Page 4 of Cold Threat

The touch of sarcasm in River’s voice made him laugh. “Seriously, why are you causing yourself headaches?”

She shrugged slightly and turned to look out the window. “That might be a conversation for another time. Right now, I want to know more about the case.”

“Are you thinking about...?” Tony didn’t even want to finish the question. They were both trying to heal from the Salt River Strangler case. They’d thought it was over. The killer, Joseph Baker, had been caught and was in prison. But now someone else had shown up, claiming to be the Strangler’s accomplice. He’d made it very clear that he was targeting River, determined to finish the job the Strangler had begun. As far as they knew, River and Tony were the only people to live after encountering the vicious serial killer. Tony wasn’t his objective, though. He’d just been in the way of the Strangler’s real goal. Even though he’d been shot four times, Tony wasn’t sorry he was with River when the Strangler attempted to add her to his list of victims. Tony and River had discussed at length what they should do to protect themselves. Tony, who was friends with the police chief in St. Louis, had been assured that he and River would be closely watched. They bothmade certain they were armed at all times, and they were careful to keep their heads on a swivel—and to watch their backs. But they’d decided to not stop living because of someone who may have gone back into the shadows. His threats could be just that. Empty threats he was using as a way to terrorize them. He was obviously a second fiddle to Joseph Baker. River and Tony were trained behavioral analysts. They had been surprised once by the Strangler’s protégé, but they wouldn’t make that mistake again. They truly believed he wanted attention, but he probably wouldn’t do anything to anger his master. Baker’s ego wouldn’t allow it. If Baker hadn’t been able to kill River, and he was infuriated about it, he would never accept someone else acquiring the trophy he let get away. Baker was the kind of killer who wanted all the credit. Still, Tony watched the cars behind them closely. So far, he was certain no one was following them. He’d hoped this trip out of town would give them a break. Help them to refocus. Every mile down the highway made Tony feel more relaxed. It became a little easier to breathe.

The other thing on their minds was the disappearance of the man who’d saved their lives. David Prescott had just happened to see Baker shoot him and throw River into the water that awful night. If he hadn’t been there ... well, it was doubtful he and River would still be alive. But after testifying against Baker in court, Prescott was now missing. His family had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. The FBI was trying to locate him, but the trail had grown cold. Tony and River both feared that Baker had somehow exacted revenge against the man who had thwarted his plans. Maybe he wouldn’t let his protégé hurt Tony or River, but perhaps he’d made an exception for the man who’d sent him to prison. Tony prayed David would show up, but as time went on, it became less and less likely.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” River said suddenly, pulling Tony out of his contemplation.

“You know me so well.”

River sighed. “No, I’m not thinking about Baker ... or his little friend.” She turned her head back toward him. “I’m learning so many things in your church that I never heard about in my dad’s church. Faith, the Holy Spirit, all kinds of new concepts. Right now, it’s a little confusing. I know I’ll get there, but I really just want to understand everything now.”

Tony laughed. “Well, if you end up understandingeverything, will you please share it with me?”

She smiled at him. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. I really do. But I think the answer is to let the Holy Spirit teach you in the way you can accept for now. You could use my method.”

“And what’s that?”

“I have this mental shelf,” Tony said. “I put some things there and ask God to take them down when He’s ready ... and I’m ready to comprehend them. It works for me. He’s always been faithful.” He hesitated a moment. “You know, you and I have been trained to understand the psychopathy of criminals. We believe that we can uncover the truth if we work hard enough. But sometimes, I’m not sure our training is helpful when it comes to spiritual things. It takes a level of trust and faith that we’re not used to.”

River was quiet for a moment as she stared out the car window. When she met his gaze again, there was a frown on her face. “You’ve got a point. I’m used to trusting in my training ... my knowledge. This is different. I’m trusting Someone else to give me the answers to questions I didn’t even know I’d be asking.” She sighed. “It’s weird. My dad forced me to read the Bible when I was young, and I didn’t get much out of it. I’m now convinced there are new passages written on those pages. Scriptures I never noticed before. It’s like the Bible is coming alive. But there are still concepts I’m having a tough time with. Faith is the one I’m having the hardest time understanding.”

“I get it. But just remember that I’m here. You can talk to me about anything.”

“Thanks. I will, but maybe not yet? I’m thinking. I feel as if I need to keep things between me and God for a while.”

River’s recent return to her faith was progressing slowly. Not because River wasn’t committed to her decision, but because she had such a strong penchant for the truth. She was one of those people who wouldn’t accept a theory until she’d examined it three ways to Sunday. It could be frustrating, but when she finally made up her mind and accepted something as true, she’d hang on to it forever. Nothing could shake her from it. That mindset had added some drama to their Behavioral Analysis Unit with the FBI. Their agent in charge had once referred to her as a dog that wouldn’t give up a bone when it came to working a profile. It was certainly an accurate description.

Now, River was on her way to meet Tony’s mother and father. Would it make her uncomfortable? His parents were very different from hers. Although Tony knew her mother, Rose, he’d never met River’s father. Even though it seemed the man was trying to make up for his past actions, River was having a hard time accepting his efforts. Thinking about Rose made him wonder if River was more bothered about leaving her than she’d admitted.

“It’s not too late,” Tony said, pretty sure she wouldn’t accept his offer. “We can turn around.”

“I appreciate that, but I really want to do this. Besides, we already said we were coming.” River frowned. “Did your dad say anything else about his concerns?”

“Not really. I think he wants us to look at this with fresh eyes. He doesn’t want to influence our profile.” Tony sighed. “He’s obsessed with finding the real killer and seeing him put behind bars. If he hasn’t been already.”

“Surely he’s not the only one who feels that way.”

Tony shrugged. “It’s been over twenty years. It seems that DesMoines is convinced their case is solved and they have other crimes to pursue. The chief in Burlington just doesn’t see what Dad sees, I guess. We haven’t talked about it a lot. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on.”

River frowned. “What do investigators say about this recent situation?”

“Again, I don’t know.” He sighed. “I guess we’ll find out more when we get there.”

“So, we’re going in somewhat blind?”

Tony chuckled. “Kind of. Dad knows me well enough to realize I’d probably do some research before hearing him out. I had to promise I wouldn’t do that this time. He clearly wants us to look at the case without a preconceived opinion.” He pointed at River as she started to take her phone from her pocket. “Put it back. Let’s give him what he’s asking for. Fresh eyes. Fresh start.”

“All right, but just because your dad requested it. I’m curious though.”

“About what?”

“About why no one agreed with your father.”

“Remember that he was just a rookie officer back then. Didn’t have enough pull to influence the case. It was assigned to their detectives. And to be honest, I think a lot of the other officers were upset with Dad. When he brought that child out of that burning house, a local news station was there. They broadcast the video, and before long, he was being touted as the ‘hero cop’ who saved a little girl from a raging fire. And when they discovered that he ended up in the hospital with severe burns, he was praised even more. Mind you, my dad refused to talk to the media, but that didn’t change anything.”

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