Page 16 of Once Hidden
And she did.There was something about Ethan that had drawn her in from the start—his quiet intensity, the way he listened when she talked, really listened.The warmth in his eyes when he looked at her.But there was also something guarded about him.April had attributed it to the trauma of losing his parents young, caring for his aging grandmother.Now she wondered if there was more to it.
“Then hear him out,” Molly advised, patting April’s arm.“Let him explain when you’re not in the middle of rush hour with a line of caffeine-deprived zombies waiting.”
April smiled despite herself.“When did you get so wise about relationships?”
“Honey, I’ve dated enough train wrecks to recognize the warning signs,” Molly replied with a laugh.“And from what little I just saw, your boy isn’t one of those.Just a guy who messed up.”
The café had settled into its post-lunch lull, just a few customers lingering at tables with their laptops or books.Through the large front windows, April could see people passing on the sidewalk, going about their day in the summer heat.No sign of Ethan.
Should she text him?Call him?Or wait for him to make the next move?
April pulled her phone from her pocket, checking for messages out of habit.Nothing.She slipped it back, still undecided.Part of being her mother’s daughter meant being cautious, looking for inconsistencies, questioning things that didn’t add up.But another part of her—the part that remembered the look in Ethan’s eyes when he’d told her about his grandmother, the genuine distress on his face today—wanted to believe there was a reasonable explanation.
“I guess I’ll talk to him later,” April said finally.“Hear what he has to say.”
Molly approved.“That’s my girl.And if his explanation is garbage, then you can dump his ass.”
April laughed.Whatever was going on with Ethan, it would have to wait until after her shift.For now, there were coffees to make, customers to serve, and a new employee to mentor.The rest of her complicated life would still be there later when she clocked out for the day.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The harsh afternoon sun beat down on the roadside where Amanda Lindeen had vanished.In her mind’s eye, Riley kept seeing Amanda—young, capable—transformed in an instant from delivery driver to victim.The evidence told a clear story: a vehicle pulled alongside, a struggle ensued, and then nothing.
Riley joined Ann Marie as she approached Captain Hodge and Chief Rawley.“I’ve been wondering,” Ann Marie said, “how did the unsub know when to intercept Amanda here?This spot seems specifically chosen.”
Rawley’s face was grim beneath her department cap.“Amanda was a creature of habit.Always took the same route home after finishing her deliveries—straight down Miller Road, then this county access road as a shortcut.Been doing it for years, according to her coworkers.”
“Predictable,” Riley murmured.
“Exactly,” Rawley said.“Anyone who wanted to track her movements wouldn’t have had much trouble.Follow her once or twice, and you’d know her pattern.”
“Of course, he could have known her schedule some other way,” Captain Hodge suggested.“NPX routes aren’t exactly state secrets.Could’ve called the depot posing as a customer, asked when his package might arrive—people give out information without thinking twice.”
“That wasn’t the case this time,” Rawley said.“I checked in with her supervisor, and they had a detailed record of phone calls.Nothing unusual there.”
Riley felt a familiar chill.Predators thrived on patterns, on the comfortable routines that made victims feel safe right up until the moment safety was ripped away.
“You said you’ve already spoken with the person Amanda made her last delivery to,” Riley said to Rawley.
“Myrtle Sprouse,” Rawley confirmed.She lives about three miles from here with her husband, Milton.We interviewed her earlier, but she couldn’t tell me much—said the delivery was routine, Amanda seemed normal.”
Riley turned back to face the group.“I’d like to talk with her again.Sometimes people remember details after the shock wears off.”
“Worth a try,” Rawley agreed.“Captain Hodge and I will lead the way if you want to follow in your vehicle.”
Moments later, Riley was behind the wheel with Ann Marie beside her, following the gleam of the police SUV as it wound through the rolling countryside.Fields of tall grass waved in the summer breeze, occasionally giving way to patches of dense woodland.The pastoral beauty of the landscape seemed to mock the ugliness of what they were investigating.
“So,” Ann Marie said, breaking the contemplative silence, “did you get any of your...feelings back there?About the unsub?”Her question was careful, respectful of the boundaries Riley maintained around her intuitive process.
Riley’s throat suddenly felt dry.“Amanda’s dead,” she said flatly.“I can’t prove it, can’t explain how I know, but she is.”
She glanced at Ann Marie, expecting skepticism, but found only attentive concern.
“What makes you so certain?”Ann Marie asked.
Riley struggled to articulate what felt like a certainty to her.“It’s the precision of it all.The location, the timing—this wasn’t opportunistic.He planned it meticulously, and men who plan like that...”She let the sentence hang.
“Don’t leave their targets alive,” Ann Marie finished quietly.“Unless they have some other use for them.”
