Once Lost

Roston tucked her chin on her hand and leaned toward Riley.

“I’m going to say a few things,” she said. “I’d like you to listen without saying anything in reply. Don’t deny or agree with what I say. Just listen.”

Riley nodded uneasily.

“Your relationship with Shane Hatcher continued even after he escaped Sing Sing. In fact, it became more intense than ever. You’ve communicated with him more than once – several times, I’m pretty sure, occasionally in person. He’s helped you on official cases, and he’s helped you in more personal ways. Your relationship with him has become – what’s the word? Symbiotic.”

It took Riley considerable self-control not to react to any of this.

All of it was, of course, absolutely true.

Roston continued, “I’m pretty sure you were aware of his presence at your cabin. In fact, you probably agreed to it. But the death of Shirley Redding was no accident. And it wasn’t part of your bargain. Hatcher has gotten out of control, and you want nothing more to do with him. But you’re scared of him. You don’t know how to break the connection.”

An unsettling silence fell between Riley and Roston. Riley wondered how she knew all this. It seemed downright uncanny. But Riley didn’t believe in mind reading.

No, she’s just one hell of a detective, Riley thought.

This new agent was extremely smart, and her instincts and intuition seemed to be as strong as Riley’s.

But what was Roston trying to do right now? Was she setting a trap, trying to get Riley to confess all that had gone on between her and Hatcher?

Somehow, Riley’s gut told her otherwise.

But did she dare trust her?

Roston was smiling enigmatically again.

“Agent Paige, do you think I don’t know how you feel? Do you think I don’t have secrets of my own? Do you think I haven’t gotten in over my head, made a pact with someone I shouldn’t have? Believe me, I know exactly what you’re dealing with. You took a chance, and rules sometimes need to be broken. So you broke them. Not many agents have your guts. I really do want to help.”

Riley studied Roston’s face without replying. She was again struck by the younger agent’s sincerity.

Riley could feel a grim smile forming at the corners of her mouth. Apparently something dark lurked inside Roston, as it did in herself.

Roston said, “Agent Paige, when I first started working on the Hatcher case, you gave me access to all the computer files you had relating to him. Except for one titled ‘THOUGHTS.’ It was listed in the summary, but I couldn’t find it. You told me you’d deleted it. You said it was just rough notes and redundant stuff.”

Roston leaned back in her chair, seeming to relax a little.

But Riley was anything but relaxed. She’d rashly deleted the file called THOUGHTS, which actually contained vital information about Hatcher’s financial connections – connections that allowed him to remain at large and wield considerable power.

Roston said, “I’m pretty sure you’ve still got that file.”

Riley suppressed a shudder of alarm. The fact was, she had kept the file on a thumb drive. She’d often thought about simply erasing it, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Hatcher’s spell over her had been strong. And just maybe she’d thought she might need to use that information someday herself.

Instead of erasing it, she’d been carrying it around in a state of indecision.

It was in Riley’s purse right now.

“I’m pretty sure that file is important,” Roston said. “In fact, it might contain information that I need to put Hatcher away once and for all. And we both want that to happen. I’m sure of it.”

Riley gulped.

I mustn’t say anything, she thought.

But didn’t everything Roston said make perfect sense?

That thumb drive might well be the key to freeing Riley from Shane Hatcher’s clutches.

Roston’s expression softened more.

“Agent Paige, I’m going to make you a solemn promise. If you give me that information, nobody will ever know that you ever withheld it. I won’t tell a soul. Never.”

Riley felt her resistance collapse.

Her every instinct assured her of Roston’s sincerity.

She silently reached into her purse, took out the thumb drive, and handed it to the younger agent. Roston’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t say a word. She just nodded and put the drive in her pocket.

Riley felt a desperate need to break the silence.

“Do you wish to discuss anything else, Agent Roston?”

The younger agent chuckled a little.

“Please, call me Jenn. All my friends do.”

Riley squinted uncertainly as Roston got up from her chair.

“Mind you, I won’t presume to call you anything except Agent Paige. Not until you feel comfortable otherwise. But please. Do call me Jenn. I positively insist.”

Roston left the room, leaving Riley sitting there in astonished silence.

*

Riley settled down to catch up with paperwork in her office. Whenever she wasn’t working on a case, it seemed as though tons of bureaucratic tedium awaited her and didn’t let up until she went out into the field again.

It was always unpleasant. But today she had an especially hard time focusing on what she was doing. She grew more and more worried that she’d just made a terribly foolish mistake.

Why on earth had she just handed that file over to Jennifer Roston – or “Jenn,” as she now insisted Riley call her?

It was nothing less than a confession of obstruction on Riley’s part.

Why had she given it to this particular agent when she’d never shown it to anyone else? How could an ambitious young agent do anything other than report Riley’s transgression to her superiors – maybe even to Carl Walder himself?

Any minute now, Riley might find herself under arrest.

Why hadn’t she just erased the file?

Or she could have gotten rid of it, as she had done with the gold chain Hatcher had given her. The chain had been a symbol of her bond with Hatcher. It had also contained a code for contacting him.