Page 11 of Once Vanished

At the top of the stairs, she nearly collided with Hogue, who was heading toward the kitchen.

“Agent Hogue,” Riley said, her voice steadier than she expected.“I owe you an apology.What I said earlier—”

He held up a hand, cutting her off.“Already forgotten, Paige.We’re all under extreme stress.I think you’re handling this better than I would in your situation.”His eyes, tired but alert, searched her face.“Get anything useful from the housekeeper?”

“Gabriela,” Riley corrected him gently.“Just a comment that confirms he’s using her to bait me.Nothing that points to a location, though.Not yet.”

“Mathers has something you should see.They’re in the living room.”

The house around them was humming with the activity of law enforcement at work.Riley could hear the murmur of voices, the crackle of radios, the methodical sounds of an investigation taking shape.It was familiar, almost comforting—except that this time, her home was the crime scene, and her daughter the victim.

In the living room, Bill stood behind Jay Mathers, who was bent over a computer screen.Bill looked up as Riley entered, his solid presence a momentary anchor.

“Riley,” he said, and in that single word she heard volumes of concern, determination, and support.

“Show her,” Mathers said, gesturing to the screen.

Riley moved closer.The screen displayed footage from her home security system—a high-angle view of the back door.She watched as Leo smiled pleasantly at the camera.

“He looked right at the camera,” Bill said quietly.“He wanted us to see him.”

“He’s mocking us,” Riley muttered.

“There’s more when he leaves,” Bill told her.“But it’s hard to watch.I wouldn’t—”“

“I have to see it,” Riley said tersely.

The room fell silent as Mathers hit play.The footage rolled: Leo emerging through the back door, Jilly’s body draped across his arms like a broken doll.Darby lunging at Leo’s legs, teeth bared, Gabriela frozen in the doorway, gun trembling in her outstretched hands.

For a few moments, Riley didn’t seem to be breathing.When she finally inhaled, it came as a ragged gasp.“The alarm system,” she whispered.“You said he hacked it?”

“Someone did,” Matheson replied.“Someone with major skills.We’re talking advanced coding knowledge, an understanding of how to bypass multiple security protocols.It’s not just a simple hack—it’s elegant work.”

Riley frowned.“Leo is brilliant, but I don’t remember anything in his background about digital expertise at this level.”

“You think he had help?”Bill asked, catching her meaning immediately.

“I think it’s definitely worth looking into,” Riley said.She turned to Mathers.“Can you get in touch with Sam Flores in the BAU lab?He might be able to identify digital signatures, patterns that could point to a specific hacker.”

“I’ve reached the same conclusion,” Mathers said, reaching for his phone.“Will get on it right now.”

Riley’s mind was sifting through possibilities.An accomplice changed the equation significantly.Was Leo working with someone by choice, or had he manipulated another person into helping him?Either way, it meant there was another potential weak point in his plan.

“Thank you,” she told Mathers as she turned away.“I need to look at where it happened,” she said.“Where she was when he …”

“She was in the family room,” Bill replied, his voice choking a bit.

Riley walked through the house to the family room at the back.Two members of the police forensics team were going over everything with their careful expertise.She forced herself to look clinically at the story told by the chaos—a jumbled, visceral snapshot of the struggle that had happened there.A chair lay upended, its legs jutting into the air.The desk was knocked askew, but Jilly’s cell phone still rested on top of it.A few books were scattered haphazardly on the floor next to a laptop she knew was her daughter’s.

Riley stood at the edge of the wreckage, her mind working to reconstruct the scene.She could almost see Jilly here, fighting against Leo’s grip, her fierce spirit refusing to be subdued.She tried to get an image of Gabriela rushing in with the gun, but the forensics team working around the room was distracting.

“I’m going to walk the back of the property,” she told Bill.“Trace Leo’s path.”

“Want company?”he asked.

Riley shook her head.“I need to do this alone.“ She hesitated, then added more quietly, “You know how I work.But it will help if you clear out everybody else in this room before I return.”

“I’ll do that,” he said simply.