Page 25 of Cold Vengeance

“But that gate isn’t up yet, and you need security now,” River said. “Besides, the code can be shared by anyone living in the complex. A gated community is safer than living in a regular neighborhood, but it isn’t totally secure. If someone wants in, they’ll figure out a way.”

“What’s the name of the guard who was on duty last night? The one who called you about the note?” Tony asked. “I’d like to talk to him.”

Nathan frowned. “I only know his first name. It’s Kevin.”

“Surely they have some kind of video camera at the guard shack,” River said.

“I think so. I mean, I remember noticing something mounted underneath the small roof that covers the building where they sit. I assume it’s a camera.”

“Okay.” Tony looked at River. “We need to get the guard’s full name and number.” He turned his attention back to Nathan. “Do you know the guard who’s working today?”

“Yes. His name is Darrell. He’s the friendliest guard. I think he likes me.”

“Good,” Tony said. “Can you call him and see if you can get Kevin’s last name and his telephone number? And when you talk to Kevin, ask him for a description of the person who dropped off the envelope.” He paused for a moment. “If we want to see the video, we’ll have to bring the police in. They can get a warrant. We can’t.”

“But the note said no police,” Nathan insisted.

“If they were watching you this morning, they already know you came here. Believe it or not, bringing the police into the situation will actually keep you safer. These people are afraid of thepolice because they know they’re vulnerable now and it’s harder to get to you.”

“I’m not worried about me,” Nathan said. “I don’t want them to hurt April.”

“We were trained as behavioral analysts with the FBI,” River said gently. “What some people callprofilers.If whoever took April has kept her alive for several months, they’re most likely not going to kill her now. Bringing law enforcement into the situation may actually cause them to let her go so they won’t get caught—or if they do, at least they won’t be charged with murder.”

River was telling the truth, but Tony had very little hope that April was still alive. In fact, he was fairly sure she’d been dead for quite some time.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

When Nathan got off the phone, he said, “Darrell couldn’t give me Kevin’s number. He wants to help, but if he told me how to reach Kevin, he could lose his job. But he did say he’d call Kevin and ask him to phone me.”

“Great,” River said. “When Kevin calls, ask him to describe the person who dropped off the note. And don’t forget a description of the car.”

“Sure. Do you suppose you could give me back my phone now?”

“Oh, sorry,” Tony said. “I guess that would help.” He took Nathan’s cellphone and laptop out of the tote bag where he’d placed them. He handed both items to Nathan.

Nathan took his new phone and put it on the edge of River’s desk. “I guess we wait,” he said.

“I’m going to call Arnie and let him know what’s going on,” Tony said. “Although right now, we don’t have any proof of a crime. I’m not sure what he can do.”

“Well, we have a threat,” River said.

“True. Hopefully, that will be enough.” Tony got up and walkedout into the hallway. River was certain he didn’t want Nathan to overhear the conversation.

“How about a cup of coffee?” River asked Nathan.

He sighed deeply. “Thank you. I didn’t get time to make any before I left.” He frowned. “I’ve got to get on my laptop and contact my employer. I’ll tell them I need a sick day. It won’t be a lie. I really do feel ill.”

“Look,” River said as she went over to the coffeemaker, “I’ve learned that most of the things we worry about never happen. Worry can be a huge waste of time and energy. Let’s relax until we know we can’t, okay? Tony and I both believe that whoever wrote that note is just trying to intimidate you. If he really wanted to hurt you, he would have done it without warning you first.”

“That actually makes sense,” Nathan said. The tightness in his face loosened a bit.

“What kind of coffee do you want?” River read off the different flavors of pods they had.

“I think straight black coffee for now,” Nathan said. “Maybe after I wake up a bit more, I might try a mocha latte. But honestly, at the moment, all I want is caffeine. As you might imagine, I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“I wish we’d suggested you pick up a cheap cell phone last night,” River said. “It never occurred to us.”

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