Блейк Пирс - Waiting

How much of this wonderful facility could she hope to experience in the ten weeks she was to spend here? She wanted to learn everything she could, as fast as she possibly could.

And she wanted to get started right this very minute.

As she carried her tray looking for a place to eat, she felt strangely out of place. The other interns already seemed to be forming friendships and sitting in groups, chattering away excitedly about the day they were having. She told herself she ought to sit down among some of her young colleagues, introduce herself and get to know a few of them.

But she knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Riley had always felt like something of an outsider, and making friends and fitting in had never come naturally for her.

And right now, she felt shyer than she could remember ever feeling.

And was it just her imagination, or were some of the interns glancing at her and whispering about her?

She had just decided to sit alone when she heard a voice next to her.

“You’re Riley Sweeney, aren’t you?”

She turned to see a young man who had caught her eye back in the auditorium and during the tour. She hadn’t been able to help noticing that he was remarkably good-looking—a bit taller than she was, rugged and athletic, with short curly hair and a pleasant smile. His suit looked expensive.

“Um, yes,” Riley said, suddenly feeling even more shy than before. “And you … ?”

“John Welch. I’m pleased to meet you. I’d offer to shake hands, but …”

He nodded at the trays they were both carrying and laughed a little.

“Would you care to sit with me?” he asked.

Riley hoped she wasn’t blushing.

“Sure,” she said.

They sat down across a table from each other and started eating.

Riley asked, “How did you know my name?”

John smiled impishly and said, “You’re kidding right?”

Riley was startled. She managed to stop herself from saying …

No, I’m not kidding.

John shrugged and said, “Pretty much everybody here knows who you are. I guess you could say that your reputation precedes you.”

Riley looked over at some of the other students. Sure enough, a few of them were still glancing at her and exchanging whispers.

Riley began to realize …

They must know about what happened back at Lanton.

But how much did they know?

And was this a good thing or a bad thing?

She certainly hadn’t counted on having a “reputation” among the interns. The idea made her feel extremely self-conscious.

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Right here in DC,” John said. “I graduated with a BA in criminology this spring.”

“What school?” Riley asked.

John blushed a little.

“Um—George Washington University,” he said.

Riley felt her eyes widen at the mention of such an expensive college.

He must be rich, she thought.

She also sensed that he felt a little awkward about that.

“Wow, a criminology degree,” she said. “I’ve just got a psych degree. You’ve really got a head start on me.”

John laughed.

“On you ? I don’t think so. I mean, you’re probably the only intern in the program with actual field experience.”

Riley felt truly taken aback now.

Field experience?

She hadn’t thought of what had happened back at Lanton as “field experience.”

John continued, “I mean, you actually helped track down and apprehend an actual serial killer. I can’t imagine what that must have been like. I really envy you.”

Riley frowned and fell silent. She didn’t want to say so, but envy seemed like a terribly inappropriate emotion to feel about what she’d been through.

What did John think had gone on during those terrible weeks in Lanton? Did he have any idea what it was like to find the bodies of two of her best friends, their throats brutally slashed?

Did he know how horrified and grief-stricken she’d felt—and also how guilty?

She was still haunted by the thought that her roommate, Trudy, would still be alive if Riley had just done a better job of watching out for her.

And did he have any idea how terrified she’d been when she’d fallen into the killer’s clutches herself?

Riley took a sip of her soft drink and poked at her food with her fork.

Then she said, “It was … well, it wasn’t like you must think. It’s just something that happened.”

John looked at her with real concern now.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe some other time,” Riley said.

An awkward silence fell. Not wanting to be rude, Riley started asking John questions about himself. He seemed reluctant to talk about his life and family, but Riley was able to draw him out a little.

John’s parents were both prominent lawyers who were heavily involved in DC politics. Riley was impressed—not so much by John’s affluent background, but by how he’d chosen a different path from anyone else in his family. Instead of pursuing a prestigious career in law and politics, John had dedicated himself to a humbler life of service in law enforcement.

A real idealist, Riley thought.

She found herself contrasting him to Ryan, who was trying to put his humble background behind him by becoming a successful lawyer.

Of course, she admired Ryan’s ambition. It was one of the things she loved about him. But she couldn’t help also admiring John for the choices he was making.

As they continued talking, Riley sensed that John was putting on the charm for her.

He’s flirting with me, she realized.

She was a bit taken aback by that. Her left hand was in full view right there on the table, so surely he could see her new engagement ring.

Should she mention that she was engaged?

She felt as though that would be awkward somehow—especially if she was wrong.

Maybe he’s not flirting with me at all.

Soon John started asking questions about Riley, carefully staying away from the topic of the murders at Lanton. As usual, Riley avoided certain issues—her troubled relationship with her father, her rebellious teenage years, and especially how she’d watched her own mother get shot to death when she was a little girl.

Also, it occurred to Riley that, unlike Ryan or John, she really didn’t have much to say about her hopes for the future.

What does that say about me? she wondered.

She finally did talk about her budding relationship with Ryan, and how they’d gotten engaged just yesterday—although she didn’t mention that she was pregnant. She didn’t notice any particular change in John’s behavior.

I guess he’s just naturally charming that way, she thought.

She found herself relieved at the thought that she’d jumped to conclusions, and he’d never been flirting with her after all.

He was a nice guy, and she looked forward to getting to know him better. In fact, she felt pretty sure that John and Ryan would like each other. Maybe they could all get together sometime soon.

When the interns finished their meals, Hoke Gilmer rounded them up and took them down a few floors to a large locker room that was to be their headquarters for the ten-week term. A younger agent who was assisting Gilmer assigned each of the interns a locker. Then all the interns sat down at the tables and chairs in the middle of the room, and the younger agent started handing out cell phones.

Gilmer explained, “It’ll soon be the twenty-first century, and the FBI doesn’t like to be behind the latest technology. We won’t be passing out pagers this year. Some of you may have cell phones already, but we want you to have a separate one for FBI use. You’ll find instructions in your orientation packet.”