Page 87 of See How They Hide

He and Michael sat at the makeshift worktable and wrote up reports, reviewed evidence, and coordinated with the four agents sent from the Denver office to collect evidence at Morrison’s house and the outbuilding where they suspected one of Havenwood’s people had been hiding for the last several weeks. After a couple of hours he felt that he had accomplished something.

Matt looked at his watch and said, “Michael, I need food and air. Want to join me?”

“George and I are meeting with the Denver agents at the Morrison house in thirty. I’ll get something on my way back.”

“Let me know if there’s anything new.”

Matt left and walked down the hall to the suite Kara and Sloane shared with their witness. He opened the door to find Kara alone. “I was going to get some food. Where is everyone?”

“Riley is sleeping—at least pretending to—Sloane is at the lab with Jim, and Dean went to check into his room and talk to his boss. Who is his boss?”

“The director of Quantico, but I suspect he’s answering to Tony on this case.” Tony Greer was the assistant director who oversaw Matt’s team. “I’m getting lunch, you want me to bring you back something?”

“Actually, how about if Riley and I join you? I think she needs to get out. She feels like she’s under a microscope right now. Give us five minutes?”

“Sure,” Matt said. When Kara got up from the couch, Matt kissed her. Quick, easy. “I’ve missed you.”

She raised an eyebrow, but smiled. “No hanky-panky while we’re working.”

“We’ve been working on this case for almost two weeks,” he said. “Ireallymiss you. We both have some vacation time coming. When this is over, let’s take a long weekend and go someplace where we don’t have to do anything. Maybe we can head to Florida and you can meet my brother.”

“Table that conversation,” Kara said, looking suddenly panicked. “Let’s catch these killers first.”

“You’re scared.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.” He squeezed her hand. “Dante doesn’t bite. Neither does Veronica. They’re both mad that I didn’t bring you down for Christmas.”

“I told you, I wanted time with my grams. She’s not getting any younger.”

“And that’s fine.” He thought about what Chris Jones said after dinner the other night. “I should have gone with you to Washington, then we could have gone to Miami together. I was being selfish.”

“You weren’t, and we’ll talk later.” Kara walked into the adjoining room and Matt let it drop.

Five minutes later, Kara came out with Riley, who was dressed in new jeans and a sweatshirt that he was certain he’d seen in the gift shop downstairs.

“She didn’t have anything clean to wear,” Kara said, “so I’m expensing this outfit.”

He didn’t explain to her that she couldn’t do that, but he’d figure something out.

“We’ll go to the restaurant in the lobby,” Matt said. If it was just him, he’d be going out, but he didn’t want to put Riley into a potentially compromising situation. One of the killers had been in town last night, and could very well still be here. If they knew about Andrew, they likely knew about Riley.

The hotel had a three-story main building with guest doors facing the interior, and individual cabins that lined the property. The lobby boasted a stone fireplace mounted with a giant moose head, a bar running down one side, and a cafe on the other. It was still ski season, and Matt didn’t know how Ryder was able to find these accommodations on such short notice.

Though it hadn’t snowed while they’d been here, they were expecting snow tonight and into the morning. Matt hoped they could get out of here tomorrow. He didn’t see what more they could do here, once they finished clearing Morrison’s house. Jim and Sloane could stay to continue investigating Morrison and processing any evidence, and the location was also close enough to Santa Fe that Jim could coordinate with the Albuquerque office on the Crossman crime scene.

But Matt would have to figure out what to do with Riley.

They ordered and while waiting for their food, Riley leaned back in the chair and began to draw in her sketch pad. She seemed to relax when she had a pencil in her hand.

After a few minutes, Matt said, “You’re very talented, Riley. The picture you drew of Kara really captured her essence, especially her eyes. You studied art in college?”

“Art and Art History,” she said without looking up. “I didn’t know there were so many different styles and mediums. At the museum where I interned, every day when I’m done I walk around and find something new, even in paintings I’ve seen a dozen times.”

“What are your plans for when the internship is over?” Matt asked.

Her face clouded, but she still didn’t look at him. “I wanted Jane to move to France with me. She didn’t want to. So I don’t know what I would have done. I might have gone back to Ashland, though I didn’t fit into the whole college scene. I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore.”

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