Page 49 of Cold Threat

River wasn’t surprised by Angie’s reaction. She knew what trauma could do. How it could feel like a dark and dangerous animal hiding in your psyche, waiting to pounce. The only way to operate successfully in your daily life was to keep the beast behind bars. She and Tony had just rattled the cage. Although God was with her, helping her to permanently rid herself of the horror trapped in her mind, River wasn’t sure Angie had that kind of support. She nudged Tony, who got up and let River out. She went over to Angie’s side and slid in next to her. She slowly put her hand on the shaken young lady’s arm. Angie jerked when touched, but then took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm herself.

“We’re so sorry to make you revisit that night,” River said slowly. “Believe it or not, I know how hard it is. The last thing we want to do is upset you. We just want this man stopped before other people are hurt. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” she said shakily. “I do. I really do. It’s just ... well, I’ve always felt as if what happened that night was my fault.”

“I don’t understand,” Tony said. “You didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“But I knew someone was in the house. I heard him come inside. I ... I was downstairs getting into the cookie jar. I was supposed to be in bed. My ... my mama never made cookies. Sometimes she’d buy them from the store ... when she remembered to buy food. But my grandmother made the most wonderful peanut butter cookies. She put a chocolate drop right in the middle. I was lying in bed that night, thinking about those cookies. I knew that when I had to go home, I wouldn’t get anything like that.” She looked back and forth between Tony and River. “I thought that if I took some and hid them, I could take them with me. That way I could have one every day ... for a while.”

“So, you heard someone come in?” River said, trying to get her back to something that might help them. She was deeply moved by Angie’s story, but she knew the best thing she could do for her and the Snowman’s next victims was to stop him. “How did he get inside? Do you remember?”

Angie nodded. “He used a key. For just a second, I wondered if it was Nana or Papa, but then I remembered that I’d passed their room on the way to the kitchen. They were asleep in their bed.” She sighed deeply. “I instinctively knew something was wrong. My grandparents were very careful with their keys. They wouldn’t even give one to my mom because when she was using, she would sneak into the house and steal something to support her habit. Of course, I didn’t realize that then, but when I got older, I figured out what was going on.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police what you remembered when they asked you?” River asked. Although she knew the answer, she wanted Angie to say it.

“I ... I was afraid. Afraid that the man would come back for me if I told them anything. My ... my mom used to warn me that I had to keep secrets. Especially from the police. That they weren’t our friends, and that if I talked to them, they’d take me away and lock me up in jail.” She shook her head. “I wish I’d saidsomething.” She frowned. “I thought the police in Des Moines caught the guy. How can he still be killing people?”

“The man in Des Moines did set a fire to cover up a murder, but he had nothing to do with the deaths of your grandparents. Or the attacks after that.”

A tear slid down Angie’s cheek. She started to say something but just then the waitress walked up to the table. River and Tony only ordered coffee. Since they’d be eating at Tony’s, River didn’t want to ruin Beth’s dinner. The waitress didn’t seem happy with their choice, but it couldn’t be helped.

“I truly regret that I didn’t tell the police what I saw,” Angie said after the waitress walked away. “But even worse, I didn’t do anything to stop that guy. My grandparents taught me how to call 911 if I ever needed help. They worried about me, afraid of the kinds of people my mom let into our apartment. If only I’d called...”

“Angie, you were a child,” River said. “Children don’t always know the right thing to do. You need to quit feeling guilty. I’m sure if you were talking to any other six-year-old who’d been through what you have, you’d tell them the same things I’m saying to you.”

Angie picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m sure that’s true, and down through the years, I’ve told myself the same thing, but for some reason I just can’t seem to get past it.”

“God is helping me with the trauma I’ve endured in my life,” River said, praying the Holy Spirit would give her the right words to say. “He’s healing me.” She smiled at the distraught young woman. “I still have a long way to go, but I believe that someday I’ll truly be free.”

Angie turned her head and stared at her for a moment before saying, “My grandmother used to tell me something similar. That God would get me through.” She shrugged and picked up her coffee cup. “So where was He when my grandparents were killed?”

River snuck another quick look at Tony. Was this a question he should tackle? Tony just gave her a small smile. What did that mean? She tried to remember the sermon Pastor Mason had preached about this very thing. It had made sense to her. But at this moment, she couldn’t remember his sermon. Why wasn’t Tony saying anything? She was certain he could handle this better than she could, but suddenly a response came to her.

“I can’t tell you exactly why it happened, Angie, but I do know that it wasn’t God’s will for your grandparents to die. He wasn’t behind it. That’s not who He is. There’s evil in this world. Evil that God never meant to be here. He’s given us weapons against it. But it’s like being in a war. Sometimes people are injured. Sometimes they even die. We’re not sure how the enemy was able to get to them, but we know that no matter what happens, we can depend on His love. On His healing touch.” She took a deep breath. Where was this coming from? “I wish I could explain it all to you, but I can’t. I’m just learning to trust Him, and all I know is that, so far, He’s never let me down. Every day I get stronger, and I have more peace. He’ll do the same for you if you let Him.” Tears filled Angie’s eyes once again.

“My grandmother used to read me Bible stories and talk to me about God. When she and my grandfather died, I guess I was angry because He didn’t save them. I turned my back on Him.”

“But now you know that God wasn’t responsible for their deaths,” Tony said softly. “You’ve been angry at the wrong person.”

Angie nodded. “I get it.”

“I understand your mother died not long after you went home,” River said. “That must have been devastating.”

Angie nodded. “It was. I went into foster care. My mother’s family didn’t want me, and no one knew where my father was. I’m not sure my mother even knew who he was. It was rough. I went through two pretty bad situations before I landed with my adoptive parents. I ... I was angry for a while. Angry that no onecame for me. But I’ve put that behind me. I was lucky. Some kids never find people like the Jenners.”

The unfriendly waitress walked up to the table and put cups in front of Tony and River. Then she poured coffee into each cup, the edge of the coffee pot touching the rims of their cups. River hated it when servers did this. It was a great way to pick up germs from one cup and spread them to another. In the past, she’d asked for a new cup of coffee after explaining it to the server. But it was clear that this woman wasn’t going to take helpful advice well. She exchanged a quick look with Tony. Neither one of them would be drinking their coffee.

“What about your grandfather’s family?” Tony asked as the waitress walked away.

“My biological grandfather died when my grandmother was in her forties. She married Edward about seven years later. I never met anyone in his family. He didn’t have any contact with them.”

River was certain Tony was trying to establish a connection with Angie so that she’d trust them, but they needed to get back to the night of the murders. She didn’t want to spook Angie, but they needed to get their questions answered and get back to the house.

“Angie,” she said, keeping her voice low and calm. “Did you actually see the man who was in your grandparents’ house the night of the fire?”

Angie’s body jerked suddenly. It was clear this was very difficult. River felt bad for her, but they needed every piece of information they could get, not only to write an accurate profile, but to help Ray catch the Snowman. She realized in that moment that the behavioral analyst side of her was now working in tandem with the private investigator she’d become. It was a strange combination, but she liked it. When she worked for the FBI, she’d been a little jealous of field agents who actually hunted down criminals and brought them to justice. Now she had thebest of both worlds. She might not be able to arrest anyone, but she could still find the bad guys—and gals—and hand them over to the police.

“When I realized someone was breaking into the house, I ran to my grandparents’ room. I wanted to wake them up and warn them, but I was afraid the intruder might hear me. I hid in the closet. I could see some through the slats in the door.”

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