And now he was responding.
I’d better find out what he’s got to say, she thought.
She punched in Van Roff’s number, and he picked up immediately.
“I wish I had better news for you, Agent Paige,” Van said.
“Have you been able to find out anything at all?” Riley asked.
“Not a thing,” Van said. “You mentioned that maybe I could findsomething in her personnel records—something about that foster home where she’dgrown up.”
Riley nodded and said, “Jenn told me there was something aboutthat in her records. The foster home closed up long ago, but even so I thoughtmaybe any information at all about it would give you a clue—”
Van interrupted her, “Agent Paige, there aren’t any records.Somebody hacked into the FBI files and deleted Roston’s personnel files. It’slike she never worked for the FBI at all.”
Riley felt light-headed with shock.
Van continued, “Somebody doesn’t want anybody to know whathappened to her. And whoever that ‘somebody’ is, they’ve got great hackingskills. Zapping away FBI records is quite a feat.”
“What about that address I gave you?”
Riley meant the return address on the package that had containedthe gun and the badge—an address in Dallas, Texas.
“Phony,” Van said. “There’s no such place. And I used every trickin the book to find out if she might still be in Dallas. I can’t find her thereor anywhere else. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Riley felt thoroughly defeated now.
“OK,” she said. “Thanks, Van.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Then something else occurred to Riley.
“Van, I’ve told you a few things about Jenn that nobody else issupposed to know. I hope you’ll—”
Van interrupted in an incongruously cheerful voice.
“Well, it’s so nice of you to call, Agent Paige. I reallyappreciate it. I like staying in touch, keeping tabs on each other.”
Riley smiled a little. She knew this was Van Roff’s way of sayingthis whole conversation had never taken place as far as he was concerned. Shecould always trust Van to keep a secret.
“Goodbye, Van,” she said. “And thanks again.”
She ended the call and slouched miserably on the edge of her bed.She remembered something Van had said just now.
“Somebody doesn’t want anybody to know what happened to her.”
Riley had a hunch that that “somebody” was Jenn herself. Jenndidn’t want to be found. And if Van Roff couldn’t find her, nobody elsepossibly could.
She’s gone, Riley thought. Jenn’s really gone.
Riley struggled for a moment with feelings of sadness, anger, andbetrayal.
There’s nothing I can do about it, she told herself. Jennmade her own choice. It’s not up to me.
Meanwhile, Riley did have something pleasant to look forward to.She got up from the bed and went to her closet to find something nice to wearfor her lunch date. As she looked through her clothes, she smiled at the ironyof wanting to look her best today.
How odd, she thought.
Here she was, trying to impress a guy who already knew her betterthan almost anyone ever had.
CHAPTER TWO
They had ordered their sandwiches, and now Riley sat quietly,looking across the table at her partner.
Bill gazed back at her.
She smiled, and he smiled back.
Neither of them said anything, but it didn’t seem to matter.
At least we’re not uncomfortable, she thought.
In fact, things seemed very comfortable between them right now.
They were seated in a cozy, private booth in Hannigan’s PublicHouse. After years and years of grabbing something to eat on the run, eating ingrubby cafés and fast food joints, or ordering pizza in motel rooms, this wasquite a change for the two of them—or at least the two of them together. Shecouldn’t remember their ever having lunch together in a place like this.
Certainly not when we weren’t working on a case.
She was pleased that Bill had chosen Hannigan’s for their …
Date, she reminded herself. We’re actually on a date.
In fact, this seemed almost quaintly like a traditional date.Bill had even picked her up at home and driven her here. She was also pleasedto see that, like herself, he had gone to some effort to look nice. He waswearing a stylish button-front cardigan, and his still-thick dark hair wasflawlessly combed.
A handsome man, she thought.
Bill had never been a golden boy like her ex-husband, Ryan. Hehad never been smooth and pleasant-looking like her ex-boyfriend Blaine. Hisfeatures were those of a man who had lived a hard life, but he also had thelook of a man who had accomplished things.
Riley knew that life had left its mark on her too. Her own darkhair, like his, showed touches of gray. Shadows around her eyes, like his,reflected ugly encounters over the years. Although men in general seemedattracted to her, she knew that most of them had no idea what Special AgentRiley Paige was actually like.
Finally, Bill reached across the table and took her hand.
He asked, “Riley, is this going to work?”
Riley laughed just a little.
“I don’t know, Bill,” she said. “I’m not even sure what ‘this’ is.Are you?”
Bill laughed as well.
“Well, I’ve got some ideas, but I can’t say I know where ‘this’is going.”
“Me neither,” Riley said.
They fell silent again. Riley knew only one thing for sure. “This”was something romantic—a change in both of their lives, from being best friendsto something more than friends.
Riley remembered the sweet, warm moment when “this” had started.It had been a couple of weeks ago, just after they’d finished their last case.They’d been sitting together in Riley’s hotel room, and both of them had felttroubled and sad. Riley was bitter and hurt about Jenn’s unexplaineddisappearance. Bill was frightened that Riley had almost been killed by apsychopathic madman.
It hadn’t been the first time either Riley or Bill had narrowlyescaped death, of course. In fact, it probably hadn’t even been the hundredthtime. But this time, Bill had seemed to be taking it especially hard.
Finally he had told her exactly why.
“I don’t think I could stand to ever lose you. I don’t think Icould live without you.”
Then, without saying another word, they had kissed.
After that, they’d quietly held each other for a while withoutsaying a word.
That was really all there had been to
