“Yes. But I’m extremely impressed by you and a little disturbed that the tone of my voice could give that much away.”
“Now you have an idea how it feels for other people to hang out with you. It’s incredibly hard to keep secrets when you’re around.”
“There’s no reason for you to.”
“So you say.”
“Anyway, the FBI just asked me to visit the latest crime scene. I looked around, gave them my impression, and left. No big deal.”
“It’s always a big deal with you. You can never let these things go.”
Kendra walked into the room. “This one was especially bad. I guess I’m having a tough time shaking it.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you could.” Olivia cocked her head toward her sliding glass door. “Want to sit out on my balcony and eat a box of doughnuts?”
Kendra laughed out loud. “Doughnuts?”
“I would suggest opening a bottle of Chardonnay, but I still have to write those reviews later.” Olivia motioned toward the two pastry boxes sitting on her desk. “The crew left those. There’s about two dozen still there, from The Donut Bar.”
Kendra smiled. “Sounds like dinner to me.”
“Take ’em outside. I’ll fire up the Keurig and make coffee.”
In less than three minutes, Kendra and Olivia were relaxing on Olivia’s balcony with their nutritionally deficient yet delicious dinner.
“Who was the agent who brought you in on the case?” Olivia asked.
“Roland Metcalf.”
Olivia laughed. “Ah, your FBI admirer. Did he make eyes at you the whole time?”
“Not the whole time,” she said dryly. “I guess the horribly disfigured corpse kind of broke the mood.”
Olivia finished her sour cream doughnut and licked her fingers. “I used to think you and he would be good together. He’s funny, he seems smart, and he absolutely adores you. It’s not a bad foundation for a relationship.”
“I don’t think of him that way.”
“Of course you don’t. You need a man who challenges you. Keeps you on your toes. Someone you can admire because he possesses skills and aptitudes that you don’t.”
“I think you should know, I’m rolling my eyes now.”
“You think I’m wrong?”
“It’s not that, I just have a hunch you have someone specific in mind.”
“Do I?” Olivia smiled mischievously. “So … How long has it been since you’ve seen Adam Lynch?”
“Six weeks, but I got a supremely sarcastic text from him about ten days ago. If you can call that keeping me on my toes.”
“He’s been gone all this time?”
“Yes.” Kendra leaned back in her chair. Adam Lynch was a former FBI agent who now worked freelance for whatever agency needed his particular abilities. She’d successfully partnered with him on several investigations, most recently on a case that involved Dr. Charles Waldridge, the brilliant medical researcher who had given her the gift of sight. The last time she’d seen Lynch, he was whisking Waldridge away to a secret location to continue his work in safety and solitude.
“Why was the text sarcastic?” Olivia asked. “I know you always struck sparks off each other, but the last time you were together, you were more grateful than combative. And he’s always been—” She snapped her fingers. “Waldridge. I was wondering if you’d talked him into helping Waldridge disappear. That would have been a major favor on his part. Lynch didn’t care much for Waldridge.”
“They got along well enough.” Not exactly true, but Kendra didn’t want to go into details regarding Lynch and Waldridge’s guarded relationship with Olivia right now. “And in the end Lynch was perfectly willing to do what he could to keep Waldridge’s research safe.”
“In the end,” Olivia murmured. “I wonder what it was in the beginning. And is Lynch still with Dr. Waldridge?”
“No, not for a few weeks now. He stuck around long enough to help Waldridge set up his lab, then he was off. I think he got called away to Eastern Europe and he’s been tied up there ever since.”
“Doing what?”
“Who knows? Quelling a revolution, or causing one, and maybe propping up a puppet dictator.”
“Now that’s the kind of man you need to be with.”
“A bit too much of a challenge if you ask me.”
“I don’t think so. A challenge is what you need in every part of your life. Otherwise you’d get bored.”
Kendra thought about it. “That’s not true. I don’t need you to challenge me.”
“Sure you do. I’m doing it right now. What kind of friendship would we have if I wasn’t here to bust your chops once in a while?”
Kendra laughed. “You think I want this from you?”
“Maybe not, but it’s what you need. For all your amazing gifts of observation, I think you’re the last person on earth to realize that Adam Lynch just might be the perfect man for you.”
“He’s on the other side of the world right now, so it really doesn’t matter.”
“He’ll be back. He always comes back to you.”
“No, he comes back to his home. That’s very different.”
“We’ll see. In the meantime, it sounds like you have your hands full. How long will it take you to catch this killer?”
“The FBI and/or San Diego PD will catch this killer. I’m out of it.”
“Now you’re just asking to have your chops busted, because I don’t believe you.”
“Believe me, don’t believe me, I don’t care. Because right now, all I want is to help little Ryan Walker reconnect with the world around him.”
“Well, I have no doubt that you’ll do that, too.”
Kendra half-smiled. “No pressure or anything.”
“Sure there’s pressure, but you thrive on it. We’ve just established that, remember? Just also remember to be careful. And if you need help with anything, remember I’m here.”
“How could I forget?” she said gently. From the time they were little girls, Olivia had always been the practical one, the grounded one. There had never been a trace of jealousy when Kendra was granted the gift of sight; just happiness and love for her amazing good fortune.
“I should get to work,” Olivia said. “So I’m kicking you out.” She thrust the box of doughnuts in Kendra’s direction. “But you have to take these with you.”
“I really don’t want them.”
“You do. You have a sweet tooth. Once again, I know you better than you know yourself.”
Kendra reached in, grabbed a triple-nut glazed, then took the whole box. “Damn you, Olivia.”
*
“SHH. ANY TIME NOW.”
Zachary stood over Strapping Todd in the dark closet. The young man was on his stomach, hog-tied with his bound hands almost pulled back to his ankles.
So far it had gone much easier than expected. He’d rapped at the door, Strapping Todd answered, and he’d quickly stabbed the young man in the stomach.
He’d further overpowered Strapping Todd with a few deft blows to the throat and kidneys, then dragged him at knifepoint to his back bedroom.
A bit disappointing for a student athlete, Zachary thought. But of course, fending off a homicidal maniac required a far different skill set than chasing a soccer ball.
Strapping Todd grunted something through his cloth gag.