Page 65 of Cold Threat

“Can you talk to the foster mother?” River asked.

“I tried to contact her, but she recently passed away too. Cancer.”

River couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Michael. Where was he now? Was he even alive? Had they been wrong to suspect him of being the Snowman?

She turned her attention to Stacy. Only two school photos. One in first grade and another in second. The look in her eyes made River’s stomach turn over. This little girl was afraid.

“Anything from her school that might help?”

Ray shook his head. “Like I said earlier, they were both dumped into the foster system. I can’t find anything about Stacy. No idea of what happened to her or where she went. I called Tony and told him about it. I have a contact with a foster care group downtown.I called him to see if he could meet you and Tony after lunch. Maybe he can shed some light on what happened to the Wilson kids. He has access to records I don’t have.”

“Okay,” River said. “Anything new about the people who died?”

“Yes, but it’s sketchy. Hard to find information about people who are dead. The Greers, the first couple killed here, were definitely foster parents, but only for a short time over twenty years ago. The interesting thing about them? They used to live in Des Moines.” He shrugged. “Again, we’re realizing that a lot of people leave Des Moines and move to smaller cities. So, I’m not sure we can assume much about that. That’s all I know. Again, my contact should be able to help you. You can ask him about Sandra Cooper.”

“Does Tony have your contact’s information?” River asked.

“Yes, but I’ll give it to you too. His name is Donnie Schweizer. He works for Able House Family Services. He’s worked with us several times when we needed him. If anyone can fill in the blanks, it’s Donnie. But to be completely honest, I don’t know how much he’ll be able to help us. He’s seen children disappear into the system too. It really frustrates him as well as the other hardworking foster care workers who really try to help children in crisis. You’ll like him.” He smiled. “You both fight evil.”

“Okay. We’ll let you know what we find out.”

“Thanks. By the way, it seems that the storm will be here early in the morning and snow will continue throughout the day.”

“And you still feel the Snowman plans to kill someone else?”

“Your profile makes me suspect it. I hope we’re all wrong, but you said something about him being angry because Sandra lived? If he really does feel he’s on some kind of righteous crusade, I think you’re right about his compulsion to deliver his so-called justice now that he’s been thwarted. I also have to wonder if he still has Sandra in his sights. We’re guarding her carefully for now,but we won’t always be able to do that. Let’s pray we catch him soon so that she won’t have this death sentence hanging over her head.”

“I agree,” River said. “From what I understand about him so far, I would say he will definitely try to finish the job he started.”

As she said the words, she was aware that they also applied to the Strangler’s apprentice. She shivered, not because she was cold, but because the reality of knowing there was someone out there who could be completely committed to taking her life frightened her.

TONY SPEARED THE LAST PIECEof his pancakes with his fork and mopped his plate with it so he could soak up the last bit of maple syrup. Benny’s Grill made the best pancakes he’d ever tasted. He’d missed them. And he’d missed Aimee. They’d had a great time together talking about things they’d done as kids. Aimee had a way of snorting when she laughed. When they were younger, Tony had made fun of her. Even though he thought it was humorous then, he felt a little bad about it now.

After talking and laughing since they’d first met for breakfast, Aimee had suddenly grown strangely silent.

Tony put his fork down. “You okay?” he asked. “When you get quiet, I worry. When we were kids, that’s how I knew you were planning something. It usually involved me, and it was never good.”

Aimee gave him a small, strained smile. “I know you’re heading back to St. Louis on Monday. I ... I guess I worry about you. After what happened...”

“Hey, I worked for the FBI for a long time. Only got shot once. All in all, I’d say I’m doing pretty good.”

Aimee pointed her fork at him. “You’re not funny. We could have lost you.”

“But you didn’t.” Tony smiled at her. “Look, sis, pray for me and trust God. It’s the only thing any of us can do. We don’t know what we’re going to face, but we know who has us in His hands. What I went through was awful. I shouldn’t have lived. But I did. God took care of me.”

Aimee hesitated a moment before saying, “I believe God protects us, but I also believe that He expects us to make wise decisions. Not to put ourselves in harm’s way on purpose.”

“Trust me, I didn’t purposely try to get shot. You know my job with the FBI was in the BAU. Usually, I was completely safe. I wasn’t a field agent.”

Aimee’s eyes turned shiny with tears. “But you almost died. You went with ... with River even though it was dangerous. She should have known better. She talked to that woman—Jacki, was it? If River’s a trained behavioral analyst, how could she not have realized that something was wrong?”

Tony studied her for a moment. “Aimee, I know what you said to River. I also know she doesn’t want me to bring it up, but I think I have to. What happened wasn’t her fault. It was the fault of a very evil man who tried to kill River too.”

Aimee looked away and then picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. Then she stared at him. “I know what you’re saying, but I do blame River. Before you let her into your life, you were safe. No one shot at you. Since working with her, you almost died, you’ve walked away from your career, and now you’re ... what? Magnum P.I.?”

Tony loved his sister and realized that her anger toward River was because of the fear she experienced when he was hurt. His mother had voiced similar feelings right after it happened, but after Tony talked to her, she mellowed. She’d finally realized thatit wasn’t River’s fault. Still, he was frustrated with Aimee and felt defensive of River.

He took a deep breath before saying, “Aimee, for your information, becoming private investigators was my idea. Not River’s. After what happened to her, she was dealing with severe PTSD. She couldn’t work with the FBI anymore. Some of the things we hear ... the cases we work. ... Well, let’s just say there are things that happen in the world that I wouldn’t want you to ever know about. The stuff of nightmares. And what River went through that night...” He stopped talking and shook his head. “You think being shot was traumatic? River’s trauma was much worse than mine. Thankfully, she’s let God back in her life after many years of not trusting Him. As a Christian, you should be supporting her. Not blaming her for things that weren’t her fault. Your accusations really hurt her.”

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