon as you can get out of here and drive there. Ill text you his office address. Ive got to go.
Bill looked surprised. Of course, Riley hadnt told him anything about being in a hurry.
Ive got a case in Iowa, Riley explained. The planes waiting right now. Dont skip out on Mike Nevins. Ill find out about it, and there will be hell to pay.
Bill grumbled, but then said, OK, Ill get there.
Riley turned to leave. Then she thought of something she wasnt sure she should bring up.
Finally she said, Bill, Shane Hatchers 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 dont think hed attack my family, but I cant be sure. I wonder if maybe
Bill nodded.
Ill 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 didnt run into any traffic, shed make it to the airstrip in time.
Now she had to start thinking about her new case, but she wasnt particularly worried about it. This one probably wouldnt 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 doesnt.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Mike responded immediately.
Will do.
Riley told herself that shed 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 didnt like the chilly silence between her and Jenn. She wondered if maybe Jenn didnt 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 couldnt 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. Its been a dream of mine. Ive followed your work ever since I started at the academy.
For a moment, Riley didnt know what to say. Jenn had said much the same thing to her before. But again, Riley couldnt tell from Jenns expression whether she was sincere.
Ive 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 wouldnt get my expectations up if I were you not for this case.
Right, Jenn said. Its probably not even a case for the BAU. Were 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 shouldnt 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, wouldnt she have used it against her already?
She remembered what Jenn had said to her yesterday.
Im pretty sure we want exactly the same thing to put an end to Shane Hatchers criminal career.
If that was true, Jenn really was Rileys ally.
But how could Riley be sure? She sat there considering whether she should broach the subject.
She hadnt 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 didnt 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 didnt 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.
*When the plane taxied into the Des Moines International Airport, Riley was able to check her cell phone. She was pleased to see that shed gotten a message from Mike Nevins.
Bills here with me right now.
It was one less thing to worry about.
A police car was waiting outside the plane. Two cops from Angier introduced themselves at the base of the boarding steps. Darryl Laird was a gangly young man in his twenties, and Howard Doty was a much shorter man in his forties.
Both had stunned expressions on their faces.
Were sure glad youre here, Doty told Riley and Jenn as the two cops escorted them to the car.
Laird said, This is whole thing is just
The younger man shook his head without finishing his thought.
These poor guys, Riley thought.
They were just regular small-town cops. Murders were surely few and far between in a small Iowa town. Maybe the older cop had handled one or two homicides at one time or other, but Riley guessed that the younger one hadnt been through anything like this before.