Page 22 of Cold Threat

River turned back and met Aimee’s gaze, but any sign of gaiety was gone from her expression. Was she upset because Tony mentioned the shooting?

“I’m sorry,” River said. “Of course, what happened isn’t funny. I think we tease each other about it because it helps us to deal with it. I ... I still have nightmares about that night.”

Aimee didn’t say anything, just picked up her glass of water and took a drink. An uncomfortable silence followed. River wasn’t certain what to do. Finally, she said, “I apologize, Aimee, if what Tony said upset you.”

Aimee finally looked at her. “I almost lost my brother thatnight,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “He had no business being in that place. From what he told us, he only went there because he didn’t want you to go alone. Tony felt something was off and he tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. You almost got him killed.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “Look, I want to get to know you because you’re such a big part of Tony’s life, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive you. I just want to be up-front with you. My parents don’t harbor any ill will, but I do.” She looked down at the table for a moment, as if trying to regain her composure. When she swung her gaze back to River, she was shocked to see Aimee’s eyes narrowed in obvious antagonism. “I think it’s good to get things out in the open. I would prefer you keep this to yourself. There’s no reason to upset Tony. He’s suffered enough, don’t you think?”

River was speechless. What was Aimee talking about? Tony had never said he didn’t want to meet Jacki that night—that he was suspicious about it. In fact, he’d told her the exact opposite. Had Tony really told his family that he’d only gone to the river that night because he felt he had to protect her? She felt confused and unsure about what to say or do.

“I ... I don’t remember Tony saying anything like that,” she said finally, her voice quaking with emotion. “We made the decision to go there together. I ... I would never do anything I thought might put Tony in danger.”

Aimee looked to her left. Tony was walking toward the table. “If you don’t mind, I’ll believe my brother. And I won’t discuss this in front of him.” She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks with her fingers and pasted a smile on her face.

“So did my sister talk about me?” he asked with a grin as he took his seat.

“No, surprisingly you weren’t the focus of our attention.” River tried to keep her voice steady. She didn’t know whether to beangry with Aimee—or with Tony. At that moment, she wished she’d stayed in Mehlville with her mother.

The rest of the lunch Aimee acted as if nothing was wrong, but River had no intention of pretending along with her. She knew Tony could tell something was bothering her, but she refused to look at him. She felt offended ... and confused. She couldn’t believe Tony had told his family that his shooting was her fault. It certainly wasn’t what Beth had said. Did Aimee really believe the things she had just accused her of? What should she do? Keep this to herself, or tell Tony what Aimee had said? The last thing she wanted to do was to drive a wedge between him and his sister. But she wasn’t sure she could—or should—let this go.

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

After they got back to Tony’s parents’ house, Aimee said goodbye and left, still acting as if she and River were fast friends. River still wasn’t sure what to do, but she was convinced that coming between Tony and Aimee was wrong. He’d suffered enough because of her, and River had no intention of adding more grief to his life.

Beth let them know that Ray was upstairs, waiting for them. But before River was able to head up there, Tony took her arm and led her into the living room.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “And don’t say ‘nothing’ because I know you too well. You’re upset about something, and you need to tell me.”

River pulled her arm out of his grasp. “For your information, I don’t have to tell you everything. Some things are personal.”

“River, we don’t keep secrets from each other.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. As she looked up into his eyes, she could feel her resolve start to melt. But she just couldn’t find the words to tell him what was on her mind. Until she knew what to do, she had to keep her conversation with Aimee to herself.

“I told you that it’s nothing. I ... I’ve been thinking a lot about our profile. I’m sorry I got so distracted. You know how I get when I start working on a case.” She forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I really am. I’ll be fine once we get this done.”

Tony didn’t look convinced, but he let her go. “Okay, if you’re sure. I guess Dad is waiting on us.”

“Great.”

River left the living room and hurried up the stairs. She was so conflicted she wasn’t certain she could concentrate on the profile the way she should. As she reached the second floor, she shook herself mentally. She was a trained behavioral analyst. She’d had to work under extreme circumstances before, and she needed to give her full attention to the work ahead of them. She’d agreed to do this, so there wasn’t any way she could back out now. By the time she walked through the door to Ray’s office, she was ready to work; the situation with Aimee was pushed back into the dark recesses of her mind. There were a lot of other things already stored there so adding one more wasn’t easy, but she used her iron will to lock it away until another time. It could wait. This couldn’t.

She and Tony had just entered the office when Beth called out their names. She walked into the room carrying a tray with a carafe and three cups. “Thought you might like some coffee,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, Mom.” Tony took the tray from her. “I tend to get sleepy after lunch. This is just what I need.”

“Well, if you’re good and your father allows it, I’ll bring up some cake in a while.”

“As if I would ever turn down your cake,” Ray said, winking at his wife. He patted his lean stomach as if trying to say his wife’s baking was making him put on weight.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Beth said.

“You’re the best, Mom.” Tony went up to his mother and kissed her on the cheek.

Once Beth left, Ray asked them what they were thinking about the case. “I’m not going to bother you while you’re working on your profile,” he said, “but I know you went through the file last night, River. Any conclusions?”

River was still grappling with the strange dream she’d had and wasn’t sure what to say. She decided to save it for Tony. Ray was counting on their profiling skills. Not some strange dream.

She took a deep breath and said, “I believe your UNSUB is a man. He’s probably in his forties—maybe in his early fifties. He’s angry about something. Setting a fire shows fury. He’s smart and could easily commit these murders without leaving evidence. He chooses fire to cover his tracks because of his inner rage.” She hesitated. “He’s organized. He knows how to get into a house undetected and has the ability to subdue his victims. They may not have been murdered in their beds. It’s possible he’s putting them there after he kills them. He binds their hands and feet with wire because he wants them in a certain position.” She walked over to the large corkboard with all the pictures. “I didn’t see anything in the medical examiner’s reports that pointed to trauma to the skull. No broken hyoid bones in the victims’ necks. I can’t find any trauma that would explain their deaths outside of the fire. Of course, this kind of fire—the intensity—fractures bones. It’s almost impossible to find the actual COD.” She turned to look at Ray. “He sets his fire around the beds of his victims once they’re dead.”

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