Killing (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 6) Read online

  K I L L I N G

  (THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE—BOOK 6)

  B L A K E P I E R C E

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising two books (and counting); of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ADELE SHARP mystery series; and of the new EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series.

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  Copyright © 2020 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Evannovostro, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)

  DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)

  CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)

  ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES

  LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)

  LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)

  LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)

  LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)

  LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)

  LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)

  LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)

  THE AU PAIR SERIES

  ALMOST GONE (Book#1)

  ALMOST LOST (Book #2)

  ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)

  ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES

  FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)

  FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)

  FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)

  FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)

  FACE OF FURY (Book #5)

  FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)

  THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)

  THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)

  THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)

  THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)

  THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)

  THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)

  THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  HOMECOMING (Book #5)

  TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  IF SHE RAN (Book #3)

  IF SHE HID (Book #4)

  IF SHE FLED (Book #5)

  IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)

  IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  STALKING (Book #5)

  KILLING (Book #6)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  ONCE MISSED (Book #16)

  ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)

  BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)

  BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)

  BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

/>   CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  PROLOGUE

  Julian Banfield breathed in deeply as he stood in his kitchen. He simply loved the mingling smells of fresh-brewed coffee and frying bacon for a late night snack.

  Enjoy it one last time, he told himself as he turned the bacon with a spatula.

  His wife, Sheila, would get home from her book tour in just a little while, possibly before he went to bed. Julian needed to make sure not to leave any evidence that he’d been indulging in bacon and other high-cholesterol luxuries during her absence. He reminded himself to spray the kitchen thoroughly with air freshener to get rid of the lingering, delicious smell.

  As much as he loved Sheila, and as happy as they had always been together, he had to admit he’d enjoyed her absence during the last week. After thirty-five years of marriage, he couldn’t say that he’d especially missed her, nor did he imagine that she’d especially missed him. Instead, it had been an interesting change, probably for both of them.

  And it had been refreshing not to have to listen to her gentle but persistent scolding about his mild vices and indulgences. He’d been able to eat donuts and pizza, skip exercise sessions at the gym, and have an extra bourbon or two after dinner.

  All that was going to end when Sheila got back.

  Seize the moment, he told himself.

  He removed the bacon from the pan and broke a couple of eggs into the bubbling bacon fat. Then he pushed a slice of bread down into the toaster and poured himself some orange juice. When the eggs looked ready, he flipped them over for just a few seconds and flipped them back again. Pleased with the flawlessly translucent white film over the yoke, he scooped the eggs onto a plate just in time for the toast to pop up.

  He set the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast on the kitchen table, then sat down and smeared sinful gobs of butter on the toast—another luxury he was going to have to forgo when Sheila returned. As he began to eat, he found himself thinking about tomorrow’s upcoming therapy sessions. His first appointment in the morning was with a young man named Dennis Jones, whose impulse control issues had led to his recent arrest for shoplifting.

  Julian had done his best to convince a judge that Dennis’s kleptomania was a matter of illness rather than criminality—an obsessive-compulsive disorder and not a failure of moral character. After all, the kid generally stole things that he didn’t even want.

  But the judge was still on the fence about Dennis’s case, so in order to keep him out of jail, Julian was going to have to get him to change his behavior for good.

  Tomorrow’s task would be to persuade Dennis to add naltrexone to his medications, which currently included fluoxetine and bupropion. Dennis was neurotic and not especially intelligent. Although he wasn’t given to delusions or paranoia, certain fringe online conspiracy sites had convinced him that the government was using psychiatric medications for mind control. Julian hoped that today he could talk him out of such a ridiculous idea.

  Julian grunted with annoyance at the trouble this sort of thing was causing.

  The Internet sure hasn’t made my job any easier, he thought.

  As far as he was concerned, social networking and other online activities were undermining the mental health of society as a whole. Sheila had adapted well to all this digital novelty, but sometimes Julian felt like a relic of simpler, saner times.

  Worse, he knew that his younger colleagues considered him to be some old fogey who couldn’t keep pace with the changes in the world. He looked forward to retirement, which was still at least two or three years away.

  Savoring his snack, he found himself envying Sheila. She’d been able to give up her own family therapy practice after writing a bestselling book about the very issues that troubled Julian. And now she was getting to travel around the country, speaking and lecturing and signing books and just generally basking in the public’s admiration.

  It must be nice, Julian thought.

  But he was determined not to give in to jealousy. After all, Sheila’s publishing royalties were going to make both of their senior years a lot easier. And he was happy that she was enjoying her new life.

  Julian finished eating and took his plate, glass, and silverware over to the sink. As he started to wash the items, he thought he heard a noise over the sound of running water. He turned off the water and listened.

  Had Sheila gotten home earlier than expected?

  If so, there would be no hiding the aroma of fried bacon.

  Busted, he thought.

  He’d just have to put on an embarrassed grin and admit to his wayward behavior. Sheila would be cranky about it but not really unpleasant. They’d both laugh good-naturedly as he made promises for the future that he surely wouldn’t keep.

  He stood listening for a moment and heard nothing. Figuring the noise must have come from his guilty imagination, he finished washing the dishes. As he dried his hands, another sound caught his ear.

  This time he was sure it wasn’t his imagination.

  “Sheila?” he called out.

  There was no reply.

  He walked into the living room and looked around. No one was there. But he was sure he’d heard something.

  He turned toward the entry hallway and saw that the door to Sheila’s downstairs study was closed.

  He felt a tingle of alarm.

  Maybe Sheila had come inside and smelled the bacon, and instead of reacting with good-natured crossness, she was genuinely mad at him and had shut herself up in her study. That sort of behavior wasn’t exactly like her, but if her trip had wound up being less than pleasant, she might be crankier than usual.

  He walked over to the study door and knocked.

  “Sheila, are you in there?” he asked.

  Again there was no reply. For a moment, Julian just stood there in a state of confusion. Had anyone actually come into the house at all? He was certain he hadn’t imagined those sounds. But no luggage had been deposited there in the hallway.

  Was it possible that Sheila had hauled her bags into the office and shut the door behind her and now wouldn’t even talk to him?

  That would be silly, of course. And he knew it was neurotic of him to even imagine it.

  Shaking his head in amusement at his own speculations, he opened the study door and walked inside. At a glance he saw that Sheila’s typically immaculate workplace, so unlike the chaotic clutter of his own upstairs office, was unchanged and unoccupied.

  Maybe she went upstairs, he thought.

  But surely he would have clearly heard that much activity in the house. It was much more likely that his imagination was playing tricks on him.

  Suddenly he heard a noise behind him, in the hallway just outside the study. It sounded like swiftly moving footsteps. Before he could even turn around, he was seized from behind in a viselike grip. A strong hand pressed a wet piece of cloth over his mouth and nose.

  Julian immediately recognized the pungently sweet taste and odor from his medical training.

  Chloroform!

  His mind was rushing ahead of his body, which hadn’t yet been seized by panic. He knew he was in serious danger, but he simply didn’t feel it.

  He thrashed only briefly, dimly aware of knocking over the desk lamp.

  And within a few moments, he was aware of nothing at all.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Riley Sweeney felt sweat breaking out on her brow. Her hand shook as she wiped her face with a handkerchief. The courtroom suddenly felt hotter than it had a few moments ago. Her heart was beating faster.

  The moment she’d long been waiting for had finally arrived.

  Right now, her senior partner, Special Agent Jake Crivaro, was scheduled to testify in the trial of Larry Mullins. Riley looked across the courtroom and saw her short, barrel-chested partner’s face twitch with eager anticipation.

  The outcome of the trial had been in doubt, but she felt sure that Crivaro’s testimony might prove a turning point.

  Riley reminded herself that it had been exactly
a year ago today that Crivaro had come into her life and set her on course for a career in the BAU. A legal victory today would be a fine way to celebrate.

  But something unexpected seemed to be happening. The chief prosecutor and Mullins’s defense lawyer were huddled together, whispering intensely.

  What’s going on? Riley wondered.

  Whatever it was, she doubted that it was good.

  Finally the prosecutor turned to the bench and spoke to the judge.

  “Your honor, the counsel for the defense and I would like to speak to you in chambers.”

  Judge Tobias Redstone frowned grimly.

  With a crack of his gavel, he said, “The court will take a short recess while I confer with counsel.”

  Everybody in the courtroom rose as the bailiff and the lawyers followed Judge Redstone out of the courtroom. Then a murmur passed among both the jurors and the spectators as they sat back down again.

  Flanked by guards, Larry Mullins was still sitting at the defense table. Although his hands were shackled together, he was well dressed in a suit jacket over a shirt and tie, and he cut a respectable figure.

  Riley knew that his lawyer had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure he wouldn’t be sitting there in an orange jumpsuit. Consequently, Mullins didn’t look like such a bad guy. He was well-scrubbed and well-spoken, and had an earnest air of innocence about him. The guise seemed to be working. Riley sensed that the jury was still uncertain of his guilt.

  That was why Crivaro’s testimony was to be so crucial. If anybody could convince the jury that Mullins was not the misunderstood character he claimed to be, Crivaro was that person.

  But as they waited for the judge and lawyers to return, Riley wondered—was Crivaro not going to testify after all?

  She felt a deep chill as Mullins turned to look directly at her, a smug smile forming on his babyish face. Then she watched as he turned toward Crivaro with the same expression. Crivaro’s lips twisted sharply, and for a moment Riley was afraid her partner would lunge across the courtroom at Mullins.

  Don’t do it, she thought.