Page 8 of Once Hidden
“Well, you’ve been missed around here, I can tell you that.We’d be grateful to have you back full time.And I wouldn’t have to keep yanking you away from teaching.”
Meredith studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.Then he asked a question that caught her entirely off guard.
“What about retiring, Riley?”
Retiring?She was only in her early forties.Retirement wasn’t mandatory until age 57, and she’d never seriously entertained the thought of taking an early-out based on years of service.Even that option wouldn’t offer full benefits yet.
“I...no,” she said, unable to hide her surprise.“Is there something I should know, Chief?”
Meredith held up a hand.“Nothing like that.You're valued here—you know that.The Bureau would keep you even if you were hobbling around with a cane if you wanted to stay.”He paused.“But after everything you've been through, especially in the last year with Dillard...Sometimes I wonder if you might want a different life.I mean, away from law enforcement altogether.”
Riley felt a tangle of emotions—confusion, defensiveness, and beneath that, a whisper of temptation.A life without searching through a killers' mind.No more choosing between family and duty.No more nightmares that left her gasping in the dark.
“I haven't given it any thought,” she said finally, which was mostly true.There had been moments—usually after particularly harrowing cases, or when April or Jilly needed her and she couldn't be there, or when her work had put them in immediate danger—when she'd wondered what it might be like to walk away.But those had been fleeting thoughts, never serious consideration.
Meredith seemed satisfied with her answer.“Well, if you ever do think about it, let me know.The Bureau has programs, transitions.You've earned whatever path you choose.”
Riley studied the man across from her, sensing there was more to this conversation than career planning.Meredith wasn't one for idle chats, especially not in the middle of a new case.
“Chief,” she said carefully, “I don't think you asked Ann Marie to leave so you could discuss my retirement plans.”
“No,” he admitted with a hint of a smile.“That's not the only reason.”
He leaned forward, placing his forearms on the desk.“Riley, I need to caution you about something.These coded messages left at both abduction sites—I know they've caught your attention.You've already mentioned the similarities to your earlier case.”
Last summer, a killer had murdered three mathematics educators, continuing a revenge campaign his mother had begun twenty years earlier.He'd left behind what appeared to be ordinary algebra quizzes pinned to his victims—problems that, when solved, revealed the coordinates where bodies were buried.
“The format is different,” Riley said, “but the underlying concept seems similar.Mathematical puzzles that might lead to locations.”
“That's what concerns me,” Meredith said, his voice dropping slightly.“I don't want you going down any rabbit holes on this one.”
Riley felt a flicker of defensiveness.“By 'rabbit holes,' you mean...?”
“I mean making connections that might not exist.Seeing patterns where there are only coincidences.”
Riley shifted in her chair.“With respect, Chief, I’m not sure we should ignore the similarities.Two separate killers using codes that potentially reveal locations?That's not exactly common.”
“I understand that,” Meredith said patiently.“And I'm not saying there's definitely no connection.All I'm saying is that I don't want you getting fixated on one angle to the exclusion of others.”
“But what if thereisa connection, though?What if our current unsub has some link to Timothy Lancaster that we don't know about yet?”
Meredith's expression remained neutral, but Riley could sense his wariness.
“And even if there’s not a connection,” she continued, “Lancaster's been a model prisoner, by all accounts.What if we consulted with him?He might be able to help us crack these new codes.He might even have insight into who could be behind the abductions.”
The moment the suggestion left her lips, Riley saw Meredith's posture stiffen.His eyes darkened, and he shook his head once, firmly.
“That,” he said, “is exactly the kind of rabbit hole I'm talking about.”
“But—”
“Riley,” Meredith cut her off, his tone unusually sharp.“Lancaster killed your high school teacher—someone you admired, someone whose death hit you hard.I’m still not sure whether I should have let you work on that case.And now I won't have you putting yourself in a position where you're vulnerable to manipulation by the man who murdered her.”
Riley felt heat rise to her face.“I'm not suggesting we let him manipulate anything.Just that we use his expertise on a consultation basis—”
“The way you used Shane Hatcher?”Meredith asked quietly.
Riley felt her breath catch in her throat.Shane Hatcher—alternately her nemesis and ally in early cases, a man whose intelligence had made him a recognized expert in criminology even from behind bars.She had sought his advice when he was in Sing Sing, maintained a secret connection with him even after his escape.That relationship had taken her into dark territory, nearly costing her career when she'd bent BAU rules to the breaking point.
