Taking

She really knew nothing about it.

She’d spent most of her life in the green hills of Virginia. What might such a different part of the country have in store for her?

CHAPTER FIVE

When the flight landed in Phoenix, Riley and Crivaro got their go-bags out of the overhead bin and made their way through the boarding bridge into the terminal. About twenty people were waiting for the passengers from their flight, but there was no question about who was there to meet them.

A hearty-looking guy with a ruddy expression was waving vigorously at Crivaro. Riley knew that had to be Harry Carnes. The equally sturdy woman standing beside him with crossed arms and a frown on her face must be Harry’s wife, and she was not looking happy at the moment.

The man welcomed Crivaro with a big hug, and Crivaro introduced Riley to the couple. The wife’s name was Jillian. Riley guessed them to be about Agent Crivaro’s age or maybe just a little bit older.

For a moment, she was startled to see that both of them were wearing T-shirts, jean short, and sandals. She and Crivaro still had on their jackets and clothes suitable for colder weather.

“Luggage?” Harry asked, eyeing their outfits.

“No, just these,” Jake replied, holding up his go-bag.

Harry laughed and said, “Well, that’s something you can take care of soon enough.”

She remembered what Crivaro had said during the flight.

“The weather in Arizona this year is sure a lot nicer than it is in Virginia.”

She definitely wasn’t prepared for the weather here. They’d been in so much of a hurry to leave, she’d given no thought to packing a different wardrobe. She wondered if she was going to have to buy some new things for herself. Her budget sure wouldn’t cover much.

Maybe it won’t matter, she thought. If they headed back to Quantico soon, she could probably make do with what she had.

Harry led the way to the nearest food court, where they sat at a table and ordered sandwiches for lunch.

Crivaro said to Harry, “So here I am. Now tell me everything you know.”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know much except what I told you over the phone. A woman was found dead yesterday on a hiking trail near Tunsboro, a town north of here. Her name was Brett Parma. When I heard about it on the news, I got curious and called the Tunsboro police chief. I had trouble getting him to open up, but I managed to pry a little out of him. He did mention the slashes on the woman’s arms—and also that she’d bled to death somewhere before her body had been left on that trail. Then he basically told me to keep out of the way of his investigation.”

“Which is what we’re going to do,” Jillian commented.

Harry leaned across the table toward Crivaro. “Jake, it all just gave me the weirdest feeling. It was like Erin Gibney’s murder a year ago all over again. I started flashing back to how I’d tried to help the cops in Gladwin solve the case, and how we’d failed.”

Harry lowered his eyes and muttered, “We never even came close to finding out who did that one.”

Jillian sighed unhappily and said to Crivaro, “Harry’s feeling all guilty about this whole thing. He says if he’d solved that case back in Colorado, maybe this new murder wouldn’t have happened. Of course that’s ridiculous. Jake, can you talk some sense into him? Tell him he’s got no reason to feel that way.”

Crivaro gazed at Harry sympathetically.

He said, “Jillian’s right. You can’t beat yourself up about that. Even if there is a connection between the two murders—”

Harry interrupted, “Jake, there is a connection. I feel it in my bones.”

Riley could see a world of skepticism in Crivaro’s face.

“Harry, I’ve worked a lot more homicide cases than you have,” Crivaro said. “I know what it’s like to feel responsible for those deaths, for not being able to catch a killer. But you can’t let it get the best of you.”

He reached out and put a hand on his friend’s arm.

“You didn’t kill anybody, Harry. You’re not responsible for that. It’s not your fault. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

Harry heaved a long, bitter sigh, then said to Jake and Riley, “Well, I was a cop long enough to know that. We never solve them all. But I was also out there long enough to recognize when my cop’s instinct is likely to be right. This thing, this latest murder, is really ringing some alarms for me.”

He put his unfinished sandwich back on the plate and pushed it away.

“I’m glad you two came out here to check things out,” he continued. “That makes me feel a whole lot better. Finish your sandwiches and I’ll drive you to Tunsboro.”

Jillian poked him in the arm and said almost in a whisper, “Wait a minute, Harry. You’re not driving anyone anywhere. We’ve got to get back to the campground.”

Harry gave his wife a pleading look.

“Come on, honey,” he whispered back. “We’re not in that much of a hurry. And Tunsboro’s just a short drive.”

“They can rent a car,” Jillian said. “Remember, we’ve got a deal.”

Harry looked embarrassed. Riley wondered what was going on between them. She saw that Crivaro seemed uncertain about what to say next.

Finally Jillian looked sternly at Jake and said …

“Harry’s not getting mixed up in this—this—whatever it is. He’s retired. We’re on vacation. I don’t want him getting all worked up about the Erin Gibney killing again. He was a guilty wreck about that for months. I thought we’d put all that behind us.”

Harry nodded reluctantly and said to Riley and Crivaro with a weak smile. “Well, you heard what the missus said. She’s got me on a tight leash. I wish I could work with you, but there it is. We’ve got an itinerary. We’re headed south to the Coronado National Forest today. We’ve got a reservation at the Riggs Flat campground.”

“And we’re not canceling,” Jillian added sharply. “No matter what.”

Harry squeezed her hand and said, “Of course not, honey. But we’ve got enough time to drive these two to the police station in Tunsboro. Then we can get back to the campground and check out there. It’s the least we can do for them, after they went to all this time and trouble.”

Jillian stared hard at Harry. “OK—as long as you promise not to change your mind along the way.”

Harry awkwardly raised his right hand.

“I promise,” he said and gave her a quick kiss.

Jillian smiled and looked reassured. She wagged her finger at Crivaro and said …

“And don’t you go trying to persuade him otherwise!”

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Crivaro said with a chuckle.

The couple seemed a lot more relaxed now. Harry even picked up his sandwich again and as they all kept eating, he regaled Riley and Crivaro with small talk. Now and then, Jillian added details or corrected him.

Harry and Jillian had recently become first-time grandparents, and their youngest daughter was getting married. As usual at this time of year, the weather in Colorado was too cold for their liking. So as they almost always did during the winter, the couple had packed up their camper and driven into the warmer Southwest, where they were hopping from one campground to another.

Harry proudly showed Riley and Crivaro a picture of their camping rig—a fair-sized trailer towed by a white truck. Harry called the getup “our home away from home.”