Once Stalked. Блейк Пирс

was lagging.

      “OK, I’ll talk to him,” Adams said.

      He took the call.

      Adams immediately disliked the sound of the man’s voice. It was too soft for his taste, didn’t have the proper bark for a high-ranking officer. Nevertheless, the man vastly outranked Adams. He had to at least feign respect.

      Boyle said, “Colonel Adams, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Three FBI agents from Quantico will be arriving there soon to help with the murder investigation.”

      Adams felt a surge of irritation. As far as he was concerned, he already had too many agents working on it. But he managed to keep his voice calm.

      “Sir, I’m not sure I understand why. We’ve got our own Criminal Investigation Command office right here at Fort Mowat. They’re on the case.”

      Boyle’s voice sounded a little tougher now.

      “Adams, you’ve had three murders in less than three weeks. It sure sounds to me like you folks could use a little help.”

      Adams’s frustration was growing by the second. But he knew he mustn’t show it.

      He said, “Respectfully, sir, I don’t know why you’re calling me with this news. Colonel Dana Larson is the CID commander here at Fort Mowat. Why aren’t you calling her first?”

      Boyle’s reply took Adams completely aback.

      “Colonel Larson contacted me. She asked for me to call in the BAU to help. So I put in a call and arranged it.”

      Adams was aghast.

      That bitch, he thought.

      Colonel Dana Larson seemed to do everything she could to annoy him at every opportunity.

      And what was a woman doing in charge of a CID office anyway?

      Adams did his best to swallow down his disgust.

      “I understand, sir,” he said.

      Then he ended the call.

      Colonel Adams was seething now. He banged his fist against his desk. Didn’t he have any say in what went on in this place?

      Still, orders were orders, and he had to comply.

      But he didn’t have to like it – and he didn’t have to make anybody comfortable.

      He growled aloud.

      Never mind people getting killed.

      Things were going to get very ugly.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      As she drove Jilly, April, and Gabriela home, Riley couldn’t bring herself to tell them she was heading out right away. She was going to miss Jilly’s very first major event, a starring role in a play. Would the girls be able to understand that she was under orders?

      Even after they all got home, Riley couldn’t tell them.

      She burned inside with shame.

      Today she’d earned a medal for perseverance, and in the past she’d been honored for valor and bravery. And of course, her daughters had been in the audience watching her receive her medal.

      But she sure didn’t feel like much of a hero.

      The girls headed outside to play in the backyard, and Riley went up to her bedroom and started packing her things. It was a familiar routine. The trick was to pack a small bag with enough necessities to last for a couple of days or a month.

      While she was laying things out on her bed, she heard Gabriela’s voice.

      “Señora Riley – what are you doing?”

      Riley turned and saw Gabriela standing in the doorway. The housekeeper was holding a stack of clean linen that she was about to put in the hall closet.

      Riley stammered, “Gabriela, I’ve – I’ve got to go.”

      Gabriela’s mouth dropped open.

      “Go? Where?”

      “I’ve been assigned to a new case. In California.”

      “Can’t you go tomorrow?” Gabriela asked.

      Riley swallowed hard.

      “Gabriela, the FBI plane is waiting right now. I’ve got to go.”

      Gabriela shook her head.

      She said, “It is good to fight evil, Señora Riley. But sometimes I think you lose sight of what’s good.”

      Gabriela disappeared into the hallway.

      Riley sighed. Since when did Riley pay Gabriela to be her conscience?

      But she couldn’t complain. It was a job that Gabriela was getting to be all too good at.

      Riley stood staring at her unfinished packing.

      She shook her head and whispered to herself …

      “I can’t do this to Jilly. I just can’t.”

      All of her life she had sacrificed her kids for work things. Every time. Not once had she put her kids first.

      And that, she realized, was what was wrong with her life. That was a part of her darkness.

      She was brave enough to face down a serial killer. But was she brave enough to put work on the back burner and make her kids’ lives her number one priority?

      At this very moment, Bill and Lucy were getting ready to fly out to California.

      They were expecting to meet her at the Quantico airstrip.

      Riley sighed miserably.

      There was only one way to solve this problem – if she could solve it at all.

      She had to try.

      She took out her cell phone and dialed Meredith’s private number.

      At the sound of his gruff voice, she said, “Sir, this is Agent Paige.”

      “What’s the matter?” Meredith asked.

      There was a note of concern in his voice. Riley understood why. She had never used this number except in dire circumstances.

      She gathered up her nerve and came right to the point.

      “Sir, I would like to delay my trip to California. Just for tonight. Agents Jeffreys and Vargas can go ahead of me.”

      After a pause, Meredith asked, “What’s your emergency?”

      Riley gulped. Meredith wasn’t going to make this easy.

      But she was determined not to lie.

      In a shaky voice she stammered, “My younger daughter, Jilly – she’s in a school play tonight. She’s – she’s playing the lead.”

      The silence that fell was deafening.

      Did he just hang up on me? Riley wondered.

      Then with a growl Meredith said, “Would you repeat that, please? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

      Riley stifled a sigh. She was sure that he’d heard her perfectly well.

      “Sir, this play is important to her,” she said, growing more nervous by the second. “Jilly’s – well, you know I’m trying to adopt her. She’s had a hard life, and she’s coming out of a very difficult time and her feelings are very delicate and…”

      Riley’s voice faded off.

      “And what?” Meredith asked.

      Riley swallowed hard.

      “I can’t disappoint her, sir. Not this once. Not today.”

      Another grim silence fell.

      Riley was starting to feel more determined.

      “Sir, it won’t make any difference in the case,” she said. “Agents Jeffreys and Vargas will go ahead of me, and you know how capable they are. They can get me up to speed when I do get out there.”

      “And