Taking

“We will be,” Riley hastened to assure him. “After all, it’s not that long a commute.”

Even so, she knew that the change was definitely going to complicate their lives. This wasn’t going to make it impossible for them to be together, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

Ryan snapped, “Well, you can’t do that. They’ll have to change it.”

“I can’t make them change anything,” Riley replied. “I’m just an underling here, like you are in the law office.”

Ryan was silent for a long moment, then he grumbled, “Whose idea was this, anyway?”

Riley thought about that. She’d had hadn’t even listed Quantico among her three assignment choices. Who would have intervened to place her here?

Then she realized with a sigh …

I’ve got a pretty good idea.

CHAPTER TWO

Special Agent Jake Crivaro stared discontentedly at his scrambled eggs.

I should have gone to that graduation, he thought.

He was sitting in the commissary of the BAU building in Quantico, thinking about Riley Sweeney, his young protégé. Her graduation from the FBI Academy had been two days ago, and he was feeling bad about having skipped it.

Of course, he’d made an excuse for himself—too much paperwork piled up on his desk. But the truth was, he hated those kinds of ceremonies, and he just hadn’t been able to muster up the will to go and sit there in the crowd and listen to speeches he’d heard in so many variations before.

If he had gone, he could have taken the opportunity to tell her face-to-face that he’d personally arranged for her transfer from DC to the Behavioral Analysis Unit here in Quantico.

Instead, he’d let a messenger do that job.

But surely she’d taken the BAU transfer to be good news. After all, her unique talents would be put to much better use here than they would have been in DC.

Then it occurred to Jake that Riley might not even know yet that he’d had her assigned to be his own partner.

He hoped she’d find it a nice surprise to learn that they’d be working together. They’d already made a good team on three pretty tough cases. The youngster could be erratic at times, but she always managed to surprise him with the unusual power of her insight.

I should have at least called her, he reprimanded himself.

Jake looked at his watch and realized that Riley must be on her way here right now, to report for her first day at work.

As he took a sip of coffee, his cell phone rang.

When he took the call, a voice said, “Hey, Jake. Harry Carnes here. Am I catching you at an OK time?”

Jake grinned at the sound of his old friend’s voice. Harry was a retired police detective from Los Angeles. Several years ago, they’d worked together on a celebrity kidnapping case. They’d hit it off well and had stayed in touch.

“Sure, Harry,” Jake said. “It’s great to hear from you. What’s up?”

He heard Harry sigh, then say, “I’ve got something bothering me. I was hoping you might be able to help me out.”

Jake felt a surge of concern.

“I’d be glad to, buddy,” he said. “What’s the problem?”

“Do you remember that Colorado murder case last year? The woman who got killed in Dyson Park?”

Jake was surprised to hear Harry bring it up. When Harry had retired from the LA police force, he and his wife, Jillian, had moved to Gladwin, a tiny town in the Rocky Mountains right next to Dyson Park. A young woman’s body had been found on a hiking trail. Despite his civilian status, Harry had tried to help the police solve the case, but without success.

“Sure, I remember,” Jake said. “Why do you ask?”

A short silence fell.

Then Harry said, “Well … I think it’s happened again.”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked.

“I think the killer has struck again. Another woman has been murdered.”

Jake felt a jolt of surprise.

He asked, “You mean right there in Dyson Park?”

“No, this time it’s in Arizona. Lemme explain. You know how Jillian and I like to travel south during the winter? Well, we’re in Arizona right now, at a campground not far from Phoenix. This morning on the local news, they said that a young woman’s body had been found on a hiking trail somewhere north of here. I called the local cops, and they were willing to give me a few details.”

Harry cleared his throat. “Jake, the girl’s wrists were all cut up. She must have bled to death somewhere, but not where her body was found. It’s just like the victim in Dyson Park. I’ll bet anything it’s the same killer.”

Jake felt a twinge of skepticism.

“Harry, I don’t know,” he said. “A lot of time has passed since the Colorado killing. There’s a pretty good chance that any resemblance between the two murders is just a coincidence.”

Harry’s voice took on a more urgent tone.

“Yeah, but what if it’s not a coincidence? What if the guy who did the Colorado crime did this one too? What if it turns into some kind of spree?”

Jake suppressed a sigh. He could understand his friend’s reaction. Harry had told him how bitterly disappointed he’d been about not being able to help the Gladwin cops and the Colorado State Patrol catch the local killer. It wasn’t surprising that a new murder with some similar details pushed Harry’s buttons.

But people hiking in a wilderness alone did get killed sometimes. And some people persisted in going out there by themselves in spite of all warnings.

Jake didn’t want to tell Harry flat-out that he thought he was wrong.

But what can I tell him?

Jake didn’t know.

Harry continued, “Jake, I was wondering … do you think you could take this on as a BAU case? I mean, now that there have been two murders in two different states?”

Jake was feeling more and more uneasy.

He said, “Harry, that’s not how things usually work. It’s up to the police out there in Arizona to ask for the FBI’s help. And as far as I know, they haven’t done that. Until they do, it’s none of our business. Now maybe if you could get them to call the FBI …”

Harry interrupted. “I’ve already tried that. I can’t convince these cops that the murders are connected. And you know how local cops can be about the FBI stepping onto their turf. They’re not crazy about the idea.”

Jake thought, No, I don’t guess they are.

He found it easy to imagine how the police in Arizona might react to some retired cop trying to convince them they were missing something important. But Harry was actually right about one thing. If a killer committed murders in more than one state, the FBI didn’t need an invitation to get on the case. If Harry was right about it being the same killer, the FBI could open an investigation.

If Harry was right.

Jake took a long, slow breath. “Harry, I really don’t know if I can do anything about this on my end. It would be a hard sell, trying to get the people in charge here to make this an official FBI thing. For one thing, you know perfectly well the FBI won’t take a case if the local cops think it’s just a single murder. But …”

“But what?”

Jake hesitated, then said, “Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Harry said.

They ended the call.

Jake winced a little, wondering why on earth he’d promised to get back to Harry.

He knew perfectly well that he could never convince Special Agent in Charge Erik Lehl that this ought to be an FBI case. Not on such a slim connection.

Hell, I don’t really believe it myself.

But he’d said what he’d said, Harry was out in Arizona waiting for Jake to call back at pretty much any minute. And the only thing Jake was going to be able to tell him was what he should have told him before they’d ended that call—that there was no way for him to get the FBI involved.

Jake stared at his cell phone for a moment, trying to get up the nerve to make that return phone call. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it—at least not yet.

Instead he hunkered down and began eating his breakfast in earnest. He figured maybe more coffee might help him think better about how to handle this situation.

Or maybe not.

Jake knew he hadn’t been especially sharp lately. In fact, he’d already been feeling low when Harry called him, and it wasn’t just because he’d blown off Riley Sweeney’s graduation.

That case he and Riley had solved some weeks ago—the nasty case of the barbed wire killer—had left him feeling exhausted and burnt out. That seemed to be happening more and more as he grew older. His energy just didn’t bounce back like it used to. And he suspected that his colleagues here at the BAU knew that. In fact, he guessed that was why Erik Lehl hadn’t assigned him to anything out in the field since that last one.

And maybe it was just as well.

Maybe he wasn’t up to it just yet.

Or maybe he wasn’t up to it at all anymore—ever again.

He sighed into his coffee cup as he thought …

Maybe it really is time to retire.

That thought had been bugging him a lot lately. It was one reason why he’d gone to the trouble of transferring Riley Sweeney to the BAU. It was why he’d made such a green agent his partner. In all his years as a profiler, he’d never met anyone else with a talent like his own—the ability to climb into a killer’s mind.

Whenever he did retire, he wanted to leave someone like that behind to continue his work—a bright young agent who could fill his own shoes. But he worried that getting Riley ready for all that might be no easy task. He often described her as “a diamond in the rough.”

And she was a rough diamond indeed. Even now that she had graduated from the Academy, Jake was sure it going to take a lot of work to get rid of those rough edges—her impetuosity, her tendency to bend and even break the rules and not follow orders, and her lack of discipline when it came to using her own gift.

She’s got a lot to learn, Jake thought.

And he had to wonder if he was actually up to the task of teaching her all that she had to know, especially now that he seemed to be past his own peak.

One thing seemed certain—he mustn’t go easy on her. Not that he’d exactly pampered her so far. In fact, he often found it hard to hold onto his temper when she did crazy, rookie things. But he liked her a lot, even though he tried not to show it too much. She reminded him of himself when he was much younger.

So he sometimes felt tempted to spoil her.

But he mustn’t do that.

He had to work her hard. He had to shape her up fast.

As Jake finished his breakfast, he found himself thinking again about Harry Carnes, who was probably waiting for his return call right now.

Jake wondered …

Isn’t there anything I can do for the guy?

He had to admit, he could feel his spirit lift a little at the idea of getting out of this place.

And why not?

Erik Lehl didn’t seem eager to put him on any cases right now.

The alternative was to sit in his office and do boring paperwork, unless …

An idea took shape in Jake’s head.

He had lots of vacation time piled up. He could ask Lehl for two or three days off, go out to Arizona, and see if there was anything he could do for Harry.

Of course, Riley Sweeney was on her way here right now to report for duty.

But there wouldn’t be much point in her starting to work here at the BAU if her senior partner was going to be on vacation, so …

Why can’t she come with me?

This could provide some simple, safe training opportunities for the rookie agent.

He smiled at the idea.

As Jake left the commissary and headed for Erik Lehl’s office, he thought …

Who knows? This might actually be fun.

CHAPTER THREE

By the time she neared the BAU Headquarters in Quantico, Riley was in a terrible mood. The drive from her apartment in DC had been worse than she’d expected. The morning traffic had been so thick and heavy that she almost missed her exit.

It would be worse if I were commuting the other way, she told herself.

Still, it wasn’t going to be any fun to face this traffic every morning. And then returning after a day of work—would that be any easier?

Now, as she finally reached the BAU parking lot, she saw two entrances—one for visitors and one for staff.

Which entrance should she use?

Nobody had told her. In fact, she hadn’t heard from anybody since she’d received that note after her graduation the day before yesterday—the message telling her she should report for duty at Quantico, not in DC.

When she’d gotten the note, she’d been certain the transfer must have been Agent Crivaro’s idea. But now she wasn’t so sure. After all, they’d already worked together on some demanding investigations. Wouldn’t Agent Crivaro have made an effort to get in touch with her to talk about the change?

Meanwhile, she really had no idea what the day might have in store for her—or, for that matter, what her foreseeable future might have in store.

Then Riley realized that whatever that future might be, everything she had done over the past year had brought her to this place. When she had inserted herself into an investigation of murders in her college dorm, when she had worked with Jake on cases while she was still in training, this was what it had all led to.

She wasn’t a visitor.

She was an FBI agent.

She drove up to the staff gate, where a security guard was posted in a booth.

Riley took out her badge and showed it to the guard.

The guard nodded and said, “You’re expected.”

He then handed her a parking permit tag and waved her on in.

Riley felt a rush of excitement. It was the first time she’d shown her FBI badge to identify herself, and it had made a difference.

I’ve actually got a place to park!

The thrill quickly passed, though, as Riley drove around looking for an empty slot. Memories of yesterday came creeping into her mind.

After all those weeks of dormitory living, she’d finally gotten to spend two nights and all of Sunday with Ryan. Their first night had been plenty exciting because they’d been apart for so long, but the next day things hadn’t been especially pleasant. Ryan wasn’t at all happy about Riley’s new assignment and the inconvenience it was going to cause.

Inconvenience!

Riley scoffed aloud.

The main inconvenience to Ryan was that Riley was going to need the car for her daily commute, leaving him to use the subway to get to and from work. That had been a blow to his pride. His Ford Mustang was one of the few luxuries of his life, and he loved driving it to work every day. She knew it made him feel more like the big-time lawyer he someday hoped to be.

Ryan hadn’t complained openly about the transportation thing, but he hadn’t hidden his feelings either. He’d made way too much of a show of magnanimity and self-sacrifice, trying to make it seem like he was going to great lengths and taking great pains to support her in her new career.

And all on account of this stupid car, she thought, pulling into an empty parking spot and turning off the engine.

She got out of the vehicle and stood looking at it for a moment. She remembered the first time she’d seen the Mustang. She and Ryan had both been college students going out on their first date. She’d been quite impressed when he’d arrived at her dormitory in this car, and also by his gallantry in getting out and opening the passenger door for her.

Gazing at the vehicle now, she sighed.

Those giddy days when she and Ryan were just starting to get to know each other seemed awfully long ago now. The Mustang didn’t impress her anymore, and she wished it didn’t still seem like such a big deal to Ryan.

And what’s wrong with having to take the subway, anyway?

She’d taken the subway every day during the summer, when she’d been in the FBI’s Honors Internship Program. It was very efficient, and she’d actually gotten to enjoy riding with the mix of other passengers.

But then, she wasn’t afflicted with Ryan’s masculine pride.

She walked on inside the building and presented her credentials at the security gate. The guard looked up her name and told her she was supposed to report straight to Agent Crivaro’s office.

As Riley took the elevator, she was sure this proved her original hunch—that it had been Agent Crivaro’s idea for her to transfer to Quantico. She couldn’t help but feel proud that he wanted her there. Crivaro wasn’t just a good senior agent, he was nearly legendary in the FBI.

But what would he want a beginner like her to do on her first day on the job?

Paperwork, probably, she guessed.

It seemed like a boring prospect, but she knew her work in the FBI wasn’t going to be all adventure. Although she’d had more than the usual field experience for a rookie, she was still just that—a rookie. Taking things slow seemed like a pretty good idea. It wouldn’t be all adventure, but it wouldn’t be all hazardous either.

And it might be nice to be working regular hours, at least for a while. A dependable schedule might help ease things between her and Ryan, give them a chance to get used to each other again.

She exited the elevator and headed down the hall to Crivaro’s office, then knocked on his door. She heard a familiar gruff voice telling her to come on in.

When she opened the door, Crivaro was standing beside his desk. He was wearing a hat and jacket.

A go-bag was by his feet.

He glanced at his watch and said, “It’s about time you got here.”

Riley looked at her own watch and saw that she wasn’t late at all. In fact, she was somewhat early. But she was too startled to say so.

“Where’s your go-bag?” Crivaro asked.

“Um, out in my car,” Riley said.

Although she didn’t know much about working as a BAU agent, she knew that it was always important to be packed up and ready to go on a moment’s notice. Not that she’d been expecting to use her bag so soon.

Crivaro asked, “Are you parked in the staff lot?”

Riley nodded.

“OK, then,” Crivaro said, slinging his own go-bag over his shoulder. “We’ll pick it up on the way to my car.”

Crivaro strode right past Riley out the office door. Riley trotted along to keep up with him.

She stammered, “B-but where are we going?”

“We’ve got a case in Arizona,” Crivaro said. “We’re taking a commercial flight to Phoenix, so I’ll drive us to the airport.”

Riley felt dizzy from this sudden development.

“How long are we going to be in Arizona?” she asked.

“As long as it takes,” Crivaro said. “I never speculate about such matters.”

Riley stifled a gasp. This was about the last thing she’d expected to happen today.

And it certainly threw a wrench into her hopes of settling back down with Ryan.

“Could you give me just a few minutes before we go?” Riley asked Crivaro. “I’ve got to call my fiancé and let him know.”

Still walking, Crivaro asked, “Have you got your cell phone?”

“Yeah,” Riley said, still keeping up with him.

“Well, you can walk and talk at the same time, can’t you?”

As Riley and Crivaro continued on down the hall, Riley took out her cell phone and called Ryan.

When she got him on the line she said, “Ryan, something’s come up. I’m, uh, flying out to Phoenix today. Right now, actually.”

She could hear Ryan gasp. “You’re what?”

“Yeah, it’s a surprise to me too,” Riley said as she and Crivaro got into the elevator.

Ryan was sputtering now.

“Riley, this is crazy. This is your first day on the job.”

“I know,” Riley said. “I’m sorry.”

“How long are you going to be gone?”

Riley gulped and said, “I, uh—I’ve got no idea.”

“What do you mean, you’ve got no idea? What are you going to be doing out in Arizona, anyway? Are you even going to be back home in time for Christmas? It’s just a few days off, you know.”

That’s a good question, Riley thought.

Instead of trying to answer it, Riley said, “Look, as soon as I find out when I’m coming back, I’ll let you know.”

“Are you driving out there, or what?” Ryan said.

“Of course not. We’re taking a commercial flight.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“Me and Agent Crivaro.”

Riley and Crivaro got out of the elevator and headed out of the building.

Ryan said, “If you’re flying out there, what about my car?”

Riley was startled. She hadn’t had time to think about the car.

She said, “It’s in the BAU parking lot here in Quantico. Don’t worry, it’ll be safe.”

“How long am I going to have to do without it?”

Riley felt a twinge of anger.

“You’ll manage somehow, Ryan,” she said.

“Yeah, but for how long?”

“Like I said—I’ll call you when I know myself.”

As Riley and Crivaro were heading outside the building, Ryan kept jabbering over the phone.

Mostly about his car, Riley couldn’t help but notice.

The more he went on, the more it irritated her.

She and Crivaro were walking through the parking lot when Riley finally said …

“Look, Ryan—I really can’t talk now. I promise to get back to you as soon as I can. I love you.”

She could hear Ryan’s voice still complaining as she ended the call.

Opening the car door for Riley, Agent Crivaro said, “Everything OK at home?”

“Couldn’t be better,” Riley grumbled, climbing into the passenger seat.

Her anger was fading, and now she felt embarrassed that Crivaro couldn’t have helped overhearing her words to Ryan.

Crivaro got into the car and started the engine.

Then he smiled at Riley ever so slightly and said, “Hey, in case I didn’t mention it—we’re partners now.”

Yeah, I kind of figured that, Riley thought as Crivaro drove out of the parking lot.

So a few things were clear.

She was an FBI agent.

She was Jake Crivaro’s partner.

And they were going to Arizona.

She wished she had some idea of what else to expect today.

CHAPTER FOUR

Riley couldn’t help wondering …

Is he mad at me or something?

Agent Crivaro had barely spoken to her as he drove them from Quantico to the Reagan Airport.

But why …?

She knew Crivaro could be gruff, impatient, and even angry whenever she made mistakes or disobeyed orders—which unfortunately had been all too often. But what could she possibly have done wrong during the short time they’d been together this morning?

He’d just rushed her out of the BAU offices without much explanation, not even giving time to stop and make a private call to Ryan. Of course, now Ryan was mad at her, and she realized he had some reason to be annoyed.

But what could be the problem with Agent Crivaro?

Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with me, she thought hopefully.

Maybe something personal was bothering him.

In any case, Riley didn’t feel like it was a good idea to ask.

She just sat quietly in the car, trying to focus on the most amazing things about today—she was an FBI agent, she was on a case, and she was partnered with one of the most respected agents in the BAU.

When they got to the airport, Crivaro rushed them through the check-in. She had to hurry to keep up as they practically ran all the way to the gate.

Breathless from their dash through the concourse, they got there just in time for the last call for passengers on their flight. Riley remembered how Crivaro had looked at his watch when she’d arrived at his office and grumbled …

“It’s about time you got here.”

Now Riley understood why Crivaro had been so agitated about the time,

If they’d gotten to the gate a couple of minutes later, they would have missed the flight completely. She wished he had explained things to her instead of just expecting her to follow along without question.

He’d told her he had trouble working with partners. So, now that she was a partner and not just a trainee, what did that mean she’d be in for?

Riley reminded herself that Crivaro must have had to plan this trip hastily. He probably hadn’t known about it himself until the last minute.

This must be about something really urgent, she thought with a slight thrill of excitement.

After they boarded, Crivaro sat in a window seat and stared outside as the plane took off. Sitting next to him, Riley was still wondering what was on his mind and why they’d been in such a rush. When the plane reached cruising altitude, Crivaro tilted back his seat and kept staring out the window. The light on his face revealed lines etched by years of difficult cases.