Sam wasn’t in the mood for chitchat, but he also knew better than to allow annoyance to creep into his voice. His relationship with Jenna Malloy was unorthodox and not without risk, but he always had the hope that something would come back to her during one of their conversations. That something would still break in the Riley Cavanaugh case.
“How did the two of you meet?” he asked.
“Oh, we’ve known each other for quite some time. I guess you could say we met through a mutual acquaintance. We have a lot in common.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you,” Sam said. “But you also didn’t call to talk to me about your new roommate.”
“No, I didn’t. I’m just making small talk to try to calm my nerves. It’s an exercise one of my therapists taught me a long time ago.”
“Why are you nervous?”
Her voice lowered to a near whisper. “I’m not just nervous. I’m scared, Agent Reece.”
Suddenly she sounded young and vulnerable, and Sam remembered why he always tried to hold back his irritation even when she crossed an uncomfortable line. He’d never been able to shake the image of her on that lonely country road, eyes haunted as she clutched a dirty blanket around her frail shoulders. He’d never been able to forget the photographs and medical reports that had graphically documented her abuse.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked gently.
“Weren’t you listening tonight?”
He knew what she meant, but he asked anyway. “You mean to Ellie Brannon’s radio program? I missed it tonight. I didn’t get home until late.”
“She called again, Agent Reece.”
“Who called?”
“Riley.”
“You know that’s not possible.”
Jenna’s voice rose in agitation. “I don’t know anything of the sort and neither do you. Her body was never found. She could still be alive for all we know.”
“That’s highly unlikely after all this time.”
“Well, someone has been calling into Ellie’s show for the past three nights. She’s been calling me, too, Agent Reece.”
“What?” Sam leaned against the railing as he tried to quell his unease. The night was still quiet. The brick wall that surrounded the community muted the traffic noises, and yet the darkness suddenly seemed alive with prying eyes and creeping shadows. His imagination, of course. No one was about this time of night. Not here. Not inside his protected haven. Outside the gates, where Jenna Malloy dwelled, was another matter.
“Why are you only mentioning this now?” he asked.
“Because I wanted to make sure it was Riley. She always calls at night. Maybe that’s the only time she can get away. Sometimes the phone goes dead as soon as I answer, but sometimes I can hear her breathing.”
“How do you know it’s Riley?”
“She started to cry once. Tiny little sobs that reminded me of a lost kitten. It made me cry, too, Agent Reece. I felt so helpless, not knowing where she was or how I could help her.”
“Have you told anyone else about these calls?”
“Like my therapist, you mean? She wouldn’t believe me.”
He chose his words carefully. “The caller says nothing, but you’re convinced she’s Riley?”
“Yes.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“A few days, I guess. You know how I sometimes lose track of time.”
“What did she say tonight when she called the radio show?”
“She said he’s coming.”
“That’s it?”
“Isn’t that enough, Agent Reece? What more would you want her to say?”
“This isn’t the first time you’ve heard Riley’s voice,” he reminded her. “You were once convinced she was living down the street from you. You said you spotted her at the bus stop, remember?”
“This is different,” she insisted. “I was confused in the past. I know that now. I sometimes couldn’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I blame that on all the medication they were giving me in that awful place. But I’m better now.” Her voice dropped again. “She doesn’t just call, Agent Reece. She was at my house tonight. That’s why I had to call you. I didn’t think I should wait until morning to tell you.”
“You saw her?”
“No, but she left something on my front porch. A gift that has meaning only to me.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“Since we were little girls, Riley and I both loved peacocks. It was our thing. A local woman used to raise them and we would ride our bikes out to the lake to watch them. Sometimes we’d find their feathers on the ground and Riley collected them. She left a peacock feather on my front porch as a message. She’s trying to let me know that she’s alive and in trouble.”
“If that were the case, why wouldn’t she go to the police?” Sam reasoned. “Why take the time to leave a feather on your porch, much less to call in to Ellie Brannon’s radio show?”
Jenna once again fell silent. When she finally spoke, her voice was still low but surprisingly determined despite an underlying tremor. “I was held against my will for nearly three weeks. Nineteen days of unspeakable horror. When I was found wandering down the side of that road, I had no idea where I was or where I’d been. I could barely speak. I didn’t know enough to flag down a car for help, let alone call the police. Riley has been with that monster for fifteen years. Fifteen years, Agent Reece. Can you even imagine such a thing? Can we really expect her to behave in a rational manner? She’s found a window and she’s reaching out in the only way she knows how.”
Her argument was so compelling that Sam found himself buying into the possibility before he mentally shook himself. Riley Cavanaugh had disappeared without a trace fifteen years ago. The chances she could still be alive were miniscule. Hallucinations or a cruel hoax was the more logical explanation.
But if there was even the slightest chance...
“Maybe
