“Did you want me to lie to you? I’ll never do that, Kendra. What I will do is knock Dyle down, so that he’ll never pick up those stakes. That’s all either of us can do right now.”
“Of course I don’t want you to tell me stories and pat me on the head.” She was trying to think through the haze of panic and bewilderment she’d been in since she’d listened to Biers. “But we can’t let this happen. Dyle has had it all his own way. He’s killed and tortured, and he’s made his plans to ruin the lives of all those people whom Waldridge wants to save. And he’ll do it if we don’t stop him.”
“Then we’ll stop him,” Lynch said. “I’ll call Griffin and see if I can put a fire under him. While I’m in Brighton, you go to the FBI field office and ask Metcalf to go with you to question everyone in Dyle’s organization to get any idea where he might have gone.”
But, again, that would take time.
“Kendra, I know how upset you are. I can feel it, dammit.” His voice was intense, urgent. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know that, Lynch.” She cleared her throat to ease it of the tightness. “Once, a long time ago, I told Waldridge that we’d go have a beer, and I’d toast the existence of miracles. I think this might be the time we might need one.” She hung up.
She sat there for a moment, trying to get control. She still felt as if she was in the same shock into which she’d been thrown when Biers had told all the details of Night Watch and what was happening to Charles Waldridge. Speaking to Lynch had not really changed anything. Yes, he had a good lead. Yes, he would follow through with it and probably come up with something that could help them.
But that would not be in an hour or even a day, and she desperately wanted to find Waldridge now. She had been so frightened at Biers’s words. He had already been missing too long. There was no telling what he was going through now.
But, as she’d told Lynch, it seemed as if it would take a miracle to make that happen.
But miracles could happen. She was a prime example. The blind had been made to see.
She just had to find a way to make this miracle become reality.
She turned and walked back down the pier toward Jessie and Biers.
Detach.
Concentrate.
*
“DID LYNCH THINK HE COULD HELP?” Jessie’s gaze was on her face. “You seem more … together.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. What did he say?”
“I filled him in on everything. He’s been following a lead he picked up from Rye’s photographs at the old factory. It was a group of incubating organs.”
“It was our last group before we left,” Biers said.
“The incubators were moved. He’s trying to track them to Dyle’s men who took them. Can you help him? Was there another facility where the incubators were delivered before they came to you?”
He frowned, thinking. “We never dealt with any of the equipment details. We placed our orders through Dyle, and anything we needed showed up on the loading dock. We were only concerned if it worked properly.”
“So the answer’s no.”
He nodded. “Sorry.”
“So am I. Because that means Lynch is going to take too long to see if this search is another blind alley.” She turned to Jessie. “And that we can’t wait for him to do it. Dyle can’t be allowed to do anything more to Charles. We’re going to find him right away.”
Jessie stiffened. “I don’t like this, Kendra. What the hell do you mean?”
“Oh, I knew you weren’t going to like it. And I know Lynch would definitely go ballistic.”
“I’m under the distinct impression you’re about to unload some crazy shit on me.”
“You might be right.” She smiled mirthlessly. “Desperate times, desperate measures and all that. I can think of only one way to quickly find Waldridge. I have to let them find me.”
Jessie’s blank expression froze on her face. “Wow. Crazy shit is right. Do you mean what I think you mean? You’re going to set yourself up for them to take you?”
“Abduction?” Biers was gazing at her in disbelief. “I thought I’d made it clear what that could mean.”
“You also made it pretty clear what it could mean to Charles if we don’t get him away from Dyle as soon as possible. It’s the only way I can think of to do that.”
“Then think again,” Jessie said bluntly. “I promised Lynch I’d keep you safe. This could be a suicide mission.”
“It’s the only way,” Kendra repeated. “And I have no intention of doing anything suicidal. They won’t hurt me. They can’t if they want to use me as leverage against Waldridge. They need to put me in the same room with him and show that they’re willing to hurt me unless he gives them what they want.”