“Yes,” she answered simply.
He sighed deeply, signaling his disagreement, and proceeded to finish breakfast in silence.
RILEY’S STOMACH WAS A SERIES of knots by the time they arrived at the television studio in Jackson. Sheriff Tanner had briefed Hannah on what to say and what not to say, and now the three of them piled out of the sheriff’s Ford Bronco and entered the studio, where the television reporter, McCoy Edwards, was waiting to greet them.
Edwards was in his early fifties, with sharp, green eyes and thick, slicked-back dark hair edged with silver. He greeted the sheriff as if they were old friends, a feeling the sheriff clearly didn’t share, and then pulled Hannah aside with a gentle tug once the introductions were over.
Riley watched them go, keeping his eye on Edwards as he led Hannah to a pair of chairs in front of a textured gray wall of a news set and settled her in with care. Riley could hear the murmur of their low conversation but couldn’t make out any words. He turned to Tanner. “Are you sure you can trust him?”
“We need to get the story out to make this work. Edwards is the guy who can make it happen.”
Not exactly the answer he’d hoped for, Riley thought, his gaze finding Hannah again. She looked in his direction, a tentative half-smile on her face. He knew she couldn’t see much past the lights shining on her, but he smiled his encouragement anyway, even though his gut felt twisted inside-out.
Once they settled down to the interview, Riley could hear their words more clearly. To his credit, Edwards asked smart questions, and his follow-ups suggested he’d done his homework beyond reading Mark Archibald’s article in the Jackson paper.
Finally, he got to the question Riley knew Hannah had been waiting for. “Do you think you’ll ever remember everything about the event?”
“I don’t know. But I’m going to see a doctor at Jackson Memorial tomorrow morning. She’s a certified therapeutic hypnotist. I’m hoping we can work through some of the memory blocks so I can help the police even more.”
Riley’s heart clenched. With that one answer, she’d set the trap. Nothing left to do now but see it through to the end.
He just hoped Hannah was still standing when the smoke finally cleared.
“YOU STILL THINK I’M MAKING a mistake.” Hannah stirred in Riley’s arms, turning to face him. She couldn’t see more than the shadowy outline of his face in the darkened bedroom, but she felt the tension build in his body at her words.
“I don’t think it was a safe choice,” he answered.
Such a careful response, she thought with as much affection as frustration. “I know it’s not the safe choice. That doesn’t mean it’s not the right one.”
His big hand found her face in the dark, his fingers tangling in her hair as he gave her a soft, slightly clumsy caress. “Depends on who you ask.”
She twined her fingers with his and leaned in to kiss him. His mouth was hot and soft beneath hers, and the low simmer of heat in her belly flickered into flame. “I have to do this,” she breathed against his lips.
“If you’re doing it for me-”
“I told you already, it’s as much for me as for you.” She lay back against the pillow, closing her eyes.
“What if nothing happens?” he asked quietly. “What if he doesn’t take the bait?”
Pain nipped at her heart. “Then I go home as planned.”
“And I keep looking.” He rolled on to his back until they lay side by side, no longer touching.
But where would Riley be?
“If the plan works, and we catch him-what then?” she asked aloud. “What will you do?”
He didn’t answer right away, though she could almost hear him thinking. After a moment, the bed shook as he gave a small shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought that far ahead.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I hope you have to start thinking about it.”
His fingers curled around hers, and she smiled sadly in the dark.
FROM HIS POSITION NEAR the front entrance, he spotted Sheriff Jim Tanner entering the hospital first. The clock on the wall over the information desk read 10:49 a.m.
Right on time. He’d checked the shrink’s schedule earlier that morning, before she arrived, and found Hannah Cooper’s name pencilled in at eleven.
Dressed in jeans and a denim jacket, the Teton County Sheriff was indistinguishable from the other visitors milling about the hospital lobby. Most people there probably didn’t realize he was the sheriff.
As if he was stupid enough to fall for so obvious a set-up.
He could imagine the sheriff’s reasoning.
He’d applied to the FBI a while back. He knew all about that sort of thinking, the tricks the G-Man types pulled to make people think they were smarter than they really were.
But they hadn’t been smart enough to hire him, had they?
Movement to his right caught his eye. His heartbeat kicked up a notch. There she was, as expected, walking slowly toward the entrance. A few feet in front of the glass doors, she hesitated, just a moment. A surge of pure pleasure rushed through him at the sight of her unease.
As he watched, her chin came up, her shoulders squared and she entered the hospital lobby. Her renewed resolve did nothing to dampen his enjoyment, however. He liked a challenge.
She walked past where the sheriff sat, not even giving him a glance. Heading straight to the elevators, she punched the up button.
As she disappeared inside, the new guy, Sanchez, strolled up next to him. He smiled pleasantly. “Boss sent me down here to learn the ropes, would you believe? Like I’ve never walked security before. I worked county lock-up, for God’s sake.”
So had he, though not in Teton County. He’d put in his time as a prison guard in Natrona, a few years back.
Sanchez nodded his head to the right, his meaty brow furrowed. “Hey, is that the sheriff?”
He just smiled.
“I ADMIT, THIS IS ONE OF MY stranger moments as a therapist.” Dr. Janis Templeton smiled at Hannah across her wide, oak desk. “I’ve never been part of a police sting before. I can’t decide if it’s exciting or nerve- racking.”
Hannah smiled back, though her stomach had been in knots all morning. “If it makes you feel better, neither can I.”
“How long before you know if it worked?”
“I’m supposed to stay the hour. Then I walk through the hospital alone and meet the sheriff downstairs in the lobby.” Hannah glanced at her watch. She’d been in Dr. Templeton’s office for only ten minutes. It had felt much longer.
Dr. Templeton sat back in her chair, crossing her legs. She was only a little older than Hannah, maybe in her early thirties. She was pretty in a natural sort of way, with minimal makeup and a short, unfussy hairstyle that suited her. Her suit was simple but well cut, showing off her slim swimmer’s build. Hannah wondered if she had much chance to swim in a place like Jackson, Wyoming.
“I suppose while we’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to you a bit about your memory loss. Has anything come back at all?” Dr. Templeton asked.
“A few things. I don’t know what I’m at liberty to tell you, though.”
Dr. Templeton nodded. “Of course. I was just wondering if you’d seriously considered hypnosis to recover some of the missing pieces.”
