Taking . Блейк Пирс

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      CHAPTER FIVE

      When the flight landed in Phoenix, Riley and Crivaro got their go-bags out of the overhead bin and made their way through the boarding bridge into the terminal. About twenty people were waiting for the passengers from their flight, but there was no question about who was there to meet them.

      A hearty-looking guy with a ruddy expression was waving vigorously at Crivaro. Riley knew that had to be Harry Carnes. The equally sturdy woman standing beside him with crossed arms and a frown on her face must be Harry’s wife, and she was not looking happy at the moment.

      The man welcomed Crivaro with a big hug, and Crivaro introduced Riley to the couple. The wife’s name was Jillian. Riley guessed them to be about Agent Crivaro’s age or maybe just a little bit older.

      For a moment, she was startled to see that both of them were wearing T-shirts, jean short, and sandals. She and Crivaro still had on their jackets and clothes suitable for colder weather.

      “Luggage?” Harry asked, eyeing their outfits.

      “No, just these,” Jake replied, holding up his go-bag.

      Harry laughed and said, “Well, that’s something you can take care of soon enough.”

      She remembered what Crivaro had said during the flight.

      “The weather in Arizona this year is sure a lot nicer than it is in Virginia.”

      She definitely wasn’t prepared for the weather here. They’d been in so much of a hurry to leave, she’d given no thought to packing a different wardrobe. She wondered if she was going to have to buy some new things for herself. Her budget sure wouldn’t cover much.

      Maybe it won’t matter, she thought. If they headed back to Quantico soon, she could probably make do with what she had.

      Harry led the way to the nearest food court, where they sat at a table and ordered sandwiches for lunch.

      Crivaro said to Harry, “So here I am. Now tell me everything you know.”

      Harry shrugged. “I don’t know much except what I told you over the phone. A woman was found dead yesterday on a hiking trail near Tunsboro, a town north of here. Her name was Brett Parma. When I heard about it on the news, I got curious and called the Tunsboro police chief. I had trouble getting him to open up, but I managed to pry a little out of him. He did mention the slashes on the woman’s arms—and also that she’d bled to death somewhere before her body had been left on that trail. Then he basically told me to keep out of the way of his investigation.”

      “Which is what we’re going to do,” Jillian commented.

      Harry leaned across the table toward Crivaro. “Jake, it all just gave me the weirdest feeling. It was like Erin Gibney’s murder a year ago all over again. I started flashing back to how I’d tried to help the cops in Gladwin solve the case, and how we’d failed.”

      Harry lowered his eyes and muttered, “We never even came close to finding out who did that one.”

      Jillian sighed unhappily and said to Crivaro, “Harry’s feeling all guilty about this whole thing. He says if he’d solved that case back in Colorado, maybe this new murder wouldn’t have happened. Of course that’s ridiculous. Jake, can you talk some sense into him? Tell him he’s got no reason to feel that way.”

      Crivaro gazed at Harry sympathetically.

      He said, “Jillian’s right. You can’t beat yourself up about that. Even if there is a connection between the two murders—”

      Harry interrupted, “Jake, there is a connection. I feel it in my bones.”

      Riley could see a world of skepticism in Crivaro’s face.

      “Harry, I’ve worked a lot more homicide cases than you have,” Crivaro said. “I know what it’s like to feel responsible for those deaths, for not being able to catch a killer. But you can’t let it get the best of you.”

      He reached out and put a hand on his friend’s arm.

      “You didn’t kill anybody, Harry. You’re not responsible for that. It’s not your fault. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

      Harry heaved a long, bitter sigh, then said to Jake and Riley, СКАЧАТЬ