LURING Read online

  Then the flashlight beam fell on a rough-hewn wooden table, with many strands of barbed wire laying across it. Then Riley saw that the top of the table was stained with dried blood.

  She shuddered deeply as she realized …

  This is where he did it.

  This is where he killed them.

  And she herself had narrowly escaped becoming his next victim.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  Riley sat quietly and let Agent Crivaro do all the talking. They were being debriefed by Special Agent in Charge Erik Lehl about the case they’d just solved. She felt it was best to let Agent Crivaro explain what had happened. He had a much better idea of what Lehl expected to hear than she possibly could.

  Besides, Lehl was directing all his questions to Crivaro, almost as if Riley weren’t even in his office.

  It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.

  Riley still found the BAU chief to be a formidable and intimidating presence. It occurred to her that the sprawling, lanky man might have made better money as a basketball player. She certainly admired that he’d chosen instead a career in the FBI, and had risen through the ranks to take charge of the FBI’s new Behavioral Analysis Unit.

  As such thoughts passed through Riley’s mind, she was also aware of Crivaro filling Lehl in on what they now knew about the murderer, Phineas Hutson.

  People in that area of West Virginia knew that Phineas lived in a lonely, rundown subsistence farm that had been in his family since the late 1800s. But the locals never saw much of him, except during his infrequent visits to towns like Dighton, Hyland, and Wynnewood to buy farm supplies. And nobody had known much about him.

  Riley felt sure that nobody had even tried to get to know the badly scarred man. But now that Phineas was in jail, he was talking freely, telling a strange and twisted story of how his father, Isaac Hutson, had once tortured him with barbed wire, disfiguring him permanently. A few years later, the larger and stronger Phineas had turned on his father, vengefully torturing the man to death with barbed wire.

  Then Phineas had hung corpse from a tree branch. He’d said that the cocoon-like bundle had served as a kind of shrine for many years, a place where he found solace from the terrible pain he still carried inside him.

  But as time passed, the shrine seemed to have lost its magic for him. When the psychic pain had become intolerable, he had turned to killing innocent women.

  It was a horrible story, and now that Riley knew more about it, she felt more pity than outrage against Phineas Hutson. The man had never really had a fair chance in life. Not that his early trauma excused his monstrous actions.

  But Riley asked herself …

  What does it take to push a man like that over the edge?

  She wondered if she’d ever know.

  When Crivaro finished the debriefing, Lehl heartily congratulated him on solving the case. He also congratulated Crivaro on the guilty verdict the jury had just reached in the Brant Hayman trial.

  Then, at last, he turned his gaze on Riley and said in a daunting tone …

  “And now, young lady, what are we to do with you?”

  Riley suppressed a shudder of dread.

  What does he mean? she wondered.

  The last time she’d met with the man, he hadn’t been the least bit happy with her.

  And he didn’t seem to be all that happy with her right now.

  She stammered, “I—I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

  “No?” he said, glaring at her.

  Then Lehl turned toward Crivaro and asked …

  “How would you evaluate Ms. Sweeney’s work with you in West Virginia?”

  Crivaro shrugged slightly and said …

  “It was excellent—and essential. If it weren’t for her, I suspect that the case would still be unsolved.”

  With a slight growl, Lehl said, “I thought as much.”

  He looked at Riley again and asked, “Do you wish you could go back to the Academy?”

  Riley felt a tingle of expectation.

  “Yes, sir,” she said. “Very much so, sir.”

  With just the faintest hint of a smile, Lehl said, “I’m rather glad to hear that. Because I’ve already spoken to the Academy director, and I persuaded him to readmit you. It would be a shame if you were no longer interested.”

  Riley felt her face flush and her breath quicken.

  It was all she could do to keep from jumping out of her chair and letting out a whoop joy.

  “Thank you, sir,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Thank you very much.”

  The chief let out another slight growl and said to Riley …

  “We’ve got one more thing to discuss. This ugly business about Senator Gardner—well, the truth is coming out about his predatory behavior, and there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. He’ll be thoroughly investigated, and hopefully he’ll be brought to justice. But you’ve got to remember, Gardner is a powerful, spiteful man. And he knows that you’re to blame for his downfall. I doubt that you’ve heard the last of him. He’s likely to seek out some kind of revenge.”

  Riley shuddered at the thought.

  “I understand, sir,” she said.

  “Good,” Lehl said. “I want you to contact me directly and immediately if he makes any sort of contact with you.”

  “I’ll do that,” Riley said.

  Lehl nodded and said, “That will be all. You both may go.”

  As they walked through the building toward the front entrance, Crivaro said to Riley …

  “I meant what I said back there. You did a fine job.”

  Riley thanked him, and her heart swelled with pride. She knew that Crivaro had been one of the first profilers in the recently founded BAU. Praise from him was high praise indeed.

  Then Jake said, “Don’t let it go to your head, though. You’ve still got to survive at the Academy. That means you’ll have to do better there than you did before. But I’ve got a feeling you’ll make it. And when you do …”

  He fell silent as they kept walking.

  Finally he added, “Well, it’s like Lehl tells me … it’s about time for me to learn to play nice with others.”

  It took Riley a moment to register just what Crivaro meant.

  Then she realized … he was suggesting that they might be partners someday.

  Riley felt a lump in her throat, but she told herself sternly …

  Don’t cry, damn it!

  Sounding a little emotional himself, Jake said, “Riley, I may not have said this before, but you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. In fact, you kind of remind me of myself right now. We’ve really got a lot in common.”

  Then with a chuckle, he added, “Mind you, that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

  Riley laughed and said, “That’s OK. I can live with that.”

  As they walked on in silence, Riley basked in her happiness at knowing she was going back to the Academy. It would be great to share a room with Francine again. And maybe she could manage to see more of John Welch, even though he was in a different group from hers.

  When she and Jake stepped out of the building, Riley was startled to see who was standing nearby, looking anxious and obviously waiting for her.

  “Ryan!” she exclaimed.

  Then she said to Crivaro …

  “That’s my fiancé.”

  Crivaro chuckled and said, “Yeah, I get that. I’m out of here. I’ll see you later.”

  Riley felt grateful that Crivaro was getting out of the way so she and Ryan could talk alone. But what did they have to say to each other?

  And why is he here?

  She was even more surprised when Ryan ran up to her and hugged her.

  He said, “Riley, I’ve been looking all over for you. I checked at the Academy, of course. But they said you weren’t an agent in training there anymore. It sounded like you’d gotten kicked out.”

  Riley smiled at him and said, “Well, they told you wrong. I just
got reinstated.”

  Ryan said, “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Riley looked into his eyes and wondered …

  Does he really mean that?

  She couldn’t tell just yet.

  They sat down together on a nearby bench, and Ryan took her by the hand.

  Ryan said, “Riley, I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve been acting like an asshole lately.”

  Riley grinned and said, “I won’t argue with you about that.”

  Then her smile faded and she said, “But I don’t suppose I’ve been at my best either.”

  “You’ve been just fine,” Ryan said.

  Ryan squeezed both of her hands and added …

  “I’ve realized lately, I’d be an idiot to let you go.”

  Riley shrugged shyly and said, “Well, I won’t argue with that either. But …”

  “But what?”

  “What about that woman? Her name is Brigitte, right?”

  Ryan blushed a little and said, “Look, when I said nothing was going on between us, I meant it. Brigitte and I are just friends and colleagues. Not that I didn’t really enjoy seeing you go all postal with jealousy.”

  “I’m glad you found it so entertaining,” Riley said lightheartedly.

  They fell silent for a moment.

  Then Riley shook her head and said, “I don’t know, Ryan. Our lives are so separate. At least they will be for as long as I’ll be in in the Academy.”

  “That won’t be forever,” Ryan said. “Meanwhile, what do you think we should do?”

  Riley looked at her left hand, feeling suddenly glad she hadn’t removed her engagement ring.

  She said, “I think we should get married, Ryan Paige.”

  Ryan smiled in a goofy way that she’d always loved.

  He said, “What a great idea, Riley Sweeney.”

  They shared a long kiss.

  Then Ryan said, “So, what have you been doing lately?”

  Riley’s mind boggled at the thought of trying to tell him everything, including how she’d pretty much single-handedly ruined Senator Warren Gardner’s political career, and how her former college professor was now on death row, and …

  Everything else.

  “Um … I’ve been having a bit of an adventure,” Riley said.

  “Tell me about it,” Ryan said.

  Riley hesitated. How would Ryan react to hearing about her involvement in such a weird and dangerous case?

  Then she decided …

  Well, he’ll just have to deal with it.

  After all, it looked like she had a future with the BAU.

  She started to tell him all about it.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  TAKING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 4)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

  TAKING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book Three) is book #4 in a new psychological thriller series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose free bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

  A serial killer, suspected to be using an RV camper, lures and kills women across the country—and the FBI turns to its youngest and most brilliant agent: 22 year old Riley Paige.

  Riley has managed to graduate the FBI academy, determined to make it as an FBI agent. But when she is assigned her first official case with her new partner—Jake—she wonders if she is cut out for the task.

  Riley and Jake, immersed in the RV subculture—and into the depths of the killer’s mind—soon realize that nothing is what it seems. There is a psychopath at large, stumping them at every turn, and willing to stop at nothing until he has killed as many victims as he can find.

  With her own future on the line, Riley has no choice but to find out: is her brilliant mind any match for the killer’s?

  An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, TAKING is book #4 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. It takes readers back 20 plus years—to how Riley’s career began—and is the perfect complement to the ONCE GONE series (A Riley Paige Mystery), which includes 14 books and counting.

  Book #5 in THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE series will be available soon.

  TAKING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 4)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes fourteen books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising eleven books (and counting); 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 four books (and counting); of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising four books (and counting); and of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising four books (and counting).

  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), and WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Google Play!

  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.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  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)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  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)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  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)

  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)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

&
nbsp; 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)