camp out in the airport where you don’t know a soul?”
“I’m camped out in a hospital where I don’t know a soul. At least at the airport I wouldn’t be wearing a cotton smock with an open back.”
There was a quiet knock on the hospital-room door, and a moment later, Joe Garrison and Jim Tanner entered, followed by one of the Teton County evidence technicians holding a notebook computer.
“Trammell here has a copy of the only security-camera footage available,” Tanner said, motioning for Trammell to set up the notebook computer on the over-bed table at the foot of the hospital bed. “I want you to watch and see if anyone looks familiar.”
“I didn’t get a good look at him either time.”
“You can at least eliminate people by body type. It can’t hurt.”
Riley and Joe gathered around the computer as Trammell hit play. Riley felt a prickle of warmth down the left side of his body and turned to find Hannah sitting closer to him, like a kitten curling up next to a heat source. The mental image amused him.
He reached behind her to grab the blanket wadded near the foot of the bed and caught a glimpse of golden skin peeking out the back of her hospital gown.
She smiled her appreciation when he tucked the blanket around her, then turned back to the computer. “What are we looking at?” she asked Trammell.
“This is the front entrance.” Trammell pointed to a pair of glass doors center frame. “We asked for everything from about an hour before you arrived to the time you called the nurse’s station around 1:00 a.m.” He pointed to another button. “Click that button and it’ll fast-forward the images. Click that one and it’ll pause the image.”
It was easy to fast-forward the video; about half the visitors could be eliminated by their sex, others by age or build. Hannah stopped the video three times, but each time she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Riley frowned, something on the video catching his eye. “The hell?” He reached across and hit the pause button, then touched another to reverse the video.
“What is it?” Hannah asked.
“I’m not sure-” He saw the flicker again and hit pause.
“Oh,” Hannah said, her voice tinted with surprise.
On the screen, the tip of one dark boot was visible just past the edge of the mottled carpet in front of the lobby door.
“Well, hell.” Tanner grimaced at the screen.
“Someone tampered with the recording.” Riley looked at Joe, whose blue eyes had darkened.
“Son of a bitch,” Jim Tanner growled.
“How did he manage that?” Hannah asked.
Riley laid his hand on her shoulder. She gave a little trembling jerk, turning her head to look up at him. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and felt her relax under his touch.
Tanner released a deep sigh and turned to look at them. “Inside job?”
Joe nodded. “Probably. It’s where I’d start looking for sure.”
“But why would someone who worked here want to hide his image? It’s not like it would raise an alarm,” Hannah said.
“Unless they tampered with the image to throw us off,” Riley countered. As convoluted as that possibility sounded, he wouldn’t put it past their target to be just that devious.
“I’ll get a list of all the personnel, then. Security, medical staff, sanitation, the whole lot.” Tanner clapped his technician on the shoulder. “Trammel, I want the original footage sent to the crime lab in Cheyenne. See if those fellows can get anything out of it.”
Trammell nodded, grabbed his computer and left.
Tanner looked at Hannah. “I think you’re right, Ms. Cooper. It’s not a good idea for you to stay here tonight. I can set you up in protective custody here in Jackson-”
Hannah turned and looked at Riley. “You said I’m the only one who ever got away.”
“That we know of,” Riley agreed.
“I’m the only one who’s seen him.” Her voice softened even more. She moved away from them, toward the window, her arms wrapped around her as if she felt a sudden chill. The movement spread the back of her hospital gown even wider, baring more of the golden skin on her back and the sweet curve of her bottom beneath the cotton of her pale-blue panties.
Riley felt a flutter low in his belly and clamped his teeth together, surprised by his body’s traitorous response. He cleared his throat and glanced at Joe and Jim Tanner. Both men were looking at him rather than Hannah’s pretty backside, which made him feel like even more of a slug.
“Have you talked to her doctor?” Joe asked Tanner in a faint murmur. “What are the chances of her getting back more memories of the attack?”
“Nobody knows,” Tanner admitted. “Head injuries are unpredictable. She might never remember anything more than she’s told us.”
“There might not be anything more to remember,” Joe said grimly. “I hoped when we learned there was a living witness-”
“We know a lot more than we did,” Riley pointed out, glancing at Hannah again. She’d turned and was watching them whisper among themselves, her eyes slightly narrowed.
“I’m still here in the room,” she said aloud, making the other men look at her as well. “Since I’m pretty sure you’re talking about me, why don’t y’all tell me what’s on your minds?”
Riley walked toward her slowly. “We were discussing what you do and don’t remember about the attack.”
“Not much,” she admitted, her voice apologetic. “I’d hoped that I’d remember more once the symptoms of the concussion passed, but I come back to the same thing. I didn’t get a good look at him when he pulled me over. I remember jeans and a silver belt buckle. He seemed fit-muscular, or at least that’s the impression I got before he sprayed me in the face with pepper spray. It happened so fast.”
Riley touched her shoulder again. “You told us he posed as a cop. That’s something we didn’t know before, and I think it could be important.” If nothing else, it suggested the man might have some law-enforcement experience, or at least more understanding of police work than the average citizen.
“What if it’s not enough?” Hannah asked. “What if I fly out of here tomorrow and nothing changes? What if he goes on killing people?”
Riley frowned, not following. “We keep looking for him anyway.”
She looked up at him suddenly, her green eyes bright with an emotion he couldn’t identify. “I’m the only living witness. If I leave-”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but Riley finally understood what she was getting at. “If you leave, it could hamper the investigation,” he admitted aloud.
Her head lowered, her back slumping as if it suddenly bore a terrible weight. Riley felt a rush of pity for her, for he had some idea of what she was feeling. It was a horrible thing, carrying the burden of six unsolved murders, knowing that it fell on you to bring them justice and closure.
“I can’t leave Wyoming, can I?” she asked softly.
He didn’t answer, knowing it was a question she had to answer herself.
Her tongue ran lightly over her lips and he saw her throat bob as she swallowed. When she looked up at him again, her gaze was solemn but direct. “I have five more days left of my vacation. I can’t stay forever, but I can give you those five days. Maybe it’ll be enough.”
“We can put you in protective custody,” Jim Tanner offered.
“She needs to go somewhere the killer doesn’t expect her to be.” Riley glanced at Joe.
“Somewhere small and off the beaten path?” Joe asked, his voice faintly dry.
Riley shrugged and turned back to Hannah. “Canyon Creek is about an hour and a half from here, in ranching country. I have a place there. Plenty of room. Great view.”
Hannah’s brow creased. “You want me to stay alone with you? I don’t even know you.”
“You don’t have to know me. You just have to trust me.”
The room fell silent as Hannah considered his words. The walls seemed to close in around them, every molecule, every atom focused on her words.
He wasn’t sure what he wanted her answer to be, now that he’d made the offer. He’d lived alone for three
