Cold Fear

by Susan Sleeman

  Eryn nodded enthusiastically. “We could ask them tonight at the concert if they’ll be there.”

  “Yes, they’re all still on my team. Just three people.” She smiled at Eryn. “Maybe you could ride with me when I head to the amphitheater and come backstage to talk to them.”

  “Are you kidding?” A wide smile spread across Eryn’s face, and she grabbed Leah’s hand. “I’d be all over that.”

  “Good.”

  Eryn suddenly jerked her hand back. “Sorry. Fangirling again. But, yeah. I’ll get this tattoo removed and bring the picture on my phone.”

  “Thank you, Eryn,” Riley said moving Leah’s focus back to him. “Any chance you can enhance it, and we might catch an address on one of the houses or something else that might identify it?”

  “I’ll try, but the quality isn’t good to begin with. I’ll also try to track down the person who posted the photo. The section where it was posted was about celebrities in their everyday lives. The comment was pretty generic and basically said Leah Kent was out for a run.”

  “You know, it’s odd that my publicist didn’t get an alert on that. I know she set up Google alerts so that every time my name is mentioned online, she’s notified.”

  “Their algorithms aren’t infallible, and they don’t capture everything on the Internet,” Eryn said. “Or maybe she thought it was no big deal and not worth telling you about.”

  “But it would mean she knows about my tattoo.”

  “We’ll need to show her the picture, too.”

  Leah looked at her watch. “I was supposed to meet with her this afternoon, but with doing the sketch I’m running behind. I can ask her to come to the concert tonight instead. Let me text her to see if that works for her.” Leah grabbed her phone from the table and tapped in a text.

  “And her name is what again?” Riley asked.

  “Gabby Williams.” Leah’s phone dinged, and she checked the message. “She said yes.”

  Riley wrote Gabby’s name on the board then added Eryn’s name next to it. He turned and focused on Eryn. “You sure you’re good with doing this? I mean the whole ‘fangirl thing’ might have you distracted. I’m sure Leah would let you come hang backstage, and I can do the interviews.”

  “Sure, that’s fine with me.” Leah smiled at Eryn. “I’m glad to give you a full access pass.”

  “Okay,” Eryn said a ready smile on her face. “I’m glad to just hang.”

  Trey groaned. “You should not feed her addiction.”

  Eryn looked at Trey, and her smile turned mischievous at the same time as a loving expression crossed her face. Trey’s gaze heated up, and an intimate smile spread across his mouth.

  The temperature in the room seemed to rise fifty degrees, and Leah had to admit she was jealous of the pair. They were crazy in love. In love like Leah had once been with Riley. She glanced at him from under her lashes only to find him watching her, his expression unreadable.

  Did he wish for the same thing?

  She doubted it, but if she was being totally honest with herself, she wanted to have a man in her life. One to come home to and share everything with, because even with her mom and Owen by her side, plus a career she loved with wonderful fans, life could get lonely. Very lonely indeed.

  9

  Riley didn’t know what Leah was hiding, but he didn’t like it. He wanted to take her out of the room, sit her down in a chair, and interrogate her with a hot light over her head. Okay, fine. He didn’t actually want to do that, but he did want her to trust him enough to confide whatever it is that she shared with Felicity but couldn’t tell him.

  Once upon a time they kept no secrets from each other and were each other’s best friends. Eventually, they’d let their other friendships suffer as a result. They were that into each other. A love you read about in books or see in movies, but never expected to encounter in life. And a love Riley knew he’d never find again.

  “I’ve also done some searching on Twitter.” Eryn looked at Leah. “Your leahfan stalker has been silent lately. He’s had a flurry of posts, talking about how you and he were meant for each other, and he just needed to find a way to let you know. He kept polling his followers, asking for ideas on how to approach you. But then, nothing for the last three weeks.”

  “Can you get his name from his Twitter account like the sheriff said he could do?” Leah asked.

  Eryn shook her head. “Twitter won’t release a speck of information without a warrant, but that won’t stop me. Guys like this are often active in forums or like to leave comments on blog posts. So I’ve written an algorithm to search for leahfan. It’s running now. I can often piece together enough information to figure out an ID by comments that are left. Also I set up an alert to be notified if he posts anywhere. Oh, and I’m running one for the tattoo as well to see what I can find.”

  “You go.” Leah clapped her hands. “You’re really great at what you do.”

  Eryn beamed at Leah. Riley got that Leah was Eryn’s favorite singer and she was enthralled by being with her, but he wished the regular Eryn was present so she wouldn’t miss anything. Fangirl Eryn might. Riley would need to make sure he kept an eye on that.

  “Eryn, I assume your algorithm will also look for other social media and pictures,” Jackson said.

  Eryn looked at him, but it was with reluctance. “Yeah, it’ll scrape the databases for every bit of info.”

  Riley noted the social media information and then tapped the word emails that he’d written on the board earlier. “To do this, you’ll need Leah’s devices.”

  “Right. Blake has already asked me to take an image of them. I need to preserve and record the system state before doing that. Means I have to physically access them. I can tag along with you and Riley on the helo to do the computer.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.” Riley smiled at Eryn. He didn’t know what they would do if she quit her job to have the house full of kids that Trey wanted to have, but it was seeming like she was leaning that way.

  Eryn faced Leah. “I suppose you’ve ridden in a helicopter like a zillion times.”

  “Actually, I’ve never been in one.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat.” Eryn grinned. “If you give me your phone and iPad, I can image them while you meet with Hannah.”

  Leah nodded. “With everything so unsettled with the concerts, promise me if I get any 911 texts from my manager while you have my phone that you’ll make sure I get word.”

  “I can text Riley.”

  “Perfect.”

  Riley added the device information on the board that was fast filling up. A good thing as that meant they had leads to follow and maybe they’d find Leah’s stalker. “Next up is the tattoo recently inked on Jill’s wrist. I need someone to visit local tattoo shops to show them the picture and ask if any of the artists did the tat.”

  “I finished my classes for the week, so I can do it,” Alex offered. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll come back all tatted up.” He wiggled his eyebrows in a playful way.

  Riley knew there was no danger of that. Alex cared too much about his appearance to permanently change it with tattoos. At least he wouldn’t get inked without giving it a solid evaluation first.

  “C’mon, pretty boy, do you really expect us to believe that?” Coop said, a tight smile on his lips.

  “Pretty boy?” Alex mocked being upset, but this wasn’t the first time Coop had teased Alex about his precise grooming standards.

  Gage rolled his eyes. “Focus people. I’d like to get home before it’s time for dinner.”

  “Me, too,” Jackson said. “Maggie has a rare day off, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “You’re getting married in a few months, and you have a lifetime of days together.”

  “Doesn’t mean I don’t want this one, too.” A slow smile crossed Jackson’s face.

  Riley was glad so many of his teammates were in solid relationships, but right now he needed t
hem to focus.

  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Tell yourself the same thing.

  “I should also tell you about Carolyn Eubanks,” he said.

  Riley heard Leah gasp, but even if she was upset that he brought Carolyn up, he explained about the embezzlement.

  “Man, that’s rough,” Coop said, surprising Riley.

  Coop wasn’t the most sensitive of guys, but he’d gotten married. Maybe spending more time with Kiera was softening him up. “You did file a complaint, right?”

  Leah nodded. “She’s awaiting trial.”

  “No one deserves to be treated this way.” Thunder consumed Gage’s expression. Not a surprise. He always, always, stood up for the underdog. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help with her prosecution.”

  “Agreed,” Riley said. “We’re here to help.”

  “Thank you,” Leah said and looked down.

  Yeah, she was hiding something all right. Did she not want them to get involved in Carolyn’s prosecution? Is that why she looked away? When they were alone, he would do his best to get to the bottom of it.

  “Blake will interview her,” Riley said, fixing his gaze on Leah to assess her response. “But he’ll likely be tied up with more promising leads. So I’d like to talk to Carolyn right away. Since we’re already headed for Portland, I can interview her then. I’d like to leave first thing in the morning. To get everything done in one trip, we’ll have to get going early.”

  Leah groaned. “Maybe not first thing. Late concert and all. It’s the last one in Rugged Point and final concerts in a location usually stretch out extra long, which is more draining. No one wants to say goodbye.”

  Riley rubbed his chin. “I suppose we can push it back an hour, but not too much longer.” He turned to Sam. “I’ll scan the letters and you can process them for fingerprints. Or…would that be wrong to do before we turn them over to Blake?”

  Sam frowned, an unusual look for her. “I could lift prints, and would love to do it, but it would really call into question the validity of anything his forensic staff recovers. Could be problematic when this stalker is caught and goes to court.”

  “What about DNA?” Riley asked.

  “Same thing. Even photocopying the letters could be problematic as you could transfer touch DNA from the machine. You’re better off taking pictures or trying to get pictures from Blake’s team.”

  When Riley was a police officer, he had access to information like this if he needed it. He loved his current job, and he wouldn’t give it up for anything, but he sure didn’t like being on this side of the law at the moment.

  Gage leaned forward. “Blake won’t share. He’s too much of a stickler for protocol. The best thing for us to do is have Sam take pictures since she’s familiar with evidence procedures.”

  Sam nodded. “I’d be glad to handle that.”

  “Then I’ll use gloves and bag the letters to bring them back to you before turning them over to Blake.” Riley added it to the board, and then took a look at everything he’d written down. “Okay, that’s all I have.”

  “FYI,” Sam said. “I’m not sure of the value yet, but I lifted quite a few prints from the area. It’s a public place and that’s not surprising. After my friend at PPB runs them, we’ll see if they return anything of value.”

  “What about the jewelry box?” Riley asked.

  “It held only one set of prints, Leah’s, so that’s a dead end. I need to get elimination prints for Felicity, Kraig, and Sal. I can do that tonight at the concert. Also, my expanded search for the gun was a bust. It’s looking like the killer took it with him.”

  “Good work on the prints, Sam,” Riley said but he was distracted by her last comment on the gun.

  The killer either wanted to dispose of the weapon somewhere far from the amphitheater, or—a thought Riley really didn’t want to have—the shooter was holding onto the gun because he was going to kill again.

  Leah was instantly drawn to Hannah’s gentle nature and kind spirit. Felicity, who sat next to Leah on a barstool in Hannah’s kitchen, seemed to like Hannah, too, but then Felicity was an extrovert, and she could mix and mingle with anyone, anywhere.

  Hannah took the sketch from her portable easel and passed it to Leah for what seemed like the tenth or eleventh time in the last two hours. During that time the sun had disappeared behind clouds and Hannah had turned on bright overhead lights in her kitchen that gave off warm and welcoming vibes.

  “Well?” Hannah asked, lifting a cup of tea to her mouth.

  Leah forced herself to look at the drawing. Hannah’s artistic talent was obvious, but the picture wasn’t right. Leah couldn’t put her finger on it. She wished she could. All she knew was the guy didn’t look like the man she’d seen. She sighed.

  “Okay,” Hannah said. “It’s not right yet.”

  “But I don’t know why.” Leah handed the sketch to Felicity. “What do you think?”

  She took a long look at it then shook her head. “I agree with you. Something’s off.”

  Hannah stood, took the sketch, and set it aside. “It’s time for a break. We’ll have some tea and chocolate chip cookies I baked yesterday. We can eat our fill of the gooey yumminess and forget all about this man for a while to clear our heads.”

  “Thank you,” Leah said, knowing it would take a whole lot more than cookies to help her clear her mind. “I’m sorry I’m not able to pinpoint his features better. You must have other things you’d rather be doing.”

  “Are you kidding?” Hannah grabbed plates from the cupboard and turned. “I love being a stay-at-home mom. Our kids are amazing and I adore them. But I need grown-up time and things that challenge me, too. Plus, this is what I love to do. The more complicated the better.”

  She set the plates on the counter and grabbed a cookie jar shaped like a cute clown. She’d no more than set it in front of Felicity and Leah when the sound of little feet came running their way.

  When Leah had first arrived, she’d taken Hannah aside and told her not to mention Owen was her son, but Leah didn’t know what Owen or the other children might say. Thankfully, Riley agreed to keep Owen outside while Felicity was here, and if he tired of playing out there, he would take Owen back to the cabin. She wished she could join Riley to watch Owen playing with the other children. He didn’t have much socialization outside of his preschool, and she could easily imagine living here and him making fast friends with Mia and David.

  David raced around the corner, and though Leah had met the children earlier, she was still struck by the intensity of his red hair, his million tiny freckles, and how much he resembled Hannah. He was dressed in worn blue jeans and an Oregon State University sweatshirt, and he slid onto a barstool. “I’m hungry, Mom.”

  “Me too,” Mia said as she rushed in. She had wispy blond hair held back by a lime green headband that matched a polka-dotted shirt. She took one look at Leah and Felicity, and she darted behind Hannah to peek out.

  “They have cookie radar.” Hannah laughed, reached behind her back, and gently brought Mia forward to introduce Felicity. “This is David and Mia.”

  David ignored Felicity and solidly met Leah’s gaze. “Don’t I like know you already?”

  “It’s Leah Kent, silly,” Mia loud-whispered to David. “You know. The famous singer. We see her on TV all the time.”

  David frowned. “Yeah, don’t know her.”

  Leah leaned forward and smiled at the children. “Well, you do now.”

  “Okay, kiddos,” Hannah said. “Go wash your hands and then take a seat at the patio table. I’ll bring out cookies and milk.”

  “Owen wants some, too. And so does Riley.”

  Hannah laughed. “Riley really is a big kid at heart.”

  “Who’s Owen?” Felicity asked.

  Leah was dumbstruck and couldn’t respond.

  “A friend of David’s,” Hannah said before the kids could speak.

  Felicity nodded. “I would think R
iley would have something better to do in finding out who shot Jill instead of playing with kids.”

  Leah didn’t like Felicity mentioning the murder in front of the kids, and Leah also had to stick up for Riley. Why, she didn’t know. “He’s doing all he can, and if he needs a few minutes to play, then I think we need to cut him some slack.”

  Felicity gave Leah a questioning look but didn’t say anything else.

  “Scoot.” Hannah pointed to the door. “Outside both of you.”

  David ran off, but Mia seemed a bit off balance for some reason, and she bumped into the wall.

  “Slow down, sweetie,” Hannah said, gently righting her, then plated the cookies.

  As a parent, Leah didn’t understand why Hannah wasn’t more concerned with Mia’s loss of balance, but Hannah went to the refrigerator to grab milk. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction where the kids had gone. “I didn’t want to say anything while Mia was in here, but she suffered a brain injury in a car accident a few years ago and has some residual issues.”

  “I didn’t even notice it,” Felicity said.

  “Ah, that explains it,” Leah’s statement came out at the same time, gaining Hannah’s focus.

  “You have a mother’s eye,” Hannah said.

  “Can I help you carry their food?” Leah smiled and got up to draw attention away from the comment.

  Hannah nodded, and Leah grabbed the plates before Felicity asked any questions. Leah rushed to the back patio where she set the plates in front of the children and Riley who were all seated at a large patio table.

  Riley had Owen on his lap and had taken wipes out of Owen’s backpack and was cleaning his hands. Seeing them together in such a casual setting, seeming totally at home with each other, hit her with such intensity that it brought tears to her eyes. If she hadn’t hidden Owen and chosen financial security, she’d still be with Riley. Owen could be here all the time. Playing with these children. Coming home to Riley’s cabin—their cabin—at the end of the day. Together. A family.