Case File: Canyon Creek, Wyoming. Paula Graves

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      Riley looked at Hannah again and found her returning his gaze. After a couple of seconds, she looked away.

      “Maybe if she knew how many victims we could be talking about, and the way they were killed…” Riley said softly.

      “You want to scare her into staying?”

      “Maybe she’ll want to help.”

      Joe arched one eyebrow. “At the risk of her own life?”

      Riley sighed. “You’re just a wellspring of optimism.”

      “You want a yes man, you called the wrong guy.” Joe thumped Riley on the arm. “But maybe you’re right. The Teton County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t know what we know about these murders. They’re not giving her the whole picture. I guess you could lay the truth on her and let her make an informed choice.” Joe’s gaze shifted as the hospital-room door opened and a tall, rangy lawman entered. “There’s Jim Tanner.”

      As Joe left Riley to greet the Teton County Sheriff, Riley crossed to the chair where Hannah sat. She looked up at him, a dozen questions swirling behind her eyes. He smiled slightly and crouched beside her. “Three-ring circus.”

      “I’ll be glad to be out of it,” she admitted. “I get the feeling the police aren’t taking me very seriously. I think they think I’m just paranoid.”

      “It shouldn’t take that long to find out what the guy put in your IV tube. I heard them say the lab is working on it right now.”

      “They just want to prove it was nothing so they can pat me on the head and tell me it was just a dream.”

      Riley had a feeling she was right. “I don’t think it was just a dream.”

      She shot him a look of pure gratitude. “I wasn’t asleep. I know what I saw. And all that’s supposed to be in that IV is saline, so there’s no reason for anyone to put anything else into it.”

      “You don’t have to convince me.”

      She lowered her voice, eyeing the technician standing nearby. “Nobody in the Teton County Sheriff’s Department said anything about multiple murders.”

      He couldn’t hold back a little smile. “Yeah, I know.”

      “But you disagree?”

      He lowered his voice, too. “I’ve been tracking a series of murders, one or two a year, for the last three years. All across Wyoming, east to west, north to south. Women driving alone, disappearing en route from one place to another. Their bodies are later found wrapped in plastic, dumped in a lake, river or other body of water. Three of the six showed traces of pepper spray around the mouth, nose and eyes. The other bodies had too much weather exposure to take a sample.”

      Hannah’s face went pale, but she didn’t look away. “If I hadn’t gotten away—”

      He didn’t finish the thought for her. He didn’t need to.

      The door to the room opened, and a woman in a white coat entered, carrying a file folder. She crossed to speak to Jim Tanner, whose brow furrowed deeply the longer she spoke. Joe looked across the room at Riley, his expression grim. Riley’s stomach twisted into a knot.

      Joe and Sheriff Tanner crossed to Hannah’s side. Riley stood to face them.

      “The lab report on the IV tube is back,” Tanner said.

      “And?” Hannah asked.

      His expression grew hard. “There was enough digoxin in that tube to kill you in a matter of minutes.”

      Chapter Three

      The buzz of urgent conversation surrounding her seemed to fade around Hannah as she took in Sheriff Tanner’s quiet announcement.

      Her attacker had tried to kill her. Again.

      It had to be the same guy, right? It wasn’t likely two different people would go after a nobody tourist like her. But why? She hadn’t even seen him, really. She could remember almost nothing about him. Why did he consider her a threat?

      She looked around for Riley Patterson, the closest thing to a familiar face in the room. His ice-blue eyes met hers, his expression grim but somehow comforting. He crouched beside her again, one hand resting on her forearm. “You okay?”

      She nodded quickly, forcing her chin up. “I just want to know how he could get to me so easily.”

      “So do we,” Sheriff Tanner assured her. “I’ve sent a man to check with hospital security. But I don’t have much hope. This is a small hospital, and Jackson Hole’s a pretty laid-back place. There’s not much security in place here.”

      “He thinks he’s invincible,” Riley said softly. “He’s gotten away with everything so far.”

      “Joe tells me you two think this attack is connected to other murders in the state,” Sheriff Tanner said.

      Riley glanced at Hannah. She could tell he didn’t want to talk about this in front of her. He hadn’t given her many details about the other cases he’d been investigating, though what he’d told her had been horrifying enough.

      “I’ve made file folders full of notes,” he told Sheriff Tanner. “I don’t mind sharing. The more people looking for this guy, the better.”

      The Teton County sheriff studied Riley, his eyes narrowed, then turned his gaze to the lanky, dark-haired man Riley had introduced as his boss, Joe Garrison. “You vouch for this, Garrison?”

      Joe nodded. “Riley’s right. This guy has struck before, and he’ll do it again if we don’t stop him.”

      Sheriff Tanner didn’t look happy to hear Joe’s affirmation. “Okay, send me copies of your notes, and I’ll put a detective on it. See if we can’t tie it to any open cases we’re working on.”

      “Cold cases, too. I’ve only been keeping notes since three years ago, but I think it could go back further,” Riley said.

      “Why three years ago?” Hannah asked.

      Joe and Sheriff Tanner both turned to look at Riley, but Riley kept his eyes on Hannah, his expression mask-like.

      When he didn’t answer, she rephrased the question. “You said you’ve been keeping notes for only three years. What happened to make you start?”

      Riley held her gaze a long moment, then looked down at his hands. He flexed his left hand, the ring on the third finger glinting as it caught the light. He spoke in a soft, raspy voice. “Three years ago, the son of a bitch murdered my wife.”

      Riley’s words felt like a punch to Hannah’s gut. No wonder he seemed personally involved in this case. “I’m sorry.”

      He acknowledged her condolences with a short nod, his mouth tightening. “I want this guy caught even more than you do,” he added softly, as if the words were meant for her ears alone.

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