Blake Pierce - The Making of Riley Paige - 4 - Taking Read online

  Jake took a long, slow breath. “Harry, I really don’t know if I can do

  anything about this on my end. It would be a hard sell, trying to get the

  people in charge here to make this an official FBI thing. For one thing, you

  know perfectly well the FBI won’t take a case if the local cops think it’s just a single murder. But …”

  “But what?”

  Jake hesitated, then said, “Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.”

  “Thanks, buddy,” Harry said.

  They ended the call.

  Jake winced a little, wondering why on earth he’d promised to get back to

  Harry .

  He knew perfectly well that he could never convince Special Agent in Charge

  Erik Lehl that this ought to be an FBI case. Not on such a slim connection.

  Hell, I don’t really believe it myself.

  But he’d said what he’d said, Harry was out in Arizona waiting for Jake to

  call back at pretty much any minute. And the only thing Jake was going to be

  able to tell him was what he should have told him before they’d ended that

  call—that there was no way for him to get the FBI involved.

  Jake stared at his cell phone for a moment, trying to get up the nerve to

  make that return phone call. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it—at least

  not yet.

  Instead he hunkered down and began eating his breakfast in earnest. He

  figured maybe more coffee might help him think better about how to handle

  this situation.

  Or maybe not.

  Jake knew he hadn’t been especially sharp lately. In fact, he’d already

  been feeling low when Harry called him, and it wasn’t just because he’d

  blown off Riley Sweeney’s graduation.

  That case he and Riley had solved some weeks ago—the nasty case of the

  barbed wire killer—had left him feeling exhausted and burnt out. That

  seemed to be happening more and more as he grew older. His energy just

  didn’t bounce back like it used to. And he suspected that his colleagues here

  at the BAU knew that. In fact, he guessed that was why Erik Lehl hadn’t

  assigned him to anything out in the field since that last one.

  And maybe it was just as well.

  Maybe he wasn’t up to it just yet.

  Or maybe he wasn’t up to it at all anymore—ever again.

  He sighed into his coffee cup as he thought …

  Maybe it really is time to retire.

  That thought had been bugging him a lot lately. It was one reason why

  he’d gone to the trouble of transferring Riley Sweeney to the BAU. It was

  why he’d made such a green agent his partner. In all his years as a profiler,

  he’d never met anyone else with a talent like his own—the ability to climb

  into a killer’s mind.

  Whenever he did retire, he wanted to leave someone like that behind to continue his work—a bright young agent who could fill his own shoes. But

  he worried that getting Riley ready for all that might be no easy task. He

  often described her as “a diamond in the rough.”

  And she was a rough diamond indeed. Even now that she had graduated

  from the Academy, Jake was sure it going to take a lot of work to get rid of

  those rough edges—her impetuosity, her tendency to bend and even break the

  rules and not follow orders, and her lack of discipline when it came to using

  her own gift.

  She’s got a lot to learn, Jake thought.

  And he had to wonder if he was actually up to the task of teaching her all

  that she had to know, especially now that he seemed to be past his own peak.

  One thing seemed certain—he mustn’t go easy on her. Not that he’d

  exactly pampered her so far. In fact, he often found it hard to hold onto his

  temper when she did crazy, rookie things. But he liked her a lot, even though

  he tried not to show it too much. She reminded him of himself when he was

  much younger.

  So he sometimes felt tempted to spoil her.

  But he mustn’t do that.

  He had to work her hard. He had to shape her up fast.

  As Jake finished his breakfast, he found himself thinking again about

  Harry Carnes, who was probably waiting for his return call right now.

  Jake wondered …

  Isn’t there anything I can do for the guy?

  He had to admit, he could feel his spirit lift a little at the idea of getting out of this place.

  And why not?

  Erik Lehl didn’t seem eager to put him on any cases right now.

  The alternative was to sit in his office and do boring paperwork, unless …

  An idea took shape in Jake’s head.

  He had lots of vacation time piled up. He could ask Lehl for two or three

  days off, go out to Arizona, and see if there was anything he could do for

  Harry.

  Of course, Riley Sweeney was on her way here right now to report for

  duty.

  But there wouldn’t be much point in her starting to work here at the BAU

  if her senior partner was going to be on vacation, so …

  Why can’t she come with me?

  This could provide some simple, safe training opportunities for the rookie

  agent.

  He smiled at the idea.

  As Jake left the commissary and headed for Erik Lehl’s office, he thought

  …

  Who knows? This might actually be fun.

  CHAPTER THREE

  By the time she neared the BAU Headquarters in Quantico, Riley was in a

  terrible mood. The drive from her apartment in DC had been worse than

  she’d expected. The morning traffic had been so thick and heavy that she

  almost missed her exit.

  It would be worse if I were commuting the other way, she told herself.

  Still, it wasn’t going to be any fun to face this traffic every morning. And

  then returning after a day of work—would that be any easier?

  Now, as she finally reached the BAU parking lot, she saw two entrances—

  one for visitors and one for staff.

  Which entrance should she use?

  Nobody had told her. In fact, she hadn’t heard from anybody since she’d

  received that note after her graduation the day before yesterday—the message

  telling her she should report for duty at Quantico, not in DC.

  When she’d gotten the note, she’d been certain the transfer must have

  been Agent Crivaro’s idea. But now she wasn’t so sure. After all, they’d

  already worked together on some demanding investigations. Wouldn’t Agent

  Crivaro have made an effort to get in touch with her to talk about the change?

  Meanwhile, she really had no idea what the day might have in store for her

  —or, for that matter, what her foreseeable future might have in store.

  Then Riley realized that whatever that future might be, everything she had

  done over the past year had brought her to this place. When she had inserted

  herself into an investigation of murders in her college dorm, when she had

  worked with Jake on cases while she was still in training, this was what it had all led to.

  She wasn’t a visitor.

  She was an FBI agent.

  She drove up to the staff gate, where a security guard was posted in a

  booth.

  Riley took out her badge and showed it to the guard.

  The guard nodded and said, “You’re expected.”

  He then handed her a parking permit tag and waved her on in.
/>   Riley felt a rush of excitement. It was the first time she’d shown her FBI

  badge to identify herself, and it had made a difference.

  I’ve actually got a place to park!

  The thrill quickly passed, though, as Riley drove around looking for an

  empty slot. Memories of yesterday came creeping into her mind.

  After all those weeks of dormitory living, she’d finally gotten to spend

  two nights and all of Sunday with Ryan. Their first night had been plenty

  exciting because they’d been apart for so long, but the next day things hadn’t

  been especially pleasant. Ryan wasn’t at all happy about Riley’s new

  assignment and the inconvenience it was going to cause.

  Inconvenience!

  Riley scoffed aloud.

  The main inconvenience to Ryan was that Riley was going to need the car

  for her daily commute, leaving him to use the subway to get to and from

  work. That had been a blow to his pride. His Ford Mustang was one of the

  few luxuries of his life, and he loved driving it to work every day. She knew

  it made him feel more like the big-time lawyer he someday hoped to be.

  Ryan hadn’t complained openly about the transportation thing, but he

  hadn’t hidden his feelings either. He’d made way too much of a show of

  magnanimity and self-sacrifice, trying to make it seem like he was going to

  great lengths and taking great pains to support her in her new career.

  And all on account of this stupid car, she thought, pulling into an empty parking spot and turning off the engine.

  She got out of the vehicle and stood looking at it for a moment. She

  remembered the first time she’d seen the Mustang. She and Ryan had both

  been college students going out on their first date. She’d been quite

  impressed when he’d arrived at her dormitory in this car, and also by his

  gallantry in getting out and opening the passenger door for her.

  Gazing at the vehicle now, she sighed.

  Those giddy days when she and Ryan were just starting to get to know

  each other seemed awfully long ago now. The Mustang didn’t impress her

  anymore, and she wished it didn’t still seem like such a big deal to Ryan.

  And what’s wrong with having to take the subway, anyway?

  She’d taken the subway every day during the summer, when she’d been in

  the FBI’s Honors Internship Program. It was very efficient, and she’d

  actually gotten to enjoy riding with the mix of other passengers.

  But then, she wasn’t afflicted with Ryan’s masculine pride.

  She walked on inside the building and presented her credentials at the

  security gate. The guard looked up her name and told her she was supposed to report straight to Agent Crivaro’s office.

  As Riley took the elevator, she was sure this proved her original hunch—

  that it had been Agent Crivaro’s idea for her to transfer to Quantico. She

  couldn’t help but feel proud that he wanted her there. Crivaro wasn’t just a

  good senior agent, he was nearly legendary in the FBI.

  But what would he want a beginner like her to do on her first day on the

  job?

  Paperwork, probably, she guessed.

  It seemed like a boring prospect, but she knew her work in the FBI wasn’t

  going to be all adventure. Although she’d had more than the usual field

  experience for a rookie, she was still just that—a rookie. Taking things slow

  seemed like a pretty good idea. It wouldn’t be all adventure, but it wouldn’t

  be all hazardous either.

  And it might be nice to be working regular hours, at least for a while. A

  dependable schedule might help ease things between her and Ryan, give them

  a chance to get used to each other again.

  She exited the elevator and headed down the hall to Crivaro’s office, then

  knocked on his door. She heard a familiar gruff voice telling her to come on

  in.

  When she opened the door, Crivaro was standing beside his desk. He was

  wearing a hat and jacket.

  A go-bag was by his feet.

  He glanced at his watch and said, “It’s about time you got here.”

  Riley looked at her own watch and saw that she wasn’t late at all. In fact,

  she was somewhat early. But she was too startled to say so.

  “Where’s your go-bag?” Crivaro asked.

  “Um, out in my car,” Riley said.

  Although she didn’t know much about working as a BAU agent, she knew

  that it was always important to be packed up and ready to go on a moment’s

  notice. Not that she’d been expecting to use her bag so soon.

  Crivaro asked, “Are you parked in the staff lot?”

  Riley nodded.

  “OK, then,” Crivaro said, slinging his own go-bag over his shoulder.

  “We’ll pick it up on the way to my car.”

  Crivaro strode right past Riley out the office door. Riley trotted along to

  keep up with him.

  She stammered, “B-but where are we going?”

  “We’ve got a case in Arizona,” Crivaro said. “We’re taking a commercial

  flight to Phoenix, so I’ll drive us to the airport.”

  Riley felt dizzy from this sudden development.

  “How long are we going to be in Arizona?” she asked.

  “As long as it takes,” Crivaro said. “I never speculate about such matters.”

  Riley stifled a gasp. This was about the last thing she’d expected to

  happen today.

  And it certainly threw a wrench into her hopes of settling back down with

  Ryan.

  “Could you give me just a few minutes before we go?” Riley asked

  Crivaro. “I’ve got to call my fiancé and let him know.”

  Still walking, Crivaro asked, “Have you got your cell phone?”

  “Yeah,” Riley said, still keeping up with him.

  “Well, you can walk and talk at the same time, can’t you?”

  As Riley and Crivaro continued on down the hall, Riley took out her cell

  phone and called Ryan.

  When she got him on the line she said, “Ryan, something’s come up. I’m,

  uh, flying out to Phoenix today. Right now, actually.”

  She could hear Ryan gasp. “You’re what?”

  “Yeah, it’s a surprise to me too,” Riley said as she and Crivaro got into the

  elevator.

  Ryan was sputtering now.

  “Riley, this is crazy. This is your first day on the job.”

  “I know,” Riley said. “I’m sorry.”

  “How long are you going to be gone?”

  Riley gulped and said, “I, uh—I’ve got no idea.”

  “What do you mean, you’ve got no idea? What are you going to be doing

  out in Arizona, anyway? Are you even going to be back home in time for

  Christmas? It’s just a few days off, you know.”

  That’s a good question, Riley thought.

  Instead of trying to answer it, Riley said, “Look, as soon as I find out

  when I’m coming back, I’ll let you know.”

  “Are you driving out there, or what?” Ryan said.

  “Of course not. We’re taking a commercial flight.”

  “Who’s ‘we’?”

  “Me and Agent Crivaro.”

  Riley and Crivaro got out of the elevator and headed out of the building.

  Ryan said, “If you’re flying out there, what about my car?”

  Riley was startled. She hadn’t had time to think about the car.

  She said, “It’s in the BAU parking
lot here in Quantico. Don’t worry, it’ll

  be safe.”

  “How long am I going to have to do without it?”

  Riley felt a twinge of anger.

  “You’ll manage somehow, Ryan,” she said.

  “Yeah, but for how long?”

  “Like I said—I’ll call you when I know myself.”

  As Riley and Crivaro were heading outside the building, Ryan kept

  jabbering over the phone.

  Mostly about his car, Riley couldn’t help but notice.

  The more he went on, the more it irritated her.

  She and Crivaro were walking through the parking lot when Riley finally

  said …

  “Look, Ryan—I really can’t talk now. I promise to get back to you as soon

  as I can. I love you.”

  She could hear Ryan’s voice still complaining as she ended the call.

  Opening the car door for Riley, Agent Crivaro said, “Everything OK at

  home?”

  “Couldn’t be better,” Riley grumbled, climbing into the passenger seat.

  Her anger was fading, and now she felt embarrassed that Crivaro couldn’t

  have helped overhearing her words to Ryan.

  Crivaro got into the car and started the engine.

  Then he smiled at Riley ever so slightly and said, “Hey, in case I didn’t

  mention it—we’re partners now.”

  Yeah, I kind of figured that, Riley thought as Crivaro drove out of the parking lot.

  So a few things were clear.

  She was an FBI agent.

  She was Jake Crivaro’s partner.

  And they were going to Arizona.

  She wished she had some idea of what else to expect today.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Riley couldn’t help wondering …

  Is he mad at me or something?

  Agent Crivaro had barely spoken to her as he drove them from Quantico

  to the Reagan Airport.

  But why …?

  She knew Crivaro could be gruff, impatient, and even angry whenever she

  made mistakes or disobeyed orders—which unfortunately had been all too

  often. But what could she possibly have done wrong during the short time

  they’d been together this morning?

  He’d just rushed her out of the BAU offices without much explanation,

  not even giving time to stop and make a private call to Ryan. Of course, now

  Ryan was mad at her, and she realized he had some reason to be annoyed.

  But what could be the problem with Agent Crivaro?

  Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with me, she thought hopefully.