ONCE LOST

by Blake Pierce

  Riley asked, “Did she know about his past, the child porn thing?”

  “Oh, yes,” Jenn said. “She was engaged to him when it happened. She pushed him into the identity change. She’s been using and manipulating him ever since—definitely the dominant partner in their marriage, and always insanely jealous. And she’s had good reason to be. He’s had quite a few illicit relationships with the girls on his team. One night she made him agree to lure Holly Struthers into the house—just to watch him have forced sex with her, she said. But afterward, she killed Holly. Then she made him do it again and again.”

  Riley shook her head.

  “There are still some loose ends bothering me,” she said. “We never found a connection between Katy and Holly. Holly didn’t even go to the same school, wasn’t interested in soccer. And Camryn Mays had graduated. Why would she have had any contact with the couple?”

  Meredith leaned back in his chair.

  “I just got a call from Chief Sinard that might shed some light on that,” he said. “According to Coach Griggs, Holly was thinking about changing schools at one point. She spent just enough time hanging around Wilson High to meet Griggs, who tried to recruit her for his soccer team. It didn’t pan out, but they stayed in touch.”

  Riley shivered a little.

  Unfortunately for her, she thought.

  Meredith continued, “As for the older girl—well, it seems that Coach Griggs liked to do a little volunteer counseling on the side, helping kids who wanted to go on to college. That’s how she got to know him.”

  Meredith leaned across his desk and looked at Riley and Jenn with interest.

  “This sounds like it was an especially tough case. How on earth did you crack it?”

  Riley shrugged a little.

  “Angier is a perfect little town,” she said. “All we had to do was look for someone who was too perfect. The coach really stood out that way—a town hero and an inspiration to his girls.”

  Riley shook her head.

  “But then I dropped the ball. Why didn’t I suspect his wife? She seemed even more perfect than he was.”

  Meredith didn’t say anything. Riley knew this was his style. He never consoled agents when they suffered spells of self-doubt. And Riley knew he was wise not to do so. It helped keep his agents up to the mark.

  Riley nodded toward Jenn.

  “I must say, Agent Roston has got great instincts. I owe her my very life. She’s got real promise.”

  Riley paused for a moment, then added, “In fact, she’s got a brilliant career ahead of her. I guarantee it.”

  Jenn smiled and dropped her head a little.

  Meredith held Riley’s gaze for a few moments.

  Finally he said, “I owe you further congratulations, Agent Paige. You brought in Hatcher—and you brought him in alive. It looks like he’ll recover from his wound. He won’t be getting out of prison again, that’s for sure.”

  Riley’s curiosity was piqued.

  “What have you heard about him?” she asked. “Has he regained consciousness?”

  “Intermittently,” Meredith said. “But he hasn’t spoken a word to anyone.”

  Riley felt an icy chill all over as she remembered the glassy look in his eyes, the deathly tone of his voice.

  Hatcher had seemed utterly finished with life.

  It didn’t matter whether he survived his wounds or not.

  He was through with it all, finished with everyone—most certainly with Riley.

  Riley wondered …

  Will he ever say another word to anyone again?

  *

  After the meeting, Riley went right over to Bill’s apartment.

  He looked delighted to see her when he answered the door.

  “I was hoping you’d stop by,” he said. “Come on in.”

  Riley walked inside and saw that his apartment looked remarkably neat. The blinds were open to let in some sunlight, and the clutter she’d seen before had been completely cleaned up.

  Best of all, Bill looked more like his old self.

  Riley hugged him and said, “I don’t know how to thank you. What would have happened if you hadn’t checked on my house? Gabriela might have come home to find a dead policeman, or Hatcher might still have been waiting there, and he might have …”

  She couldn’t bring herself to finish her thought.

  Bill smiled warmly and said, “Hey, I was just returning a favor. I don’t have the words to thank you for all you’ve done for me in the last few days. Besides, it made me feel …”

  He paused for a moment.

  “Well, it made me feel worthwhile again. I know I’m not out of the woods yet. I still hear shots when there’s no sound at all. I still see that poor kid I shot falling. I see Lucy’s dead body. But …”

  His voice faded away.

  “But what?” Riley asked.

  “Well, something happened to me when I saw what Blaine did. He’s really a brave guy, you know. And he reminded me of what I used to be … and can be again, I think.”

  Riley felt a lump of emotion in her throat as she thought about her own terrible experiences with PTSD. She still suffered from flashbacks from time to time.

  “It won’t be easy,” she said quietly. “It will take time. And it might never go away … not completely.”

  Bill nodded and smiled.

  “That’s OK,” he said. “I’ll be patient.”

  *

  Riley spent much of the rest of the day at home with her family. After dinner, she headed over to Blaine’s house. His daughter, Crystal, had already gone upstairs for the night.

  Riley was surprised to see everything looking absolutely perfect. She’d heard that Shane had shattered a glass door to get in, but there was no sign that anything had happened.

  “How did you get everything fixed up so fast?” she said.

  Blaine grinned.

  “Pretty impressive, huh? I insisted that the repair company get the new door put in right away. They’ve worked for me at the restaurant for years, and they’re eager to please. Come on, sit down, I’ll get us some wine.”

  Riley joined Blaine on his living room couch, and he poured them some delicious wine.

  Riley looked at him with concern.

  “I’m so sorry about what you went through,” she said. “How are you holding up?”

  “Amazingly well,” he said with a shrug. “Crystal is actually proud of me. I’ve been trying to convince her that I’m not some kind of hero.”

  Riley patted his hand.

  “Don’t try too hard to convince her,” she said. “She’s right, as far as I’m concerned.”

  Blaine lowered his head and said nothing. Riley squeezed his hand.

  “I mean that, Blaine. Do you realize what you did? Shane Hatcher was one of the most dangerous criminals alive. Even the FBI didn’t know how to stop him. You stood up to him, you helped bring him down. Thanks to you, he’ll never cause any trouble again.”

  Blaine blushed deeply. He didn’t seem to know what to say for a moment.

  Then he said, “How about your kids? And Gabriela?”

  Riley chuckled a little.

  “Oh, God, the kids are so resilient. From talking with them, you’d think nothing had happened. They’re back to math, soccer, school, chess club, school in general. And as for Gabriela—well, I don’t think there’s anything in the world that can faze her.”

  Riley and Blaine fell quiet for a moment. Riley found herself enjoying the comfortable silence.

  But then unsettling thoughts started creeping in.

  She remembered back when he was her next-door neighbor, and he’d gotten so frightened by the danger she’d brought into his life that he’d moved all the way to this house.

  Had any of that changed?

  She took a deep, long breath and said, “Blaine … you know I wouldn’t blame you … if you ran away from me as fast and far as you possibly can.”

  Blaine smiled and pulled her close to him
.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  ONCE BURIED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 11)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

  ONCE BURIED is book #11 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 1,000 five star reviews!

  A serial killer is killing victims with rapid speed, and in each crime scene, he leaves an unusual signature: an hourglass.

  Its sand is designed to fall for 24 hours—and when its empty, a new victim appears.

  Amidst intense media pressure, and in a frantic race against time, FBI Special Agent Riley Paige is summoned, with her new partner, to crack the case. Still reeling from the fallout with Shane, trying to sort out her family life, and to help Bill get back on his feet, Riley’s plate is already full. And as she enters the darkest canals of this twisted killer’s mind, this just may be the case that sets her over the edge.

  A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE BURIED is book #11 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

  Book #12 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

  ONCE BURIED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 11)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes ten books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising five books; and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), and A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Google Play!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)