When River forced her eyes open, she moaned. Her head hurt. She tried to focus on the room around her, but everything was fuzzy. Someone leaned over her, and she started to push them away.
“River, it’s okay. You’re okay.”
It was Tony’s voice. As she narrowed her eyes, she could make out his face, although it was still a little blurry.
“Tony, what happened? Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital. You were at Hedgecliff. Brian Walker hit you in the head with the butt of his gun, and you sustained a concussion. Do you remember any of that?”
River started to shake her head, but the pain made her stop. “No,” she said. “I mean, maybe . . .” Pictures began to flash in her mind, almost as if she were flipping through the pages of a photo album. But they didn’t make sense. Amy’s face drifted into her mind. “Amy . . .”
“Amy’s fine. She’s home. You saved her life.”
“No, I didn’t. Someone . . .” She peered at Tony. “Someone else saved her. Was it you?”
Tony didn’t respond. Instead, he walked out of her line of sight. “Tony?”
“I’m just getting a chair,” he said. “It’s been a long night, and I need to sit down for a while.”
“I’m sorry. Is it my fault?”
She heard what had to be the legs of a chair scraping against the floor. Then she saw Tony sit down next to her bed.
“Of course it’s not your fault,” he said. “I was just worried about you. How’s your pain level?”
She smiled. “On a scale of one to ten? About a twelve.”
“Okay. I’m ringing for a nurse. She can give you something. It won’t be very strong, I’m afraid. They don’t give strong meds for a concussion.”
“Hey, whatever. I’m not a big fan of drugs right now, anyway. I’d rather hurt.”
“I get it.”
Tony reached for something next to her bed and pressed a button. River heard a woman’s voice asking what they needed. Tony told her that River was experiencing some pain, and the nurse hung up.
“What took you so long to show up?” River asked.
“I got there as soon as I could. I can’t believe I left my phone at the office. If I hadn’t done that . . .”
“It was just a mistake, Tony. You’re human.”
Tony grunted. “A human with a hole in his memory.”
River managed to smile at him, but the effort hurt. “There’s no one else I’d rather partner with. No one. You’re the best person I’ve ever known. Even with a hole in your head.”
“Hey, I didn’t say . . .” He laughed softly. “I think you’ll be okay. Your terrible sense of humor has returned.”
“You love my sense of humor.”
“I can see that concussion has left you confused.”
River reached out her hand, and he took it. “I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you.”
He sighed. “Where else would I be? You know, I want to be angry at Amy for putting you in that situation. She shouldn’t have gone there in the first place. And no matter what you say, I’m angry with myself for not having my phone. I would have told you not to go.”
“I had to. I couldn’t leave Amy there alone.”
“You should have had the police meet her there.”
“I didn’t want her to get in trouble for breaking in. Besides, when I got there I realized it could be dangerous. I called for backup.”
“Which you should have waited for before going into the building.”
“I have to admit that I was curious about what Amy had found.” She sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter now.” She squeezed his hand before letting it go. “Look, maybe I didn’t handle things in the best way, but I’m okay, Amy’s okay, and Brian Walker won’t hurt anyone else. Maybe we can focus on celebrating that for now. Okay? Or at least until I’m out of the hospital?”
“You’re using the ‘I’m an invalid, feel sorry for me’ excuse?” Tony said with a smile.
“Exactly. I think I qualify, don’t you?”
“For now, but we will talk about this later. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Just then a nurse came into the room. “I hear you’re having some pain,” she said.
“Yes,” River replied. “I understand the good drugs are out of the question, though.”
She smiled. “Sorry. With a concussion we can only give you acetaminophen. And to be honest, we’d rather you not even take that. You’ll heal faster without any kind of pain medication.”
“Maybe, but I’m thinking it’s worth the risk. I’d rather hope for recovery instead of praying to die.”
She laughed lightly. “You have a good point.” She poured a glass of water and put it on River’s tray. Then she handed her a packet of pills. “Hopefully, this will take the edge off. The pain will ease before long. You’ll probably be dealing with some blurry vision, nausea, and dizziness for at least a couple of weeks. You need to rest—and no driving. Your doctor will go over all of this with you in detail.”
“No driving?” River looked at Tony. “I have to drive.”
“No, you don’t. I’ve already talked to Hannah. She and I will be taking care of you until you’re ready to be loosed on society again.”
River sighed deeply. She didn’t like being dependent on anyone, but it seemed she had no choice.
After the nurse left, River downed the pills. “I’d like to power through this with dignity, but I’m not a fan of pain.”
“Big brave FBI agent,” Tony said with a grin.
“Brian . . . he died, didn’t he?”
Tony just nodded.
River put her glass down on the tray next to her. “I wish he could have been stopped without losing his life.” Although she probably shouldn’t, River felt compassion for him. His start in life had been rough and unfair. And his mental conditions weren’t his fault.
“You should know that, so far, the police have found six bodies buried on the grounds of Hedgecliff. Chris and Rodney Cooper are among them.”
“Amy knows?”
River was relieved that they’d been found, but she was shocked by the number. “So far?” she repeated.
“Yeah. There could be more. They don’t know yet.”
River stared at Tony for several seconds. “You shot Brian, didn’t you? I just can’t quite remember . . .”
Tony looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up and meeting her gaze. River was shocked by his expression. Tony was afraid. But afraid of what?
“What do you remember?”
River tried to see through the fog of memories from her time in the abandoned hospital. “I-I remember going inside. Finding Amy. I talked to Brian . . . tried to get him to let her go. Tried to appeal to him . . . I didn’t want him to die . . .” River frowned at Tony. “I was expecting the police. And you.” She stopped for a moment and shifted through the images flipping through her brain. “I was trying to stall until help came.” A memory suddenly popped into her mind, but it was hazy. As if it were surrounded by fog. “Then I heard someone behind me. Footsteps. I thought it was you. Then there was a shot.” She started to shake her head but stopped when the pain hit. “That’s it. That’s all I remember.” She studied him for a moment before asking, “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Is there any way we could have this conversation after you’re released from the hospital?”
“No.” Now it was River’s turn to feel afraid. What was it Tony didn’t want her to know?
He stood up and walked a few feet away from her before coming back over to the bed. It was as if she could hear the gears turning in his head. River was startled when he reached down and took her hand again.
“Look,” he said. “This isn’t going to be easy for you to hear, but I can see I have no choice here.” He took a deep breath. “I only arrived on the scene after Brian was dead. I got there just about the same time the police did. I found you on the floor, injured. When I got to you . . .”
“Wait a minute,” River said, feeling confused. “Did you just say that Brian was already dead when you and the police arrived?”
“Yes, River. That’s exactly what I’m saying. When . . . when I reached you, you said . . .”
River had the strangest urge to tell Tony not to say anything else. To be quiet. But she wanted . . . no, needed . . . to hear the truth.
“Say it, Tony. Please.”
He took another deep breath and then repeated the words that she’d whispered to him when he had found her on the floor of the abandoned hospital. The words her mind didn’t want to remember. The words of a killer. But as Tony spoke, it turned out she was already prepared for them. They’d been hiding in her mind, waiting for her to bring them out of the dark and into the light.
The nightmares she’d hoped were in the past were still alive. The Salt River Strangler reached out from the darkness and grasped her by the throat.
The sound that forced its way out of her mouth was beyond her control. It brought the nurses running to her room and put tears in her partner’s eyes.