Someone is Watching Read online

  It had been an exciting, fast-paced life, grueling in some ways, but Sam had always thrived on chaos and clutter. He lived for new challenges and liked nothing more than the exhilaration of a complicated case. Yet here he was back on his old stomping grounds.

  He reminded himself that Dallas was hardly a demotion. The field office was one of the busiest in the country with no shortage of stimulating cases. But in all honesty, he hadn’t come back because of boredom or even to be close to his family. He’d come back because his first case still haunted him.

  On the night of a blood moon, three teenagers in Belle Pointe, Texas, had entered the ruins of an abandoned psychiatric hospital. One of the girls had been found unconscious the next morning at the edge of the lake. Another girl had been spotted a few weeks later wandering along the side of a country road in a fugue state. The third girl, Riley Cavanaugh, had never been seen or heard from again.

  In the days and weeks following her disappearance, the local authorities had combed the countryside and interviewed dozens if not hundreds of witnesses. In desperation, they’d finally requested help from the Bureau. Sam, fresh out of Quantico with a savior complex the size of Texas, had been sent in to offer assistance. He’d used all the federal resources at his disposal, but Riley Cavanaugh had never been found and her kidnapper remained elusive to this day.

  Sam had done everything by the book. Everything in his power to find and bring that girl home. He had no regrets as to his conduct, but if he’d had more experience or a deeper insight into the criminal mind, things might have worked out differently.

  The two survivors—Ellie Brannon and Jenna Malloy—hadn’t been forthcoming. Jenna had been deeply traumatized by her captivity. Her reticence was understandable. Ellie Brannon was another story. Sam had suspected all along that she was hiding something, maybe even from herself. To this day, he wondered if the key to solving Riley Cavanaugh’s disappearance was still tucked away somewhere in Ellie Brannon’s subconscious.

  Which was why, for the past few years, he’d been tuning in to her radio show every chance he got. Midnight on Echo Lake. An evocative name for a strange broadcast patterned, he supposed, after the more famous Coast to Coast AM. At first he’d listened to try to pick up on subtle clues and gain some insight into the host. Ellie’s calm demeanor and soothing voice kept him coming back. He wondered what she was like these days in real life. She’d been a frightened kid when he’d last seen her, wary, defensive and perhaps a little intimidated by the presence of an FBI agent, even one still wet behind the ears.

  Jenna Malloy had been the opposite. She’d taken to Sam when she’d refused to see anyone else, including her family and, for a time, Ellie Brannon. After he’d been transferred to DC, he’d still managed to touch base with her now and then. Maybe that had been a mistake. She had a tendency to fixate and he’d been forced to set some boundaries.

  Strange how he hadn’t heard from her in a couple of years and then all of a sudden in the past few weeks, he’d gotten a spate of phone calls and letters. It was almost as if she’d somehow intuited his return to Dallas before he’d known himself he was coming back.

  Now that they were in the same city, he’d have to be careful how he handled their interaction. He didn’t want to turn his back on her, but neither could he allow her to think of him as a friend. He needed to maintain professional distance, but that wasn’t always easy when he remembered the shape she’d been in after her rescue. She’d spent the first two years after her captivity in one mental health facility after another. Sam could still picture her sitting in front of the large window at the Penn Shepherd Hospital in Dallas staring absentmindedly out at the grounds until she would turn, blue eyes shimmering with quiet excitement as the fog lifted and she recognized his features.

  Special Agent Reece! How nice of you to come and see me.

  How are you feeling today, Jenna?

  Better, I think.

  That’s good to hear.

  Can I ask a favor of you, Agent Reece?

  Of course. What is it?

  I would like it very much if you called me Jenny, the way Riley used to.

  All right...Jenny.

  You have no idea how happy that makes me. Will you say it again?

  Let’s focus on something else, shall we? I’d like to ask you some questions if that’s okay.

  I guess so. But I hope you haven’t come to talk about her again.

  You mean Riley?

  You know that’s not who I mean.

  Why don’t you want to talk about Ellie Brannon?

  She left me there. She left us both. We were her best friends. Like sisters, she used to call us. I don’t understand how she could have done such a thing.

  I don’t think she had a choice. She was found unconscious at the edge of the lake the next morning. If her brother hadn’t acted as quickly as he had, she would have died.

  There are worse things than dying, Agent Reece.

  I’m well aware, Jenny.

  The ringtone on Sam’s cell phone crashed the memory. He checked the screen, startled to see Jenna’s name on the caller ID. How could she possibly have known he was sitting out here in the dark, thinking about her? Sometimes her intuition seemed downright uncanny.

  He considered letting the call go to voice mail, but his conscience wouldn’t let him. “Hello, Jenna.”

  “It’s Jenny, remember?” She sounded peeved.

  He kept his voice moderate but firm. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

  “I know it’s late, but you’re still up, aren’t you?”

  He scanned his surroundings, peering between buildings and down each street. Was she out there somewhere watching him? He didn’t think that likely and yet he felt an inexplicable apprehension. “You couldn’t have known that, though. We agreed you would only call during the workday at a preset time, remember?”

  “This couldn’t wait.”

  “Even until morning?”

  She sighed. “You’re angry with me.”

  “I’m not angry. I just want to make sure you understand our agreement.”

  “Of course I understand. I’m not a child. But sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.”

  “What are the circumstances?”

  She didn’t say anything for the longest moment.

  “Jenny? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  He searched the darkness. “Tell me what’s on your mind tonight.”

  “A lot of things, actually. Did you know that I have a new job?”

  He tried to temper his impatience. “That’s great, but you didn’t call me at one o’clock in the morning to talk about a new job, did you?”

  “I also have a new place. I’m not far from you now.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck where the hair at his nape suddenly stood on end. “How do you know where I live?”

  Another long silence.

  Sam got up and paced to the end of the balcony. The moon was up and the grounds were well lit, but the shadows on the other side of the pond were impenetrable. He told himself that even if she’d somehow managed to ferret out his address, she wouldn’t be able to get through the gate without a code. But as he knew only too well, there were ways of breaching any space if one wanted in badly enough. Jenna Malloy was nothing if not resourceful.

  “Don’t worry, Agent Reece. The location is just a coincidence.”

  Was it?

  “My roommate had already rented the house when she invited me to move in with her. Her name is Hazel. Don’t you love that name? So dreamy and old-fashioned, although there’s nothing traditional about Hazel Lamont. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known.”

  Sam wasn’t in the mood for chitchat, but he also knew better than to allow annoyance to creep into his voice. His relationship with Jenna Malloy was un
orthodox and not without risk, but he always had the hope that something would come back to her during one of their conversations. That something would still break in the Riley Cavanaugh case.

  “How did the two of you meet?” he asked.

  “Oh, we’ve known each other for quite some time. I guess you could say we met through a mutual acquaintance. We have a lot in common.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy for you,” Sam said. “But you also didn’t call to talk to me about your new roommate.”

  “No, I didn’t. I’m just making small talk to try to calm my nerves. It’s an exercise one of my therapists taught me a long time ago.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  Her voice lowered to a near whisper. “I’m not just nervous. I’m scared, Agent Reece.”

  Suddenly she sounded young and vulnerable, and Sam remembered why he always tried to hold back his irritation even when she crossed an uncomfortable line. He’d never been able to shake the image of her on that lonely country road, eyes haunted as she clutched a dirty blanket around her frail shoulders. He’d never been able to forget the photographs and medical reports that had graphically documented her abuse.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked gently.

  “Weren’t you listening tonight?”

  He knew what she meant, but he asked anyway. “You mean to Ellie Brannon’s radio program? I missed it tonight. I didn’t get home until late.”

  “She called again, Agent Reece.”

  “Who called?”

  “Riley.”

  “You know that’s not possible.”

  Jenna’s voice rose in agitation. “I don’t know anything of the sort and neither do you. Her body was never found. She could still be alive for all we know.”

  “That’s highly unlikely after all this time.”

  “Well, someone has been calling into Ellie’s show for the past three nights. She’s been calling me, too, Agent Reece.”

  “What?” Sam leaned against the railing as he tried to quell his unease. The night was still quiet. The brick wall that surrounded the community muted the traffic noises, and yet the darkness suddenly seemed alive with prying eyes and creeping shadows. His imagination, of course. No one was about this time of night. Not here. Not inside his protected haven. Outside the gates, where Jenna Malloy dwelled, was another matter.

  “Why are you only mentioning this now?” he asked.

  “Because I wanted to make sure it was Riley. She always calls at night. Maybe that’s the only time she can get away. Sometimes the phone goes dead as soon as I answer, but sometimes I can hear her breathing.”

  “How do you know it’s Riley?”

  “She started to cry once. Tiny little sobs that reminded me of a lost kitten. It made me cry, too, Agent Reece. I felt so helpless, not knowing where she was or how I could help her.”

  “Have you told anyone else about these calls?”

  “Like my therapist, you mean? She wouldn’t believe me.”

  He chose his words carefully. “The caller says nothing, but you’re convinced she’s Riley?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long has this been going on?”

  “A few days, I guess. You know how I sometimes lose track of time.”

  “What did she say tonight when she called the radio show?”

  “She said he’s coming.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Isn’t that enough, Agent Reece? What more would you want her to say?”

  “This isn’t the first time you’ve heard Riley’s voice,” he reminded her. “You were once convinced she was living down the street from you. You said you spotted her at the bus stop, remember?”

  “This is different,” she insisted. “I was confused in the past. I know that now. I sometimes couldn’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I blame that on all the medication they were giving me in that awful place. But I’m better now.” Her voice dropped again. “She doesn’t just call, Agent Reece. She was at my house tonight. That’s why I had to call you. I didn’t think I should wait until morning to tell you.”

  “You saw her?”

  “No, but she left something on my front porch. A gift that has meaning only to me.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “Since we were little girls, Riley and I both loved peacocks. It was our thing. A local woman used to raise them and we would ride our bikes out to the lake to watch them. Sometimes we’d find their feathers on the ground and Riley collected them. She left a peacock feather on my front porch as a message. She’s trying to let me know that she’s alive and in trouble.”

  “If that were the case, why wouldn’t she go to the police?” Sam reasoned. “Why take the time to leave a feather on your porch, much less to call in to Ellie Brannon’s radio show?”

  Jenna once again fell silent. When she finally spoke, her voice was still low but surprisingly determined despite an underlying tremor. “I was held against my will for nearly three weeks. Nineteen days of unspeakable horror. When I was found wandering down the side of that road, I had no idea where I was or where I’d been. I could barely speak. I didn’t know enough to flag down a car for help, let alone call the police. Riley has been with that monster for fifteen years. Fifteen years, Agent Reece. Can you even imagine such a thing? Can we really expect her to behave in a rational manner? She’s found a window and she’s reaching out in the only way she knows how.”

  Her argument was so compelling that Sam found himself buying into the possibility before he mentally shook himself. Riley Cavanaugh had disappeared without a trace fifteen years ago. The chances she could still be alive were miniscule. Hallucinations or a cruel hoax was the more logical explanation.

  But if there was even the slightest chance...

  “Maybe we should set a time to meet so we can discuss this further,” Sam said.

  Jenna said eagerly, “Yes, of course. We have to figure out what to do next, don’t we? If she’s somehow managed to get away, he’ll come for her again. He’s probably out there looking for her at this very minute.”

  Sam tried to reel her back in. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?”

  “But we’ve wasted too much time as it is!”

  “Jenna—”

  “Promise me you’ll find her. Promise me you won’t give up like you did last time.”

  The accusation stung like the point of a white-hot dagger. “I never gave up,” Sam said quietly.

  “Then go find her, Agent Reece. Go find her before he does.”

  Chapter Two

  Ellie awakened again before dawn. Not from a knock on her front door this time, but from a vivid dream that left her trembling with dread. The funny thing was she couldn’t remember much about it, only that she’d been running down a dark corridor, trying to flee a nameless, faceless assailant. Or had she been running from her past?

  She got up and reached for the water bottle on her nightstand, carrying it with her to the bedroom window. From her vantage, she could see all the way across the lake where a fishing cabin perched on stilts at the edge of the piney woods. The owner had recently died and now the cabin sat dark and forlorn against a backdrop of feathery bowers.

  A few stars twinkled out, dimmed by the light of the approaching dawn. As Ellie stood there, sipping tepid water, she had the strangest sensation of floating in time, of being suspended in a haze of lost memories. Once, she would have tried to piece together the fragments that came back to her now and then, but she’d long ago learned that some things were best left alone.

  Her brother used to ask her if she’d moved out to the lake hoping the proximity to the Ruins would prod her memory. Maybe in the beginning, but mostly she hadn’t wanted to live in fear for the rest of her life. She hadn’t wanted to spend her time worrying about a monster in her closet or a deprave
d psycho watching from the shadows. If she could live so near to where her best friends had been taken, then she could face anything. She could take on the monster without flinching. Or at least without cowering under the covers in sheer terror.

  She’d worked very hard for a very long time to get to this point. In some ways, her fear had been easier to conquer than her guilt, but she’d managed to come to terms with what had happened. She would probably never know why she’d been spared—if one could call being left for dead spared. Maybe because she’d been the sheriff’s daughter and the kidnapper had feared a more intense search. Or maybe he’d only wanted two captives and Ellie hadn’t fit a certain criteria in looks or personality. She’d learned years ago that it was pointless to speculate about the unknowable. It was better to focus on the things in her life she could control.

  Smothering a yawn, she stretched her arms over her head to work out the kinks. She had a long day ahead of her. People had the notion that her job entailed nothing more than showing up in her studio to chat with callers and guests, but being on the air for three hours a night, five days a week required a lot of preparation. Her workday started no later than nine in the morning and ended at midnight when she signed off. Long hours required adequate rest, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. Might as well go down and make coffee.

  She started to turn away from the window when a movement at the edge of the lake caught her attention. Ellie’s heart thudded even as she told herself it was nothing more than a shadow or a tree limb waving in the breeze. But the longer she stared, the more defined the silhouette became until she was certain the intruder was female.

  Ellie couldn’t make out her features. She was too far away and the shadows were too deep along the bank. But as she stood there, watching, the woman whirled as if startled by a noise in the woods. Then slowly she turned and lifted her head toward Ellie’s window.