Once Buried

It occurred to Riley that the last thing they wanted right now was for reporters to get a look at the timer. If that happened, rumors would really start flying, making the situation worse than it already was. And there would surely be reporters still lurking in the parking area. They already knew that two people had been buried alive. They weren’t going to give up on that story.

She turned to Chief Belt and asked, “Could I borrow your jacket?”

Belt took off his jacket and handed it to her. Riley carefully draped it over the sand timer, covering it completely.

“Come on,” Riley said to Bill and Jenn. “Let’s try to get this to our vehicle without attracting too much attention.”

However, when she and her two colleagues stepped outside the tape barrier, Riley saw that more reporters had arrived. They crowded around Bill, demanding to know what he was carrying.

Riley felt a jolt of alarm as they pressed against Bill, who was trying to keep the sand timer as steady as he could. The jostling alone might be enough to interfere with the sand flow. Worse still, someone might knock the timer out of Bill’s hands.

She said to Jenn, “We’ve got to keep them clear of Bill.”

She and Jenn pushed their way into the group, ordering them to back away.

The reporters obeyed surprisingly easily and stood around gawking.

Riley quickly realized…

They probably think this is a bomb.

After all, that possibility had occurred to her and her colleagues back in the woods when Bill had uncovered the first sand timer.

Riley cringed at the thought of the headlines that might soon appear, and the panic that might follow.

She said sharply to the reporters, “It’s not an explosive device. It’s just evidence. And it’s delicate.”

She was answered by a renewed chorus of voices asking what it was.

Riley shook her head and turned away from them. Bill had made his way to the SUV, so she and Jenn hurried to catch up with him. They got inside and carefully secured the new sand timer next to the other one, which was strapped in place and covered with a blanket.

The reporters quickly regrouped and surrounded the van, yelling questions again.

Riley let out a groan of frustration. They’d never get anything done with prying people all around them.

Riley got behind the wheel and slowly began to drive. An especially determined reporter tried to block her way, standing directly in front of the vehicle. She let out a blast of the vehicle’s siren, sending the startled guy scurrying off. Then she drove the SUV away, leaving the gaggle of reporters behind.

After driving about half a mile, Riley found a fairly secluded place where she could park the vehicle.

Then she told Jenn and Bill, “First things first. We need to dust the sand timers for fingerprints right away.”

Bill nodded and said, “There’s a kit in the glove compartment.”

As Jenn and Bill started to work, Riley got out her computer tablet and made a video call to Brent Meredith.

To her surprise, Meredith’s wasn’t the only face that appeared on her screen. There were eight other faces, including a babyish, freckle-faced visage that Riley was anything but happy to see.

It was Special Agent in Charge Carl Walder, Meredith’s superior at the BAU.

Riley suppressed a groan of discouragement. She’d been at odds with Carl Walder many times. In fact, he’d suspended and even fired her on several occasions.

But why was he in on this call?

With a barely disguised growl, Meredith said, “Agent Paige, Chief Walder has been kind enough to join us for this conversation. And he’s put together a team to help us on this case.”

When Riley saw the annoyed expression on Meredith’s face, she understood the situation perfectly.

Carl Walder had been monitoring the case all morning. As soon as he found out that Riley had asked for a videoconference with Meredith, he’d summoned his own group of agents to join in. Right now they were all sitting in their separate offices and cubicles at the BAU with their computers set up for conferencing.

Riley couldn’t help but scowl. Poor Brent Meredith must have felt like he’d been ambushed. Riley was sure that Walder was grandstanding, as usual. And by bringing in a team of his own, he was brazenly signaling his lack of confidence in Riley’s professionalism.

Fortunately, some of the people Walder had brought in were people she’d worked with and trusted. She saw Sam Flores, a nerdish and brilliant lab technician, and Craig Huang, a promising young field agent she’d helped mentor.

Even so, the last thing she needed right now was a team of people to manage and organize. She knew she’d function best working with just Bill and Jenn.

Looking quite pleased with himself, Carl Walder spoke.

“I hear you’ve got some information for us, Agent Paige. Encouraging news, I hope.”

Riley swallowed her anger. She was sure he already knew otherwise.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” she said.

She held her tablet so the group could see the sand timers that Bill and Jenn were deftly dusting for prints.

Riley said, “As you can see, Agents Jeffreys and Roston are here working with me. We found a sand timer at each of the two murder scenes. The one that’s empty was hidden near the first body. We found the one that’s still running not far away from where the second victim was buried. We estimate that it’s going to run out at about six o’clock tomorrow morning.”

Riley could hear audible gasps and saw the shock on all the faces on the screen – except for Walder’s.

“What do you think it means?” Walder asked blandly.

Riley managed not to sneer with contempt. Walder was obviously the only person in the group who hadn’t figured it out instantly.

Riley said, “It means, sir, that someone else is going to die when the glass runs out. And whoever it is will be buried alive, just like the first two victims.”

Walder’s eyes widened.

“That can’t happen,” he said. “I order you not to let it happen.”

Riley’s exasperation was rising. As usual, Walder was giving perfectly pointless orders – as if anybody here needed to be told that a third murder had to be prevented.

Walder turned his own computer to display the clock on his office wall.

He said, “It’s now one o’clock. We’re not going to let the clock run out. And we’re not giving the media enough time to cause a panic. They’re already moving on this story. I expect you to apprehend the killer before six o’clock tonight. And now I’ll leave you to your work.”

Carl Walder abruptly disappeared from the screen. Riley could see relief on all the other faces. She also knew that they were thinking exactly what she was thinking. Walder had made just enough of an appearance to throw his weight around and seem to be in charge. Taking any real leadership responsibility wasn’t his style.

And what about his six o’clock deadline?