When she got him on the phone she said, “Hey, how busy are youright now?”
She heard Bill sigh.
“I’m still office-bound, at Meredith’s orders,” he said. “I keepstaring at my computer, searching through whatever records and information Ican get my hands on. But the truth is, I don’t even know what I’m looking for.I’m just spinning my wheels. But judging from the morning news, you might havethe killer in custody. Is that for real, or is it a ruse?”
“It’s a ruse,” Riley said.
“I see,” Bill said. “Well, it’s a ruse we’ve used before.Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Good luck with it this time.”
“Thanks, I’ll probably need it,” Riley said.
She took a sharp breath and added, “I could also use your help.As it happens, I’m between partners at the moment.”
Bill let out a chuckle, “You and the sorority sister didn’t seeeye to eye, huh?”
Riley smiled. Bill obviously had a pretty good idea of why thingshadn’t worked out with Ann Marie.
“It’s my fault as much as hers,” she said. “I’m just a grouchyold woman fixed in her ways, and I don’t get along with much of anybody except…”
Riley paused, expecting Bill to jump right in and tell her he’dbe thrilled to join her.
Instead, he remained silent for a moment.
“Riley, I don’t think so,” he finally said.
“Why not?” Riley asked.
“I’d have to clear it with Meredith, and he might tell Walder we’reworking together, and …”
A longer silence fell.
Then Bill said, “Riley, I think Walder knows about us. How wefeel about each other, I mean.”
Riley’s heart jumped up in her throat.
“How does he know?” she asked.
“The night before last, when we were talking on the phone, I’dleft my office door open. When we finished talking, he was right there in thedoorway. I’m pretty sure he was eavesdropping. And I’m pretty sure he knew Iwas talking to you. He didn’t exactly say anything, but … he had that gloatinglook he gets when he knows he’s got the best of somebody.”
Riley’s eyes widened with alarm. She knew that look of Walder’svery well.
Bill went on, “I was stupid not to shut the damned door. Buthardly anyone is around the building at that time of night. Least of allWalder. I thought we had some privacy. Believe me, it’s shut tight right now. I’msorry.”
“It’s OK,” Riley said.
She almost asked, “How much did he overhear?”
But she quickly remembered one of the last things Bill said toher before they ended the call …
“I miss you more than I can say.”
If Walder had overheard nothing but those words, he knew morethan she and Bill wanted him to.
Bill said, “Anyway, I’m afraid he’s just waiting for the bestopportunity to screw us over. If I come out there to work with you now …”
“I understand,” Riley said with a sigh. “As it happens, there maybe other Walder issues brewing.”
She told Bill about Senator Walker Danson—how impatient he wasabout solving the case of his niece’s murder, and how he and Walder seemed toknow each other, and how she thought he might complain directly to Walder.
Bill let out a grunt of dismay.
“It sounds like a perfect storm is brewing,” he said. “I’d betterlet you get back to work.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Riley said. “I miss you. I wish you were here.”
“I do too.”
They ended the call, and Riley sat staring at her phone.
Walder’s going to make problems for us, she thought.
She didn’t know how or when, but she knew it was going to happen,and probably soon.
But she also knew she couldn’t think about that right now. Shehad to work with Sheriff Wightman to prepare for tonight’s ambush.
She was all but sure the killer was going to show himself thisvery night.
And we can’t let him slip through our hands.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Riley rubbed her tired eyes. She was feeling worn out andfrustrated and anxious after being cooped up most of the day, working alone inSheriff Wightman’s office.
I’ve got to get out of here or I’ll scream, she thought.
She’d decided that she needed to stay somewhere out of sight tosupport the story they’d told the public at the news conference this morning.If she were seen still investigating, people might get the idea that the casehadn’t been solved after all. Having a few police out and about could seemnatural, but an FBI agent would surely arouse the media’s interest.
But it had been a long and dull day so far, just poring overrecords and information she’d already looked at dozens of times. Worse, herwork had produced no helpful results. She glanced at her watch and saw that itwas just a few minutes before dusk, when the curfew was set to take effect. Shefigured it would be all right to slip outside then and do her own part inhelping the police to track down the killer.
Meanwhile, she found it hard to focus. For one thing, she keptthinking about Ann Marie, who had surely gotten back to Quantico by now. Whathad she done when she’d gotten there? Had she gone straight to Meredith andWalder and reported how Riley had treated her?
You’re getting paranoid, Riley told herself.
But she remembered what Bill had told her about Walderoverhearing their phone call. There was also the fact that the sheriff wasbeing pestered for news on the case by a politician who knew Walder. She couldalmost hear Bill’s words again …
“It sounds like a perfect storm is brewing.”
He was probably right. She only hoped that Walder wasn’t going tomake trouble before she managed to solve this case.
But Riley also couldn’t help worrying about the way she and AnnMarie parted. She knew she had been hard on the young agent. Whether she wantedto or not, she must have hurt the rookie’s feelings. Surely Riley could havehandled the situation more gracefully.
Should she call Ann Marie and try to make things better?
No, this was no time for that.
Keep your head in the game, she told herself. Lives areat stake here.
She pushed the files away for a moment to give her eyes a rest.It occurred to her that she hadn’t talked to April and Jilly since yesterdaymorning, when
