David Hodges had had enough. It had been two and a half months since that moment in the lounge and Riley had spent the entire time avoiding him. Or rather, she avoided being alone with him for very long. If they were together at all, it was usually under the watchful eye of Greg Sanders, which just further annoyed him. And on the rare occasion that they were alone together, she always made an excuse to leave before he could bring it up.
He could understand her reasons for it all, but this was something that simply could not be ignored. Even if there was no possibility for reconciliation, ignoring something like this would do more harm than good. It needed to be addressed.
It was for this reason that he decided that he wasn't going to let Riley get away from him today. If he had to, he'd wait at her car when she left for the night, and refuse to move until she agreed to talk. Or until she shot him, whichever came first.
But getting her alone turned out to be easier said than done. When he got to work, she was already out processing a crime scene. It sounded like a tough one: Two victims, one of them a seven-year-old boy. It was going to be a long night.
The trace evidence kept Hodges busy until nearly noon the next day. By the time he had finished, Riley was back in the field, this time processing the home of Reggie Hatcher, their prime suspect. There seemed to be nothing to do but wait until she got back.
He had been waiting for about a half hour when the drowsiness hit him. After nearly eleven hours of non-stop work, he wasn't surprised. He quickly stood up and walked over to the lounge for a quick cup of coffee.
He had just finished pouring it when he noticed Catherine walking by the lounge frantically talking on her cell phone. She looked worried about something. Something in the back of his mind told him it was about Riley. He hurried to the door, and opened it as she hung up.
"Catherine, what's up?" he asked, trying to hide the concern in his voice.
"That was Greg. Riley and Ray have been taken hostage by Reggie Hatcher," she said, without looking up. Hodges felt his stomach drop. I hate being right, he thought. He barely heard Catherine say, "I just got off the phone with Jim. He's going to meet Nick and me down there."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Hodges heard himself ask.
Catherine looked up, surprised. "I don't think so. Stay here and finish running the evidence from the crime scene."
Hodges nodded. "I'll, uh…I'll get right on that."
Catherine walked over to him. "Are you okay, Hodges?"
"I'm fine," he said, putting on what he hoped was a look of confidence. "You'd better go."
Catherine studied him for a minute before turning and walking away. Hodges just stood in the hallway with the cup of coffee in his hand, now fully awake. Riley's in trouble was the only thought racing through his mind. He hadn't realized that his feelings for her were so pronounced. He quickly made a decision.
Dropping the cup of coffee, he hurried off to Catherine's office and looked up the address of the Hatcher house. Committing it to memory, he ran to his locker. After two minutes of fumbling over the combination, he managed to get it open. He then spent three more minutes looking for his keys before remembering that they were in his pocket. Cursing himself, he slammed the locker shut and quickly walked back to his lab and grabbed his field kit. He then walked toward the door of the building, trying not to look suspicious.
Don't worry, Riley. I'm coming, he thought as he pulled out of the parking lot.