“Switzer, what have you got for us?” Gabe’s voice drew Eddie’s attention to the inept man he’d placed in charge of Rio’s stalking.
“I haven’t been able to tie any of Turner Atkins’s recent visitors while he’s been incarcerated to the letters or the incident yesterday.” Switzer gave his report in a monotone voice.
Incident? Seriously? Had he just referred to a deadly snake as a mere incident?
“And the surveillance tape?” Gabe’s tone sharpened. Good. Maybe he was a little perturbed that his lead detective avoided eye contact with anyone while he spoke.
“Dickie...” Switzer’s uneasy glance settled on his colleague still standing at the back of the room. “Can you run it for us?”
Without a word, Dickie brought the first frame up on the screen.
“Roll them slowly,” Switzer said in a much too fragile voice. “As you can see, our perp is well-cloaked in the proverbial dark clothing.” His tone strengthened as he delved into the more probing aspects of the investigation. “I’ll put it on record now, we weren’t able to see the individual’s face, hands or hair color in any of the frames.”
The person in the video walked casually across the parking garage with a cardboard box in hand. One like those obtained at most pet stores in the area. Eddie caught the dread climbing up his throat. The unidentified assailant invaded Rio’s locked car with little effort and gracefully released the reptile without the slightest hint of reservation or concern.
Even though the perp was camouflaged well, there was something familiar about the faceless person on the screen. “Man or woman?” Eddie asked, letting one of his thoughts escape.
“It could go either way,” Switzer said. “It could be a small man or a taller woman.”
“Any markings on the box?” Rio inquired of the serpent’s container. If it hadn’t registered for her before, it should now. Someone was out to get her.
“None.” Switzer’s tone sounded regrettable.
“What’s the time on the video?” Gabe said to Dickie.
Dickie’s reply was instant. “The snake was released into her vehicle at 9:57 in the morning.”
“That wasn’t long after our meeting ended.” Eddie searched his brain for the time displayed on his watch at meeting’s end on that particular day. 9:45. Twelve minutes. Too close for comfort.
If Rio hadn’t gone down to Dickie’s lab, she might’ve happened upon the perp, catching him or her in the act. Then again, if he hadn’t been talking to Bradley he could’ve caught the guy too. Something about this maniac bugged Eddie. He wasn’t going to stop until he figured out what.
The meeting ended and Eddie waited until almost everyone had left before he turned to Rio. “I want to have a word with Dickie. Why don’t you wait for me at your desk?”
“Why don’t I just meet you at the casino?” she suggested, independence residing in her demeanor even now. After all this. But he understood how a girl like Rio needed to believe she could take care of herself.
She tossed him a flattering smile and his heart fell. Luckily, he caught it before it hit the floor, and put it back up in his chest where it belonged. “I’d like you to wait.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d like to see if I can seduce you in the back of the limo.” He teased her with a wink and then added a grin, just for good measure.
“As if...” Rio rolled her eyes. She yanked her purse, by the strap, off the back of the chair, and headed for the door. She tossed a look over her shoulder that said she was calling his bluff. “I’ll wait for you upstairs.”
* * *
Gabe stared at the mound of files on his desk. He’d have an easier time of working through it if he could put his mind to rest about Rio and her safety. Having protected her since she was a child, he wasn’t used to failing, but what if the ability and his luck had run out?
She passed in front of his opened office door.
“Rio,” Gabe called after her and then waited until she’d backed into view before he continued. “Until there is a break in the stalking case, I want you in the presence of LaCall, myself or your father at all times.”
“What?” She stood frozen in his doorway. He’d seen that tactic often during her teenage years. Rio was looking for a loophole.
“It’s not up for discussion.” He lowered his eyes to an open file atop the heap on his desk—his way of saying the conversation was over.
Gabe hadn’t exactly bought into Eddie’s theory about Switzer being Rio’s stalker—but until he could firmly rule him out—there wasn’t much that Gabe was willing to overlook when it came to his goddaughter.
CHAPTER 19
RIO headed toward her desk, tossing aside the notion that Gabe had tied her, basically, to a babysitter. She didn’t like it, but damned if she’d give anybody the satisfaction of seeing that. Scanning the floor and hoping to remain unobtrusive, she walked past her fellow comrades. She didn’t want questions about the stalker or the new guy.
She slipped into the chair at her desk and picked up the stack of mail in her in-bin. She sifted through the mail and casually surveyed the area around her at the same time, keeping a sharp eye out for those who’d like to catch her off guard and unearth some juicy gossip.
Her eyes lit on the envelope and a sick feeling knotted in her gut. She knew in an instant; it was another letter from her stalker.
Rio hesitated, having a good idea about what she’d find inside. She couldn’t guess the particulars, but presuming the general idea was easy. Wondering to what degree she’d be threatened this time, curiosity got the better of her. She clamped her fist around the letter opener and pried it along the seam. She did it quietly and casually, preferring to show it to Eddie before Switzer.
The letter didn’t slip out of the envelope as easily as she’d expected. Maybe that was a sign. She ignored it and forced the paper out. Unfolding it carefully, she perused the message inside.
The words were short and to the point and had been comprised—like all the letters before it—of bits and pieces of newspapers and magazines.
You’ll get just what you deserve. Bitch
!
A thick panic threatened to suffocate Rio. She tried to stifle the fear and push it back down inside, missing the mark in places and hitting it in others. She folded the letter and stuffed it back inside the envelope. Glancing around—good, nobody was watching—she stowed the evidence inside her purse.
She sorted through the remaining mail, putting forth the effort it’d take to display a casual air. Her ultimate goal was to divert anyone who might see through her, at least until she talked to Eddie.
* * *
Eddie wound his way through the maze of desks in the bullpen, carrying a folder of glossy eight-by-tens of the assailant in the surveillance video. He hadn’t let go of the familiarity angle. If he looked at them long enough, he’d figure out who he was looking at.
He zeroed in on Rio. She may be able to dupe the others, but not him. He caught the worry she’d tried to hide behind her stoic face.
She glanced up at him with fret-ridden eyes. He dragged a chair to her side and straddled it. Silence fell between them and he waited for a moment but when she didn’t say anything, he did. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“What happened?”
She looked like she might cry. But it didn’t last long.
“Where is it?” he said. “Does Switzer have it already?”
“It’s in my purse.” She paused, for about two seconds, and slipped a half-crumbled envelope from her bag. She handed him the letter and waited silently.
Eddie scanned the one-page letter swiftly and then looked back at Rio. He gave her a smile, hoping to offer some measure of reassurance. He felt her eyes following him as he made his way to the copier and duplicated both the letter and the envelope on the sly.
He went back to her desk, grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. On the way out, they passed by Switzer’s desk where Eddie dropped off the latest installment in someone’s deranged obsession.
“What’s this?” Switzer asked.
“She found this in her mail today.” Eddie disclosed the information without lingering about. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage Switzer by letting him think he was getting to Rio.
The lack of evidence at Switzer’s house was irrelevant. Eddie truly believed he’d found his man. He was certain Blake Switzer was the culprit. He found that a lot easier to believe than Dalton and Bradley’s supposition that Naomi should possibly be at the top of his suspect list.
All Eddie needed to do was figure out who Switzer had put up to releasing that damned snake into Rio’s car. It was somebody he knew, or had met at least once. He was sure of it.
* * *
Acutely aware of the latest letter looming over Rio, the limo ride was much quieter and a lot less entertaining than Eddie had anticipated.
He studied the copies of the letter and envelope he’d made back at the federal building, along with the photograph he’d snagged from Dickie. If he studied the pictures long enough, he’d recognize the culprit and after that he’d put an end to their maniacal schemes.
Eddie traced a fingertip across the obscure photograph. The elusive individual in the picture seemed so familiar, yet, the person’s identity remained just out of reach.
It didn’t help that he hadn’t been able to shake the remnants of a half-dozen conversations over the past few days. The main one hogging the space inside his head was the recent conversation he’d had with Gabe after finding nothing incriminating at Switzer’s house. Gabe had instructed Eddie to back off, but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t trust Switzer. Period.
Eddie had to find a way to bring out Switzer’s true colors. It was the only way to make everyone else see what he saw.
“Hey...” Rio’s soft voice broke his concentration. He looked at her and she continued on, asking, “What’s up?”
“There’s something about this person.” He extended the photograph toward her. “Look familiar to you?” He wanted Rio to make the connection between the person in the picture and Blake Switzer.
She studied the image but didn’t touch it, as if that would somehow keep the crazed maniac at a safe distance.
Her attention lingered on the photograph. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t feel familiar.”
“You don’t think that looks like Switzer?” he laid it out there in an unruffled tone.
“Blake?” She tilted her head closer to the photograph. “Well...” She squinted her eyes. “It’s the same body frame and all, but it doesn’t remind me of him.” She looked at Eddie. “Really, it could be a man or a woman.”
“Why don’t you want to believe it could be Blake Switzer?” He pointed an accusing finger at the picture.
“Same reason you don’t want to believe it’s Naomi.” She shrugged. “I don’t believe he’s any more capable of doing something so sick, than you think about her.”
“Then who?” he urged an answer, though not necessarily from Rio.
“I wish I knew.” Torment cast an agonizing shadow across her eyes just before she looked away.
Eddie struggled with the urge to nudge a few of the loose curls out of her face. Sure, he wouldn’t mind the touch, but he’d really like to see if there was a storm brewing behind her burdened eyes.
The limo cruised to a stop at the entrance of the Golden Sunset Casino. Eddie rallied the effort to send Rio inside without him.
“What?” Anxiety leaped out in her voice. Her eyes darted around and didn’t land back on him until she added, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to wrap this thing up. I’ll be back in a jiff.” Eddie made a conscious effort to check his demeanor right along with his tone. “The next time I get you in the back of this limo...I only want you worried about one thing.” He gave her a wink and a grin.
It took a few seconds, but finally a shy smile edged up the corners of her mouth.
The limo door opened, and Eddie was glad. The quicker he ended this thing, the sooner he could get on with what was important.
And what did he deem important now? Was it his original mission? To start a new life? Rio? Eddie was no longer sure.
But he couldn’t worry about that right now. Right now, he had to keep his eye on the prize. Apprehending a stalker—namely Blake Switzer. And if Switzer turned out to be the person he was looking for...? Well, that’d be pretty fortunate.
The limo door opened and Rio’s gaze traveled up to Bradley’s hand extended out as if he were a member of the casino’s staff.
Reluctance radiated from Rio as she slid her hand, at a snail’s pace, into Bradley’s. He helped her out of the car and then leaned down, giving Eddie a slight nod before closing the door.
Eddie understood completely; Bradley had his back. The knowledge that his colleague would keep an eye on Rio left Eddie feeling a little better as the limo pulled away from the curb.
* * *
Eddie half expected to be the last person James Laraquette anticipated seeing at his door. But, hard times call for drastic measures, and Eddie was no longer above using any method that showed the slightest hint of working. There wasn’t a wrong way to go about this, not when Rio’s life was at stake.
Switzer wasn’t off the hook yet. The guy might not bother Gabe, but that didn’t make him any less guilty.
Unfortunately, Eddie didn’t have the FVC Unit’s resources at his disposal on this one. But, as his mother always said, “
When one door closes...another opens
.” This time, the new door was the endless bounty of resources available to James Laraquette.
This was probably a better option in the long run. Rio’s father wasn’t bound by procedure and rules.
“Eddie, this is certainly a welcomed surprise.” James pushed himself up and adjusted the lapels of his expensive-looking suit as he maneuvered around the desk toward Eddie and extended his hand in a friendly gesture.
“Mr. Laraquette.” He shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for seeing me, sir.”
“Please, Eddie, call me James,” he said in such a way that it made Eddie naturally want to do as the man asked. “I take it this isn’t a social call.” James returned to the chair behind his desk.
“No sir, it isn’t.” Eddie sank down into the luxury of a plush leather chair and lost his train of thought.
He tried to get his point across that Switzer’s extreme behavior was questionable. In light of the recent revelation that Rio’s dad and their boss were more than casual acquaintances, it stood to reason that James might side with Gabe and deem Eddie’s accusations thin.
Still, Eddie did his best to convince James otherwise. Maybe he’d be able to persuade him that he saw something in Switzer’s demeanor that everybody else had missed.
“I take it the FVC Unit—Gabe—doesn’t share your thoughts on the matter.” James opened the door. All Eddie had to do was stroll on in.
“I’ve never really been one to give up on a hunch just because I didn’t find any evidence the first time around.”
“Well, not to lessen your colleagues’ abilities, but, you might have a bit more riding on the outcome of this one.” James paused and then asked in a lighter tone, “What do you need from me?”
“I need a tail on Blake Switzer. Twenty-four-seven,” Eddie said without hesitation. “The best you can find.”
“Anything else?”
Eddie pushed out of the chair and turned toward the door. With a swift glance over his shoulder, he added, “You might consider putting a tail on Naomi Thomas, too.”
Why Eddie threw that in at the last minute, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like he believed it or seriously considered Naomi capable of targeting Rio in such a manner. But Rio, Bradley and Gabe kept bringing Naomi’s name up, and that had to count for something. Plus, he’d rest better knowing he’d covered all his bases.
“I’ll have someone on both of them within the hour,” James said with such certainty that it built up Eddie’s confidence. “They’ll report directly to you. How often?”
Eddie let the inquiry ramble around in his thoughts. How much was too much? At what point did his seeking out James Laraquette’s resources cross the line of taking advantage?
He must be nuts. There was no line. Not when it came to Rio’s safety. “I want to know every move either of them make. At least a couple of times a day. And immediately when either of them gets within three blocks of Rio’s home.”
James’s face gelled into an intense, hard look. “If either of them has harmful intentions toward my daughter—” James snatched up the telephone receiver. “We’re going to find out about it real soon.”
That’s what Eddie was counting on. He hadn’t been able to get Gabe to consider
all
the potential suspects, but that hadn’t stopped Eddie from finding other routes to prove his point.
Namely, the wealthy resources of James Laraquette.