I Can Hunt: An FBI Thriller (The O'Reilly Files Book 2) Read online

  Leanne considered the question. “I don’t think she ever said why she left. I think it was several things. She wanted to do something different. Stephanie had always been great with kids, so when her friend got her the job at Briarpatch Academy, everything just clicked.”

  “As a lawyer, did she ever get involved with clients who may have wanted to do her harm?” Shaun asked. “To your knowledge, was she ever threatened by one in particular?”

  “There were a few cases she lost, but I don’t know the names of her clients. She and Dad had a rule not to discuss clients outside of work, with me, or even each other. When work was over and the family was together, we were to be there as a family.”

  “Fair enough,” Shaun said. “After speaking with her friend, Alexandria Reeves, we learned your father had a stroke and is also suffering from Alzheimer’s. Is he able to speak to us?”

  Leanne pushed out a heavy breath. “Honestly, it depends on the day. Dad has a tough time talking, so we use a computer to communicate. But his Alzheimer’s…” A tear slid from the corner of her eyes. She wiped it away with her knuckle. His mind’s slipping fast. He barely remembers us, much less his clients.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Aidan said.

  Leanne forced a smile. “Thank you.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “She passed away a few years ago. Breast cancer.”

  “You’ve been through a lot,” Shaun told her. “You’ve got our deepest condolences.”

  “We’ve been adapting. But now…my sister…how will we ever come back from losing her? She was the glue to the family.”

  “Yes, the housekeeper, Brenda, mentioned that your daughter Stephanie was especially close to your daughter,” Shaun said smoothly.

  Leanne nodded. “Yes, they are—I’m sorry. They were—extremely close. Shannon is an only child. She looked up to Steph like an older sister. They were so much alike. I’d often joke that she was more Steph’s daughter than mine.”

  Her eyes began to well with more tears threatening to fall.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again, her voice cracking. To keep her tears hidden, Leanne jumped from her chair and turned her back to the agents. She walked to the window with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Is it possible for us to speak to your daughter?”

  “She’s in school right now,” Leanne said, wiping the corner of her eyes, then returning to her rocking chair. Leanne leaned forward, setting her elbows on her knees. “This isn’t going to be easy for her. I need to be the one to tell her. Can I take her to your office or you come back later?”

  “Of course,” Shaun replied. “You can take her to the Columbia County Police Department and ask for Lieutenant Christensen. They’ll take care of you and your daughter.”

  Leanne nodded, then covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry. I think the realization is catching up with me. She’s really gone, isn’t she? A part of me wants to call her and check on her…but she won’t answer, will she? Oh, Steph.”

  “We’re very sorry for your loss,” Aidan said as he rose. He placed a consoling hand on Leanne’s shoulder. “We’ll leave you to…process. We’ll talk to you again soon. In the meantime, in case something comes to mind, here’s my card.”

  Aidan set the business card on the coffee table and hesitated a beat.

  “We’ll let ourselves out.”

  “Oh, Agents,” Leanne called. “Can I ask a question of my own?”

  Aidan and Shaun turned to her attention. “Of course.”

  Leanne hesitated a beat and shook her head softly as she pushed out a breath. “What about my sister’s dog? Are you going to do anything to him? Are you going to keep him? Take him to the pound?”

  “No ma’am,” Shaun assured her. “He’s in our custody at the moment, but if you want him, you’re more than welcome to pick him up from our lab. I can pass along a message to let them know you’re planning on it.”

  “I’m sorry, did you say he’s in custody? At a lab? Why is he there? Did he do something wrong?”

  “No, nothing of the sort. Your sister’s dog was lying next to her body when she was discovered,” Shaun continued. “We needed to process him, however, Aidan and I already talked to the guys and the dog’s clean.”

  “What time can I take him?”

  “Anytime you’d like,” Aidan told her. “I’m sure he’s eager to be with family.”

  Leanne forced a smile. “Thank you. My daughter loves the dog. I’m sure she’ll want to care for him.”

  “We’ll get out of your hair now,” Shaun told her before they walked away, leaving Leanne alone to her grief.

  8

  AIDAN SAT AT his desk in the building of the residency office, typing his notes into the system. One thing he hated about the job was spending the time to input the details he’d uncovered when he could be going out, hunting down the criminals. Two people were dead so far, two injured, and it didn’t seem as if it would stop there.

  Aidan didn’t want another person to fall victim to this offender. Lieutenant Christensen had given them the details the Richmond County Sheriff’s office had collected on the Phinizy Swamp shooting, but it seemed to Aidan the offender knew what he was doing. He must have studied the area. There was something about it that struck Aidan’s attention, though he couldn’t pinpoint it.

  Meanwhile, he couldn’t help but fear Cheyenne would one day yet again be a target. Over the last ten years in the agency, Aidan never worried about such things. He always knew his girlfriend was safe at home, safe at work, or safe with her friends.

  That was until just over six months ago.

  The Carnations Killer, a man Aidan had spent most of his career chasing, had decided to up his game. The serial offender who had kidnapped more than a dozen women, tortured them, and murdered them, had shown Aidan exactly what fear was. He’d shown the agent what it felt like to be afraid and helpless, trapped in the bottom of a never-ending dark pit of an evil soul.

  The mere thought of it, months later created a rise in his spine.

  It was then Aidan realized he’d stopped typing.

  He shook his head as if to shake free the memories he wanted to forget and pulled in a long, deep breath. The Carnations Killer was locked safely in jail. That was good enough for Aidan.

  He decided after it was time to finally clock out for the day, he needed to get to the gym and hit a few bags. Even if he and Shaun worked through the night, he promised himself to make time to unleash the anger boiling within him. When he first came to Augusta and started working with Shaun, his friend had introduced him to a surefire way to relieve stress. Ever since, Aidan had taken advantage of the activity, and not only had he begun to feel better on the inside, he noticed his outsides toning up quite nicely.

  Aidan resumed his typing until the final piece of data had been entered. He saved the file, then glanced at the single photo of him and Cheyenne beaming for the camera. He imagined her completing all the mundane tasks of settling in. Cheyenne’s sister took time off from her job as a traveling nurse to help them, but still…the guilt edged its way to Aidan’s throat. He hadn’t intended on jumping straight into work.

  “You should go on home to your new place.”

  Aidan looked up to see Shaun watching him, from his desk, chewing on a plain bagel smothered with pimento cheese.

  “No, it’s okay, man,” Aidan insisted. “We’ve got too much work to do.”

  “I’ll take care of things for now, buddy. Go home and spend time with Cheyenne. You’re not supposed to be here until Monday anyway, remember? Take the weekend. Enjoy it.”

  Aidan had to admit he felt a wave of relief wash over him at the suggestion.

  “Yeah? You sure?”

  “I’ll catch you later, buddy,” Shaun assured him, stuffing his mouth full of the bagel. “I’ll call on Rob for help.”

  “Great,” Aidan said. He logged off the system. “You’ll keep me informed?”

  “Of
course,” Shaun replied.

  “Why don’t you meet us later tonight for dinner? We’re going to Laura’s for a cookout.”

  “I’d love that. Want me to bring anything?”

  Aidan shook his head. “Just your appetite.”

  “You know that’s coming,” Shaun said.

  “No doubt,” Aidan laughed. He rose. “Let me know if something comes up. I’m sure Cheyenne will understand.”

  “If I need you, I’ll come for you with bells on,” Shaun promised. “Get outta here.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Aidan pushed in his chair and grabbed the cup of coffee from his desk. Before leaving, however, he stopped by Monroe’s office. He rapped his knuckles on her door, then waited until he heard her voice instructing him to enter.

  “Aidan,” she said with a warm smile. “Come on in.”

  “I won’t keep you,” he told her. “I just wanted to let you know I’m heading home for the rest of the day, provided it’s good with you.”

  “Oh, of course,” Monroe said with a nod. “Thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

  “Glad to,” Aidan told her. “I’m eager to start working with your team.”

  “You fit in well, Aidan, and after your massive help on the Carnations Killer, I’m more than thrilled to add you to my command.” Monroe hesitated a beat. “How is Cheyenne, by the way?”

  “She’s doing well. The first few weeks after leaving the hospital and rehab were a bit tough on both of us, both mentally and physically, but she managed to bounce back to normal in no time. Though, she still wakes up in a panic from nightmares and likely will have a limp for the rest of her life.” Aidan scoffed at the memory of Cheyenne being held in Grant River’s grasp, broken from his cruel torture. The pit of Aidan’s stomach grew hollow as the memory once again resurfaced. “I’m just glad she’s alive.”

  “She’s an amazing woman,” Monroe complimented.

  “Yes,” Aidan agreed. “She is. I’m very proud of her. I’ll tell her you asked about her.”

  Again, Monroe smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re settling in. I’ll follow up to be sure your furniture is still set to arrive tomorrow. Take the rest of the weekend and be prepared to come in Monday morning to a full workload.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Aidan and Monroe rose simultaneously, and he accepted her proffered hand.

  “Welcome to the team, Agent O’Reilly.”

  9

  AIDAN SPENT MOST of the weekend helping Cheyenne around the new house while Shaun worked the investigation on Stephanie Carpenter’s murder, keeping him up to date with various texts and phone calls.

  Lieutenant Christenson had interviewed the niece, a fourteen-year-old high school freshman, however, he didn’t get anything useful out of her. Shannon Baxter often spent time after school with her aunt, shopping, or playing games, more recently a scavenger hunt, but Stephanie didn’t say anything to her to cause a rise in concern. Shannon vouched for her soon-to-be uncle, but having not spent much time with Chris Jones’ father, she didn’t have an opinion.

  Now that it was Monday morning, Aidan walked into the FBI residency office and set his things on his desk. He noticed Shaun wasn’t nearby and went in search of him.

  It was still early in the morning, and Aidan knew his friend and partner’s appetite would be calling to him, so the first place he looked was in the cafeteria.

  Sure enough, Aidan found Shaun piling bacon and eggs on a plate, in a conversation with Agents Harrelson and Douglas, discussing something about a poker game later in the day.

  “Good morning,” Aidan announced his arrival.

  Shaun glanced up as he grabbed a blueberry muffin a few paces down.

  “Hey, buddy, get some breakfast.”

  Aidan shook his head. “Cheyenne and I already had something before I came in, but I’ll sit with you.”

  “We’re having a poker game tonight,” Douglas said to Aidan. “You in?”

  Aidan arched his eyebrow. “Gambling’s illegal. Or haven’t you heard?”

  “Who said anything about gambling?” Harrelson interjected with a wink. “Just a few guys, throwing some beers back, playing a friendly game of poker.”

  “Oh, I see,” Aidan chuckled. “Well, I’ll let you know.”

  “In all seriousness, though,” Douglas said, “It’s just for a good time. Nothing illegal going on.”

  “I’m sure,” Aidan told them with a short nod. “I’d have to see how the day goes, and check with Cheyenne.”

  “Fair enough,” Harrelson said. “Catch you guys on the flip side.”

  As Shaun led the way to an empty table, he looked over at Aidan, his face turning more serious. “I want to start at the beginning today. We should go down to Phinizy Swamp and talk to the staff who were working at the time of the shooting, then talk to the victims’ families. I wanted to Saturday, but the head ranger was off. She’s supposed to be there today.”

  As Shaun spoke, Aidan’s mind drifted from where he sat in the cafeteria to the two murders, attempting to work out what connected them. Neither Stephanie Carpenter nor Ray Parsons had met. They came from different families, had different friends, different lives.

  So why them?

  It was rare for criminals not to choose a specific target without reason. Even in serial cases, offenders typically choose a type. It may be months or even years before they figure it out, but a pattern usually emerges. Aidan only hoped it wouldn’t take years.

  A sudden stabbing pain came to his knuckles and he looked down to see Shaun’s large ebony arm lingering across the table, his fork sticking Aidan’s hand.

  Aidan narrowed his eyes at his friend.

  “What did you do that for?”

  “What are you thinking?” Shaun asked.

  “You could have asked less painfully,” Aidan protested.

  “Noted,” Shaun told him, biting into his bacon. “So? Spill.”

  “Why did three teenagers, one of whom was murdered, another injured, leave their class?” Aidan started.

  Shaun shrugged. “Classes can get boring. And the swamp is a pretty interesting spot. Maybe they found something more interesting than what the class was headed toward.”

  “I’ve watched the news reports, Shaun. None of those teenagers were the rebellious types. They separated for a reason. Stephanie Carpenter was in the woods in the back of her house on the morning she had a meeting for a reason. Two instances of people being where and at what time they shouldn’t be in each given circumstance. That’s what we need to figure out. Maybe then we can determine why they were the ones chosen to die. On the surface, these deaths appear to be completely random.”

  Shaun remained quiet as he allowed Aidan to rant, then begin to murmur underneath his breath.

  Finally, he shook his head.

  “I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s something deeper at play, you know?”

  “I have the same feeling,” Shaun agreed as he dished a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “I’ve had it ever since I saw the carving on that tree. I’m done eating. Let’s go to the swamp and talk to the employees.”

  “Great,” Aidan said as he pushed his chair back and stood. He reached over the table and snatched Shaun’s last piece of bacon and stuffed it into his mouth.

  “Hey,” Shaun scowled. “That was my bacon.”

  “I’m sorry,” Aidan said with a mischievous smile. “Do you want it back?”

  “Not now,” Shaun pouted.

  “Then stop complaining and let’s get outta here,” Aidan suggested.

  “You’re a jerk.”

  “It was good bacon,” Aidan retorted, following Shaun to the trash can.

  “That was my good bacon.”

  “Nice and crispy.”

  “You’re lucky I’m a nice guy and not one to punch those who steal my food.”

  They arrived at Phinizy Swamp to find few people roaming around. Aidan had never visited the swamp before but h
eard in passing it was a location of interest. He wondered if the reason for the slowness was due to the shooting, or if visitors hadn’t arrived yet, or simply if it was because Mondays tended to slow down.

  Shaun and Aidan walked into the souvenir shop and stopped the first employee they could find.

  “Good morning, ma’am. I’m Agent Aidan O’Reilly. Is it possible to speak to someone who worked last Wednesday?”

  She nodded her head as she straightened a rack of shirts that were already straightened. She shivered slightly. “Yeah. I was working. Are you back because of…the shooting?”

  “Yes,” Shaun confirmed, “Can you answer a few questions we have?”

  She frowned. “I can try, but I’m trying to forget about it. I couldn’t sleep for two days because I kept hearing the gunshot. Besides, I already spoke to the police about everything I knew.”

  “We understand,” Aidan told her. “We’re not with the police. We’re hoping the incident here may help us understand another part of our investigation. Do you mind recounting once more what you know about that day?”

  “Well, sir,” she answered, her voice shaking, likely at the memory. She turned to face them, folding and unfolding her arms. “I was giving a few maps to the boy scouts leader when I heard the gunshot. I-my hands froze. The boys I was attending started running away. Their leader did too. He actually left his wallet on the counter.”

  “Do you remember seeing anybody suspicious coming in or going out?” Aidan asked.

  “No, I-I don’t think so. I can’t get it out of my head, you know? I’ve wanted to call out every day since we reopened. But I need the money. I’m behind on my mortgage and car payments. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid, and I’ll be forced to foreclose.”

  “We understand,” Aidan assured her. “There’s no need to explain. We all do things we don’t want to do, but we must. It’s a way of life.”

  “Kinda sucks,” she replied.

  “Can’t argue with you there, ma’am,” Aidan said. “Is there a way to get onto the swamp without going through you?”