Page 46 of Once Vanished

Instead, a uniformed officer appeared, his expression uncomfortable as he ushered in a man Riley had never seen before.Medium height, with dark hair graying at the temples and deep brown eyes red-rimmed from recent tears.He wore a rumpled button-down shirt that looked as if it had been pulled on in haste.

“Agent Paige?”the officer said.“This is Mr.Martinez.He, uh...insisted on speaking with you.”

A cold wave of dread washed over Riley as the name registered.Martinez.Susan’s husband.

“I’ll be right outside,” the officer added before retreating, leaving Riley alone with the man whose wife’s blood still lingered beneath her fingernails.

Carlos Martinez stood rigidly just inside the doorway, his hands clenched at his sides, his face a mask of barely contained grief and rage.

“Mr.Martinez,” Riley began, rising from her chair.“I’m so sorry about your wife.”

“Are you?”His voice was quiet, controlled, but vibrating with emotion.

Riley swallowed hard.“Of course I am.Susan was brave, she—”

“I got a phone call,” Carlos interrupted, taking a step forward.“About an hour ago.A man.He told me Susan was dead before anyone from the department had even contacted me.”His voice broke on the last word, but he forced himself to continue.“He told me that Agent Paige could explain why my wife had to die.Said it was important that I hear it directly from you.”

Riley felt the blood drain from her face.Leo had called Susan’s husband.Had sent him here, to confront her, to force her to explain the inexplicable.

“Mr.Martinez, I...”She faltered, struggling for words that didn’t exist.“The man who killed your wife—he’s been targeting me.He recreated a situation from my past, a case where I...”She trailed off, seeing the incomprehension and anger building in Carlos’s eyes.

“Where you what?Made the same mistake?Got someone else killed?”His voice rose sharply.“That’s what he said.That you’d done this before.That you chose to let my wife die.”

“No,” Riley said, desperation edging into her voice.“That’s not what happened.I stayed with Susan.I tried to save her.But the cut was too severe, and the medical team couldn’t get to us in time.”

“He said you knew exactly what he was going to do.”Carlos’s hands were shaking now.“Is that true?Did you know what he was planning to do to my wife?”

The question hit Riley hard.Should she have anticipated Leo’s recreation of the Voss scenario?The truth was twisted, complicated—and nothing she could say would ease this man’s pain.

“I didn’t know,” she said softly.“I couldn’t have known exactly what he was planning.But I should have been more prepared.I should have...”

Carlos stared at her for a long moment, tears now flowing freely down his face.“My wife left for work this morning.She kissed me goodbye.”His voice broke.“And now she’s gone because some psychopath wanted to play games with you.”

Riley stood speechless, his accusation crushing her.Because it was true.Susan Martinez was dead because Leo was obsessed with Riley.Because Riley had failed to catch him, again and again.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the words utterly inadequate.

Carlos shook his head, his brief surge of anger already collapsing under the weight of his grief.“Your sorry won’t bring her back.”He turned and walked unsteadily to the door.“Nothing will.”

The door closed behind him with a soft click that sounded unbearably final to Riley’s ears.She sank back into her chair, the familiar sting of tears she couldn’t afford to shed.Not now.Not with hours of questioning still ahead.Not with Jilly still missing.

She dug her nails into her palms, using the sharp pain to center herself, to push back against the wave of emotion threatening to drown her.There would be time for breaking later.For now, she needed to hold herself together.

For Jilly.For herself.

But God, she was tired.

Riley straightened her back, inhaled deeply, and prepared for the next round of questions.The day was far from over.

*

Eight o’clock in the evening now, and Riley had been here since the aftermath of the waterworks, her only reprieve a fifteen-minute break to choke down fast food that tasted like cardboard.The fluorescent lights of the interview room had long since given her a dull headache, their constant drone a fitting soundtrack to the past several hours of her life.

Sitting across from her now was Mike Nevins, the forensic psychiatrist and FBI consultant she had sometimes turned to for help over the years.His usually immaculate appearance was slightly disheveled, the knot of his tie loosened in a rare concession to the gravity of the situation.

“I still can’t believe he accessed my records,” Mike said.“My security protocols are supposed to be impenetrable.”

“Leo has resources we haven’t identified,” Riley replied, her voice raspy from hours of talking.“Possibly a partner with hacking skills.”