Once Hunted

Garrett answered in his characteristic monotone.

“I’ve got good news.”

Riley immediately started to breathe easier.

“The cops picked her up,” Garrett said. “She’d been on the street all night without money or anywhere to go. She got caught shoplifting at a convenience store. I’m with her at the police station right now. I’ll post bail, but …”

Garrett stopped. Riley didn’t like the sound of that word, “but.”

“Maybe I should let her talk to you,” he said.

A few seconds later, Riley heard the familiar sound of Jilly’s voice.

“Hey, Riley.”

Now that Riley’s panic was ebbing away, she was starting to get mad.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me. What did you think you were doing, running off like that?”

“I’m not going back there,” Jilly said.

“Yes, you are.”

“Please don’t make me go back there.”

Riley didn’t reply for a moment. She didn’t know what to say. She knew that the shelter where Jilly had been staying was a good, nurturing place. Riley had gotten to know some of the staff, who had been very helpful.

But Riley also understood how Jilly felt. The last time they’d talked together, Jilly had complained that nobody wanted her, that foster parents kept passing her over.

“They don’t like my past,” Jilly had said.

That conversation had ended badly, with Jilly in tears begging for Riley to adopt her. Riley had been unable to explain the thousand reasons why that was impossible. She hoped this conversation wasn’t going to end the same way.

Before Riley could think of what to say, Jilly said, “Your friend wants to talk to you.”

Riley heard Garrett Holbrook’s voice again.

“She keeps saying that – she won’t go back to the shelter. But I’ve got an idea. One of my sisters, Bonnie, is thinking of adopting. I’m sure that she and her husband would love to have Jilly. That is, if Jilly – ”

He was interrupted by squeals of delight from Jilly, who kept yelling, “Yes, yes, yes!” over and over again.

Riley smiled. It was just the kind of moment she needed right now.

“Sounds like a plan, Garrett,” she said. “Let me know how it works out. Thanks so much for all your help.”

“Any time,” Garrett said.

They ended the phone call. Riley stepped back into the doorway and saw that Ryan and April were now carrying on what seemed to be a carefree conversation. Things suddenly seemed so much better. For all of her failings, and Ryan’s too, they’d given April a much better life than many other kids had.

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a voice.

“Riley.”

She turned and saw Bill’s friendly face. As she stepped away from the doorway to talk with him, Riley couldn’t help glancing back and forth from her longtime partner to her ex-husband. Even in his current state of distress, Ryan looked like the successful lawyer that he was. His blond good looks and smooth manners opened doors for him everywhere. Bill, as she had often realized, looked more like she did. His dark hair showed touches of gray and he was more solid and much more rumpled than Ryan. But Bill was competent in his own areas of expertise and he had been much more dependable in her life.

“How’s she doing?” Bill asked.

“Better. What’s going on with Joel Lambert?”

Bill shook his head.

“That little thug really is a piece of work,” he said. “He’s talking, anyway. He says he knows some guys who made a lot of money off of young girls, and he thought he’d give it a try himself. No signs of remorse, he’s a sociopath to the bone. Anyway, he’ll definitely be convicted and get jail time. He’ll probably do a plea deal, though.”

Riley frowned. She hated plea deals. And this one was especially upsetting.

“I know how you feel about that,” Bill said. “But my guess is he’ll talk up a storm, and we’ll be able to put a lot of bastards away. That’s a good thing.”

Riley nodded. It helped to know that some good was going to come out of this terrible ordeal. But there was something she needed to talk about with Bill, and she wasn’t sure how to say it.

“Bill, about my coming back to work …”

Bill patted her on the shoulder.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “You can’t work cases for a while. You need to take some time off. Don’t worry, I understand. So will everybody at Quantico. Take as much time as you need.”

He looked at his watch.

“I’m sorry to rush off, but – ”

“Go,” Riley said. “And thanks for everything.”

She hugged Bill, and he left. Riley stood in the hallway, thinking about the near future.

“Take as much time as you need,” Bill had said.

That might not be easy. What had just happened to April was a reminder of all the evil that was out there. It was her job to stop as much of it as she could. And if she’d learned one thing in life, it was that the evil never rested.

CHAPTER TWO

Seven weeks later

When Riley arrived at the psychologist’s office, she found Ryan sitting alone in the waiting room.

“Where’s April?” she asked.

Ryan nodded toward a closed door.

“She’s with Dr. Sloat,” he said, sounding uneasy. “They had something they needed to talk about alone. Then we’re supposed to go in and join them.”

Riley sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. She, Ryan, and April had spent many emotionally demanding hours here during recent weeks. This would be their last session with the psychologist before they all took a break for the Christmas holidays.

Dr. Sloat had insisted that the whole family participate in April’s recovery. It had been hard work for all of them. But to Riley’s relief, Ryan had taken part wholeheartedly in the process. He’d come to all the sessions that he could fit into his schedule, and he’d even scaled back his work to make more time for this. Today he’d driven April here from her school.

Riley studied her ex-husband’s face as he stared at the office door. In many ways, he seemed like a changed man. Not long ago, he’d been inattentive to the point of serious delinquency as a parent. He’d always insisted that all of April’s problems were Riley’s fault.

But April’s drug use and her much-too-close brush with forced prostitution had changed something in Ryan. After her stay in the rehab clinic, April had been home with Riley for six weeks now. Ryan had visited often and had joined them for Thanksgiving. At times, they seemed almost like a functional family.

But Riley kept reminding herself that they had never really been a functional family.

Could that change now? she wondered. Do I want it to change?

Riley felt torn, even a little guilty. She’d long tried to accept that her own future probably didn’t have Ryan in it. Perhaps there might even be another man in her life.

There had always been some kind of attraction between her and Bill. But they’d also fought and quarreled from time to time. Besides, their professional relationship was demanding enough without throwing romance into the mix.

Her kind and attractive next door neighbor, Blaine, seemed a better prospect, especially since his daughter, Crystal, was April’s best friend.

Still, at times like now, Ryan almost seemed to be the same man she’d fallen in love with so many years ago. Where were things headed? She really didn’t know.

The office door opened and Dr. Lesley Sloat stepped out.

“We’d like to see you now,” she said with a smile.

Riley had long since taken a liking to the short, stocky, good-natured psychologist, and April was clearly fond of her too.

Riley and Ryan both went into the office and sat down in a couple of comfortable upholstered chairs. They were facing April, who sat on a couch beside Dr. Sloat. April was smiling weakly. Dr. Sloat nodded for her to start talking.

“Something happened this week,” April said. “It’s kind of hard to talk about …”

Riley’s breathing quickened and she felt her heart beating faster.

“It’s got to do with Gabriela,” April said. “Maybe she should be here today to talk about this too, but she’s not, so …”

April’s voice trailed off.

Riley was surprised. Gabriela was a stout, middle-aged Guatemalan woman who had been the family’s housekeeper for years. She had moved in with Riley and April and was like a member of the family.

April took a deep breath and continued, “A couple of days ago, she told me something I didn’t tell you. But I think you should know. Gabriela said that she had to leave.”

“Why?” Riley gasped.

Ryan looked confused. “Aren’t you paying her enough?” he asked.

“It was because of me,” April said. “She said she couldn’t do it anymore. She said it was too much responsibility for her to have to stop me from harming myself or getting myself killed.”

April paused. A tear came to her eye.

“She said it was too easy for me to sneak out without her knowing. She couldn’t sleep at night wondering if I was putting myself in danger. She said that now that I was healthy again, she was moving out right away.”

Riley was jolted with alarm. She’d had no idea that Gabriela had been thinking any such thing.

“I begged her not to go,” April said. “I was crying and she was crying, too. But I couldn’t change her mind, and I was terrified.”

April choked back a sob and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

“Mom,” April said, “I actually got down on my knees. I promised never, ever to make her feel that way again. Finally … finally she hugged me and said she wouldn’t leave as long as I kept my promise. And I will. I really will. Mom, Dad, I’ll never make you or Gabriela or anybody worry about me like that ever again.”

Dr. Sloat patted April’s hand and smiled at Riley and Ryan.

She said, “I guess what April’s trying to say is that she’s turned a corner.”

Riley saw Ryan take out a handkerchief and dab his eyes. She’d very rarely ever seen him cry. But she understood how he felt. She felt her own throat catch. It was Gabriela – not Riley or Ryan – who had made April see the light.

Even so, Riley felt incredibly grateful that her family would be together and in good health for Christmas. She ignored the dread that lurked deep down inside, the awful feeling that the monsters in her life were going to take away her holiday.

CHAPTER THREE

When Shane Hatcher walked into the prison library on Christmas Day, the wall clock showed that it was exactly two minutes before the hour.

Perfect timing, he thought.

In a few minutes, he was going to break free.

He was amused to see Christmas decorations hung here and there – all made of colored Styrofoam, of course, nothing hard or with edges or useful as rope. Hatcher had spent a lot of Christmas holidays in Sing Sing, and the idea of trying to evoke the holiday spirit here always struck him as absurd. He almost laughed aloud when he saw Freddy, the taciturn prison librarian, wearing a red Santa hat.

Sitting at his desk, Freddy turned toward him and smiled a cadaverous smile. That smile told Hatcher that everything was set to go as planned. Hatcher silently nodded and smiled back at him. Then Hatcher walked between two shelves and waited.

Just as the clock ticked the hour, Hatcher heard the sound of the loading dock door opening at the far end of the library. In just a few moments, a truck driver came in pushing a large plastic bin on wheels. The dock door closed noisily behind him.

“Whatcha got for me this week, Bader?” Freddy asked.

“What do you think I’ve got?” the driver said. “Books, books, books.”

The driver took a quick peek in Hatcher’s direction, then turned away. The driver, of course, was in on the plan. From that moment on, both the driver and Freddy treated Hatcher as if he weren’t there at all.

Excellent, Hatcher thought.

Together, Bader and Freddy unloaded the books onto a wheeled steel table.

“How’s about a cup of coffee over in the commissary?” Freddy said to the driver. “Or maybe some hot eggnog? They’re serving it for the holiday.”

“Sounds great.”

The two men chatted casually as they disappeared through the swinging double doors out of the library.

Hatcher stood quietly for a moment, studying the exact position of the bin. He’d paid off a guard to nudge a surveillance camera little by little over a period of days until there was a blind spot in the library – one that the guards who watched the monitors hadn’t yet noticed. It looked like the driver had hit the mark perfectly.

Hatcher silently stepped out from between the shelves and climbed inside the bin. The driver had left a coarse, heavy packing blanket at the bottom. Hatcher pulled the blanket over himself.

Now was the only phase of Hatcher’s plan when he thought that anything could possibly go wrong. But even if somebody came into the library, he doubted that they would bother to look inside the bin. Others who might ordinarily have checked the book truck closely as it left had been paid off too.

Not that he was worried or nervous. He hadn’t felt such emotions for some three decades now. A man who had nothing to lose in life had no cause for anxiety or unease. The only thing that could arouse his interest was the promise of the unknown.

He lay underneath the blanket, listening closely. He heard the wall clock tick the minute.

Five more minutes, he thought.

That was the plan. Those five minutes would give Freddy deniability. He could honestly say that he hadn’t seen Hatcher climb into the bin. He could say he’d thought Hatcher had actually left the library earlier. When five minutes were up, Freddy and the driver would return, and Hatcher would be carted out of the library and then driven out of the prison.

Meanwhile, Hatcher allowed his thoughts to stray to what he was going to do with his freedom. He had recently heard some news that made the risk worthwhile – even interesting.

Hatcher smiled when he thought about another person who would take keen interest in his escape. He wished he could see Riley Paige’s face when she found out he was at large.

He chuckled ever so softly.

It was going to be nice to see her again.

CHAPTER FOUR

Riley watched as April opened the box containing the Christmas present that Ryan had bought for her. She wondered just how in tune Ryan was with his daughter’s taste these days.

April smiled as she took out a bangle bracelet.

“It’s beautiful, Daddy!” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“I hear it’s quite the style these days,” Ryan said.

“It is!” April said. “Thanks!”

Then she gave Riley a barely noticeable wink. Riley suppressed a chuckle. Just a few days ago, April had told Riley how much she hated these silly bracelets that all the girls were wearing. In spite of that, April was doing a great job of acting enthusiastic.

Of course, Riley knew that it wasn’t entirely an act. She could see that April was pleased that her father had at least made an effort to buy a Christmas present that she would like.

Riley felt much the same way about the expensive handbag Ryan had bought for her. It wasn’t her style at all, and she’d never use it – except when she knew Ryan would be around. And for all she knew, Ryan felt exactly the same way about the wallet she and April had bought for him.

We’re trying to be a family again, Riley thought.

And for the moment, they seemed to be succeeding.

It was Christmas morning, and Ryan had just come over to spend the day with them. Riley, April, Ryan, and Gabriela were all sitting near the roaring fireplace sipping on hot chocolate. The delicious smell of Gabriela’s grand Christmas dinner wafted in from the kitchen.

Riley, April, and Ryan were all wearing the scarves that Gabriela had made for them, and Gabriela was wearing fluffy slippers that April and Riley had bought for her.

The doorbell rang, and Riley went over to answer it. Her neighbor, Blaine, and his teenage daughter, Crystal, were standing outside.

Riley was at once delighted and uneasy to see them. In the past, Ryan had shown more than a little jealousy toward Blaine – and not without reason, Riley had to admit. The truth was, she found him quite attractive.

Riley couldn’t help mentally comparing him to both Bill and Ryan. Blaine was a couple of years younger than she was, lean and fit, and she liked the fact that he wasn’t vain enough to disguise his receding hairline.

“Come on in!” Riley said.

“Sorry, I can’t,” Blaine said. “I’ve got to get over to the restaurant. I brought Crystal by, though.”

Blaine owned a popular restaurant downtown. Riley realized that she shouldn’t be surprised that it was open on Christmas day. Today’s holiday dinner at Blaine’s Grill must be delicious.

Crystal hurried inside and joined the group at the fireplace. Giggling, she and April immediately tore into presents they had bought for each other.

Riley and Blaine discreetly exchanged their Christmas cards, then Blaine left. When Riley rejoined the group, Ryan was looking rather sour. Riley tucked the card away without opening it. She’d wait until after Ryan was gone.

My life certainly is complicated, she thought. But it was beginning to feel like an almost normal life, a version of life that she could enjoy.

*

Riley’s footsteps echoed through a large dark room. Suddenly, there came the noisy crack of breaker switches. Lights came on, blinding her for a few seconds.

Riley found herself in the corridor of what seemed to be a wax museum filled with grisly exhibits. To her right was a naked woman’s corpse, splayed doll-like against a tree. To her left was a dead woman wrapped in chains and hanging from a lamppost. An exhibit farther on displayed several women’s corpses with their arms bound behind their backs. Beyond that were starved dead bodies with their limbs grotesquely arranged.

Riley recognized every scene. They were all cases she had worked on in the past. She had entered her own personal chamber of horrors.

But what was she doing here?

Suddenly she heard a young voice call out with terror.

“Riley, help me!”

She looked straight ahead and saw the silhouette of a young girl holding out her arms in desperate appeal.

It looked like Jilly. She was in trouble again.

Riley broke into a run toward her. But then another light came on and showed that the silhouette wasn’t Jilly at all.

It was a grizzled old man wearing the full dress uniform of a Marine colonel.

It was Riley’s own father. And he was laughing at Riley’s mistake.

“You didn’t expect to find anybody alive, did you?” he said. “You’re no good to anybody unless they’re dead. How many times do I have to tell you?”

Riley was puzzled. Her father had died months ago. She didn’t miss him. She did her best never to think about him. He’d always been a hard man who had never given her anything but pain.

“What are you doing here?” Riley asked.

“Just passing through.” He chuckled. “Checking in to see how you’re botching your life. Same as always, I see.”

Riley wanted to lunge at him. She wanted hit him as hard as she could. But she found herself frozen where she stood.

Then came a loud buzzing sound.

“Wish we could chat,” he said. “But you’ve got other business.”

The buzzing became louder and louder. Her father turned and walked away.

“You never did anybody a lick of good,” he said. “Not even yourself.”

Riley’s eyes snapped open. She realized that her phone was ringing. The clock showed that it was 6:00 a.m.

She saw that the call was from Quantico. A call at this hour had to mean something dire.

She answered the phone and heard the stern voice of her team chief, Special Agent in Charge Brent Meredith.

“Agent Paige, I need you in my office right now,” he said. “That’s an order.”

Riley rubbed her eyes.

“What’s it about?” she asked.

There was a short pause.

“We’ll have to discuss it in person,” he said.

He ended the call. For a groggy moment, Riley wondered if she might be in for a reprimand for her behavior. But no, she’d been off duty for months now. A call from Meredith could only mean one thing.

It’s a case, Riley thought.

He wouldn’t call her on a holiday for any other reason.

And from Meredith’s tone of voice, she felt sure it was going to be big – maybe even life-changing.

CHAPTER FIVE

Riley’s apprehension mounted as she entered the BAU building. When she walked into Brent Meredith’s office, the chief was at his desk waiting for her. A big man with angular, African-American features, Meredith was always an imposing presence. Right now he also looked worried.

Bill was there as well. Riley could see by his expression that he didn’t yet know what the meeting was about.

“Have a seat, Agent Paige,” Meredith said.

Riley sat down in a free chair.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your holidays,” Meredith said to Riley. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked. How are you doing?”

Riley was taken aback. It wasn’t Meredith’s style to start a meeting this way – with an apology and a query about her well-being. He normally got right to the point. Of course, he knew that she’d been on leave because of the crisis with April. Riley understood that Meredith was genuinely concerned. Even so, this struck her as odd.

“I’m doing better, thanks,” she said.

“And your daughter?” Meredith asked.

“She’s recovering well, thank you,” Riley said.

Meredith fixed his gaze on her in silence for a moment.

“I hope you’re ready to come back to work,” Meredith said. “Because if we’ve ever needed you on a case, it’s this one.”

Riley’s imagination boggled as she waited for him to explain.

Finally, Meredith said, “Shane Hatcher has escaped from the Sing Sing Correctional Facility.”

His words hit her like a ton of bricks. Riley was glad she was sitting down.

“My God,” Bill said, looking equally stunned.

Riley knew Shane Hatcher well – too well for her own liking. He had been serving life without possibility of parole for decades now. During his time in prison, he’d become an expert in criminology. He’d published articles in scholarly magazines and had actually taught classes in the prison’s academic programs. Several times now, Riley had visited him in Sing Sing, seeking advice on current cases.

The visits had always been disturbing. Hatcher seemed to feel a special affinity for her. And Riley knew that, deep down, she was more fascinated with him than she ought to be. She thought that he was probably the most intelligent man that she had ever met – and also probably the most dangerous.

She’d sworn after every visit never to see him again. Now she remembered all too well the last time she’d left the Sing Sing visiting room.

“I won’t come back here to see you again,” she’d told him.

“You might not have to come back here to see me,” he’d replied.

Now those words seemed disturbingly prescient.

“How did he escape?” Riley asked Meredith.

“I don’t have many details,” Meredith said. “But as you probably know, he spent a lot of time in the prison library, and he often worked there as an assistant. Yesterday he was there when a book delivery came in. He must have slipped away on the truck that brought the books. Late last night, about the time guards noticed that he was missing, the truck was found abandoned a few miles outside of Ossining. There was no sign of the driver.”

Meredith fell silent again. Riley could easily believe that Hatcher had staged such a daring escape. As for the driver, Riley hated to think of what might have become of him.

Meredith leaned across his desk toward Riley.

“Agent Paige, you know Hatcher better than maybe anybody else. What can you tell us about him?”

Still reeling from the news, Riley took a deep breath.

She said, “In his youth, Hatcher was a gangbanger in Syracuse. He was unusually vicious even for a hardened criminal. People called him ‘Shane the Chain’ because he liked to beat gang rivals to death with chains.”

Riley paused, remembering what Shane had told her.

“A certain beat cop made it his personal mission to bring Hatcher down. Hatcher retaliated by pulverizing him to an unrecognizable pulp with tire chains. He left his mangled body on his front porch for his family to find. That’s when Hatcher got caught. He’s been in prison now for thirty years. He was never supposed to get out.”