Case File: Canyon Creek, Wyoming

Chapter Eleven

Riley turned abruptly toward Hannah, ceasing his rapid pacing. The stubborn set of her jaw, which he generally found appealing, had started to get on his nerves over the last half hour, as he and Joe had tried in vain to talk her out of her dangerous, hare-brained idea. “That’s it. You’re not doing it. Discussion over.”

Next to him, Joe took a deep, swift breath. He gave Riley a warning look that Riley ignored.

“You’re not my keeper,” Hannah retorted, crossing closer and coming to a stop in front of him. Her eyes blazed with green fire. “You don’t order me around.”

Riley looked over at Joe, completely at a loss. “Tell her it’s a bad idea.”

“I’ve spent the last thirty minutes doing just that,” Joe reminded him. “But she’s right. It’s her choice. Even if it’s wrong,” he added sternly, giving Hannah a look of pure frustration.

“I don’t have a lot of time left to help you catch this guy, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to my nice, safe life in Alabama if I don’t do everything I can to stop that monster from killing another woman.” Her expression softened, her green eyes pleading with Riley to understand. “Emily would do the same thing, wouldn’t she?”

He pressed his lips together, biting back a harsher retort. “That’s below the belt, Hannah.” He slanted a look at Joe, who got the message and headed out of the den to give them some privacy.

Her expression softened more. “I’m sorry. I just need you to understand.”

He closed his hands around her arms, desperate to make her see what she was asking of him. “I understand. But I don’t think you do.”

“I lost Emily three years ago this week,” he said, trying not to let too much of his emotion spill over into his words. He wasn’t looking for her pity. He wanted her to understand the stakes. “She wasn’t doing anything crazy, just driving home from work, and suddenly she just wasn’t there anymore. Everything we’d built together was gone, in a heartbeat.”

She lifted her hand to his face, her palm warm and soft against his jaw. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to see that I don’t need this bastard to kill someone else I care about.”

Moisture pooled in her eyes. “I don’t think it has to be that risky,” she answered. “Listen-we already know he’s taking more risks than he usually does, or he wouldn’t have killed the woman near Moran. I’m the one who got away, and it’s driving him crazy.”

She took his hand in hers, drawing him with her to the sofa. They sat together, silent for a minute, as if they’d mutually agreed to let their passions cool so they could talk more reasonably.

She folded his hand between hers, her grip gentle but firm. “He’s the one who’s out of control. If he really did tip off the press, he’s the one taking a risk. The reporter he talked to knows who he is.”

“He’s not going to burn his source.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was still a risk, and the killer took it because he can’t stand that I’m the one who got away. I’m the one who was smarter than he was. That’s how he sees it. He can’t let that stand.”

“What makes you think we can do this thing safely?”

“We hold all the cards. We know he’s after me. We’re on alert. He’s the one taking stupid chances.”

Riley pulled his hand away from hers and stood. “No. It’s not worth the risk.” He paced away from her, a bleak resolve stiffening his back. No way in hell would he let her put herself in the kind of danger she was talking about. There was only one choice left. One he hated more than he ever imagined he would. But it was the best way to keep her safe.

He turned and took in the sight of her slowly, thoroughly. Committing her to memory. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with regret but full of calm resolve.

“It’s time for you to go home, Hannah.”

“YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE A MARK.” Jack took the grooming brush from Hannah’s hand and patted Bella’s side. They were alone in the stable; Joe and Riley were back at the house, talking about new strategies for going after the killer without Hannah’s involvement.

She’d made her escape to the stable soon after Riley’s calm announcement that her time in Wyoming was over, using the horses as an excuse to get away from him before she said something she’d regret.

“He’s not trying to get rid of you, you know.”

She knew. She’d seen the regret in Riley’s eyes. Somehow that only made things worse.

“And for what it’s worth, I think you’re right about talking to the press.” Jack handed the brush back to her. “If we have a chance to catch that monster-”

Hannah touched his arm, knowing that his need to catch the killer was even greater than her own.

“What are you going to do now?” A thoughtful look darkened Jack’s eyes.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, trading the grooming brush for a mane comb. “I don’t have a death wish, but I don’t have a lot of time left here. I just don’t think I can leave without doing all I can to help stop this guy from killing again.”

“I’ll help you, if you want to do it.” Jack’s dark gaze met hers. “I know a guy with the paper in Jackson. I can set up an interview with him. He’s a good guy-he won’t take advantage. He’ll agree to whatever precautions we think are necessary to keep you safe.”

“Riley will be furious with you.”

“I’m a big boy. Besides, I’m faster than he is. He’d have to catch me.”

Hannah chuckled softly. “How quickly could you set it up?” Time was too short as it was.

“I can call him right now.” Jack pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “You want to do it?”

She nibbled her lip, doubts creeping in now that the moment of decision was at hand. Was Riley’s idea the better choice? Should she grab the next flight out of Wyoming and return home to the safety of her family, even if it meant turning her back on the best chance to catch Emily’s killer that might ever come Riley’s way?

The thought of Riley Patterson spending the rest of his life entrapped by his need for justice made the decision for her. “Let’s do it,” she said, meeting Jack’s questioning eyes. “Call your friend.”

“YOU’RE NOT SAYING YOU THINK she’s right, are you?” Riley whipped around and gave his friend a look of disbelief.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Joe held his hands up defensively. “At least, not exactly.”

Riley slumped into the armchair, frustrated. If it were anyone but Hannah, would he be trying to stop her? On the merits, her idea was solid. The killer was getting bold-and therefore sloppy. There had probably never been a better time to take the offense against him.

But the thought of letting that bastard near Hannah, even if it made him a sitting duck, made his blood run cold.

Losing Emily had almost killed him. If Hannah died, too…

“How about a compromise?” Joe asked. “No making her a target-but she sticks around for the rest of her vacation.”

“She’s too easy to trace to me.”

“So take her out of town. She wanted to see Grand Teton-I’ll get Jim Tanner to book you a couple of rooms in Jackson Hole and you can do the tourist thing. Maybe she can relax a little, remember something new-”

“That just puts her closer to the killer’s hunting grounds.”

“Are you in love with her?”

Riley looked up sharply. “What kind of question is that?”

“It’s not a crime to fall in love again.” The gentleness in Joe’s voice only made Riley angrier.

“Hannah Cooper is here only because I hoped she would remember something else about the attack on her,” Riley said with a firmness he didn’t feel. “I think she’s remembered all she can, so it’s time for her to go home.”

“Good to know,” Hannah said quietly from the doorway to the den. She met Riley’s startled gaze with moist green eyes.

“Hannah-”

She turned and walked down the hall toward her room.

The look Joe gave Riley was as hard as a punch. “Who are you trying to impress with your loner act, Riley? Emily?” Joe stood and paced angrily to the doorway, turning to deliver one last shot. “Emily would hate what you’re becoming.” He walked out without another word.

Riley leaned forward in the armchair, resting his aching head in his hands. He hadn’t cried since Emily’s funeral, but hot tears gathered in his eyes right now, stinging painfully. He blinked them back, refusing to give in to the weakness. Anger, not grief, was what kept him upright these days. He couldn’t afford to fall apart.

Not now, when he was closer than he’d ever been to finally catching the man who’d stolen the best part of his life.

“HE DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE it sounded.” Jack took the shirt out of Hannah’s suitcase and put it back on the bed with the other shirts stacked there. “I’ve known him longer than you have. I know when he cares about someone. He cares about you.”

She snatched the shirt back from the stack and shoved it into the suitcase. “I know he cares about me. But not enough to keep me here.”

“Are you in love with him?”

She glared at Jack. “I’m not stupid.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Yes, it is.” She punctuated the statement by slamming a pair of socks into the suitcase.

“It’s not stupid to love someone.”

She slumped to the bed. “It is if that someone is in love with someone else.”

Jack cocked his head, his eyes narrowing. “We’re not talking about Riley anymore, are we?”

“Not entirely,” she admitted.

Jack leaned back on the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. “So tell Dr. Jack all about it.”

She rolled her eyes at him, not wanting to be amused. But his humor was contagious, and her lips crooked slightly in response. “A week ago, this was all just a pitiful memory I was mostly over,” she started. “I mean, it was four years ago, and it ended the way it was supposed to end-”

“With some other woman getting the guy?”

“He was always hers. She was his first love, and neither of them really got over it. I thought I loved him enough for both of us.” She buried her face in her hands, mortified by the memory of her foolishness. “I was such an idiot.”

“I’ve seen bigger idiots, trust me.” Jack looked at her with sympathy. “How far did it get?”

She flushed with embarrassment. “The bachelor party.”

Jack winced. “That far, huh?”

She lifted her chin, finding the steel at her center even though her heart was breaking a little. “I know Riley’s not going to suddenly get over Emily just because he met me. I’m not going to fool myself into thinking otherwise. Does that answer your question?”

“No,” he said with a smile. “But, that’s not even the most important question anymore. Are you going back home?”

She shook her head. “I have three more days of vacation left, and I have an interview with a reporter.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“But I am leaving here,” she added, reaching for the stack of shirts again.

“I don’t think you should.”

“Riley’s decided I should leave.”

“I’m asking you to stay,” he countered stubbornly. “You can stay as my guest.”

“It’s Riley’s house.”

“He’ll cool down and see reason,” Jack said confidently. “As long as you don’t tell him about the press interview.”

“You think I should lie to him?”

“I think you should just not tell him.” Jack reached into the suitcase and started removing the clothing she’d already packed. “Mark Archibald’s meeting us at Kent’s Steakhouse at five. I’ll tell Riley you need time to cool off and I’m taking you out for dinner. That’s not a lie, right?”

Hannah had to smile a little at that, remembering how Riley had tried to keep the lies they were telling Jack as close to the truth as possible. They were more like brothers than either of them realized. “No, it’s not a lie,” she agreed. “We are going to dinner and I do need time to cool off.”

And maybe, once the plan was in action, Riley would see why it was the only real choice she’d had.

THE INTERVIEW WITH THE reporter went as well as she could have hoped. Mark Archibald was friendly, funny and sympathetic. He asked good questions, which she answered as honestly as she could, while keeping a few of the details to herself, like the silver belt buckle and the fact that the killer had worn latex gloves when he attacked. She knew the police liked to keep some things back, in case they got a call from someone claiming to be the killer.

She made it clear, however, that there was more she remembered that she wasn’t telling. She hoped Mark would make that fact just as clear in his article. She had to make herself as tempting to the killer as possible.

“It’ll be in the paper tomorrow morning,” Jack said on the drive back. He seemed jittery and energized, as if the cloak and dagger game they were playing had brought him to life. That definitely wasn’t how Riley had reacted to lying, she remembered. Maybe he and Jack weren’t so alike, after all.

“You need to calm down or Riley will know something’s up,” she suggested.

He grinned. “I know. I just-I think it’s going to work. I think it’s going to smoke this freak out and get a little justice for Em.”

“And for the other women, too,” Hannah added soberly.

His grin faded. “For the other women, too.” He parked his truck next to Riley’s in the yard. “I’m going to go feed the horses. You go on in.”

“Coward,” she said, but lightly, because it probably wasn’t a good idea for Riley to see Jack as wound up as he was right now. Riley would wonder what his brother-in-law was up to.

She went into the house alone, not certain what she’d find. The kitchen was empty, though he’d left the light on over the sink so she wouldn’t be entering into darkness. The hallway was dark, but a light shone in the guest room.

She entered her room to find Riley sitting on the bed, holding the sweater she’d left lying on her bed when she’d changed clothes for dinner with Jack and the reporter.

He looked up at her, his expression calm and regretful. “I didn’t tell Joe the truth,” he said.

She stopped at the rocking chair near the wood stove and sat, folding her hands on her lap. She held his gaze, waiting for him to elaborate. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear from him-the blunt, harsh truth or some half-baked pointless apology. Either way, it was going to hurt.

“I’m not just using you to find Emily’s murderer. I do care about whether or not you get hurt.” He bent forward, his forearms resting on his knees. He looked as bone-weary as she felt. “The last three years have been hard.”

“Sounds like an understatement,” she murmured.

His pain-darkened eyes lifted to meet hers. “I used to be a very different man. I wasn’t driven, I wasn’t focused. I just enjoyed life as it came. Rode out whatever happened, not worrying too much about it. I had my health, I had my friends, I had Emily.”

She didn’t want to think about how much his description of his former life matched her own. Despite the broken heart she’d told Jack about, her life had been pretty good. Pretty easy. She’d done well in school, never having to struggle to achieve. Surrounded by a loving, happy family and the friends she’d grown up with, she’d gone to college just as planned, took a job at the Marina because it was what she’d always assumed she’d do.

What in her life had ever been a struggle before now?

“I sometimes think Joe just sticks around out of stubbornness. I’m a terrible friend to him. He and Jane were in a dangerous mess a couple of years ago, and I barely managed to pull my head out of my backside enough to give them a hand right about the time it was all over.” He looked away, his face flushed with shame. “My other friends gave up a long time ago. I keep telling my parents I’m fine, but they know. They just don’t know what to do about it.”

“It’s hard to know what to say to someone who’s hurting,” she said, thinking about her brother J.D., who was, at least, lucky enough to have his two kids to keep him putting one foot in front of the other every day.

“It’s not their fault. It’s mine.” He briefly pressed his palms against his temples, then dropped his hands to his knees. “I’ve pushed people away because it took all the energy I had to keep going, keep focusing on finding out who killed Emily and those other women. I can’t-I can’t let other things matter.”

His voice faltered, the words trembling on his tongue. She wanted to go to him, pull him into her arms and share the burden, but he clearly wasn’t ready for that.

Might never be ready.

“But you matter,” he said finally, so softly that she almost missed it. He looked up at her, his eyes blazing blue fire. “You matter.”

He lurched off the bed, towering over her for a long, breathless moment, then bent and put his hands on the rocking chair arms, leaning close enough that she felt his breath warm on her cheeks. “You can’t put yourself at any further risk. Do you understand? If something happened to you-”

Tears burned her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as he pulled her to her feet and into his embrace. His mouth descended on hers, fiery sweet and urgent. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, needing the heat of him against her trembling body. Guilt mingled with desire as she struggled to find the center of her suddenly upended world.

He edged her toward the bed, turning and falling until she lay beneath him, her back against the mattress. He drew back long enough to cradle her head between his hands and gaze down at her with a question in his eyes.

Her body screamed for him to keep touching her, keep kissing her, to fill the aching, empty places inside her. But her mind was dark with regret, because she’d already set into motion something that would put her in much more danger, the one thing he’d just begged her not to do.

“Stop,” she said softly as he bent to kiss her again.

Riley went still, gazing at her with suddenly wary eyes. She felt the rapid drumbeat of his heart against her chest.

“I talked to a reporter tonight,” she confessed.