Flashback, p.14
Flashback, page 14
She heard jagged breathing on the other side of the garage. Pauley was alive! But there was no way in hell she could get to him.
“He’s seen my face, Kendra.”
The voice sliced through her. It was barely louder than a whisper, but she heard every word. He couldn’t have been more than ten feet from her.
“I can’t let him identify me,” the voice continued. “I’m not going to let myself get caught by some greasy garage attendant. Pity. I’m afraid he needs to die.”
He was trying to draw her out, to panic her.
And doing a damn good job of it.
Don’t panic. Close your eyes. Concentrate.
What could she figure out about this guy?
He spoke with a slight northwestern dialect; Oregon or maybe even Washington State. He pronounced caught like cot, which was always a giveaway.
What else?
His gait and his breathing sounded different from the man who had attacked her at Sloane’s condo the other night. Another psycho?
“I want you to know you weren’t part of the original plan, Kendra.”
He was now on the other side of the garage, close to Pauley. Gotta draw him away. Make him talk.
“What plan?”
She heard him turn.
Keep him coming.
“Where have you been all these years?” She spoke in an almost taunting manner.
He paused before replying. “Waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
Another long pause. “The time wasn’t right.”
Kendra cocked her head. He was on the move again, away from where she thought Pauley was. She listened for the sound of that rustling nylon. He was creeping along the edge of the garage, trying to make a long arc toward her.
Do you think that’s going to keep me from hearing you, you asshole?
She moved closer to the wall.
Wait a minute… She’d seen something earlier in the week, something that had annoyed the hell out of her. It was in front of a white work truck, cluttering this corner of the garage. Kendra crouched low and crept toward the truck. Were the offending objects still there?
Keep him talking. Make it harder for him to listen.
“I never knew there was ever a good time to start killing innocent people,” she said.
“You’d be surprised, Kendra.”
“Then go ahead and surprise me. I’m listening.”
His icy chuckle cut through the darkness.
“I’m serious. Tell me.”
“It’s a long story, Kendra. I was… interrupted.”
“You were in prison.”
He laughed again. He was closer now. “Prison? Have I done anything to make you think I could be so hopelessly inept?”
Kendra knelt in front of the truck. He wanted to talk. Good. “Where are Chloe and Sloane Morgan?”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Let’s just say I’ve never been afraid of them. They were always going to remain on my list.”
Kendra’s hand closed around something on the dark floor. It was cold and heavy, and it scraped across the concrete as she picked it up.
The man froze. Shit. Had she given herself away?
After a long moment, he started moving again.
Good.
She gripped a piece of rebar, a long slender length of iron used to reinforce floors and walls in construction sites.
“Then you must be afraid of me,” she said. “Why else would you be here?”
He didn’t respond. Suddenly, she was having a difficult time hearing him. He’d shed the jacket. He’d obviously realized it was giving him away.
She turned her head and listened. Where in the hell was he?
She heard his breathing. Quiet, measured.
In the next instant, he rolled out from under the truck and leaped to his feet. Before she could react, his arm snapped around her neck!
He whispered into her ear. “I’m not afraid of you, Kendra. But others are. That makes it much more exciting for me.”
Kendra swung the rebar upward and struck him on the head. He grunted in pain, but his grip remained strong. He twisted her around and slammed her head against the truck. She swung the iron bar toward him again. A miss.
She swung again. Another miss.
His grip tightened, cutting off her airway. She was losing consciousness. She swung at him again. Contact! He released her and staggered backward.
The door flew open on the other side of the garage. “Kendra!” It was Lynch.
Thank God.
She held the rebar in front of her. “Over here! Hurry!”
Her attacker was gone…
“Kendra!”
“Watch out!” she shouted. “He’s here!”
Lynch slid over the hood of a car and was suddenly beside her. He held his automatic in front of him. “Which way?”
She pointed toward the ramp up to the garage’s main level. “There.”
“Are you okay?”
She felt her bruised throat. “Yes. Let’s go.”
They bolted up the ramp and stopped. “How many exits are there up here?”
“Three, plus the main gate.”
“Are the doors locked?”
“Yes, but only from the outside. He could’ve gone out any of them.”
Lynch cursed and lowered his gun.
Kendra turned and headed back down the ramp. “We need to check on Pauley. He’s been hurt…”
They ran back to the garage’s lower level. “Pauley?” Kendra called out.
No answer.
Dear heaven.
“Pauley?”
“Any idea where he is?” Lynch asked.
“Somewhere on the far side.”
Still holding his automatic, Lynch held up his phone with the other hand to light their way across the dark garage. Finally, between two parked cars, they found Pauley’s bloodstained body.
“No!” Kendra knelt beside him. He was alive. Bleeding and struggling to breathe, but alive. She turned back toward Lynch. “Call 911! Now!”
Lynch was already on it, she realized. He finished the call and cut the connection. “There’s a first-aid kit in the trunk of my car.”
He bolted for his Lamborghini.
She made a face. “Of course there’s one in the Lamborghini. What did I expect? Doesn’t every luxury car have its own first-aid kit to take care of the needs of its owners?”
“No.” He scowled. “Only the ones whose guests don’t check in with me and tell me that there might be a problem requiring it.”
Considering her situation, she decided it was the better part of valor not to argue the point. Instead she started to bandage Pauley’s shoulder.
She could hear the ambulance sirens now. “I should have let you know before I came down here. But it seemed perfectly safe. It was Pauley…”
“And after all, no one else could be down here waiting for you.” He held up his hand as he added caustically, “At least no one you couldn’t handle? Let’s not talk about it right now. I’m a little irritated. I just want to make sure Pauley is okay.” His lips tightened. “And I want to get that wound on your neck taken care of so I don’t have to look at it any longer. It’s a very potent reminder that I should have been here with you. It can’t happen again, Kendra. Not like this. It hurts too much.” He raised his phone light and waved it toward the EMTs, who were approaching with their work lights. “But let’s get Pauley taken care of and then go after the bastard who did this to him. Then I’ll worry about the brand-new wound that murderer gave you.” He helped her to her feet and then pushed her gently over to the EMTs. “I’ll find the garage lights, then stay with Pauley until you get to the hospital. But you should give Perry or Breen a call while you’re in the ambulance. They’re going to want a report on this little incident. I’ll meet you at the ER. Okay?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Kendra said curtly. “I was going to call Perry the minute I got the chance. You should have realized that. I’ve been a little busy lately.”
“I’ve noticed.” He turned away. “All the more reason to have that talk I mentioned as soon as possible. But get that wound taken care of first. I’m going to ask for a report on it as soon as I arrive at the hospital.”
“Is that a threat?” Kendra’s brows lifted as she got into the ambulance. “It had a few uneasy overtones of that.”
“No, the threat is over for the time being,” Lynch said. “I believe both of us have had enough of that today. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve had enough for the next decade.” He was heading for his car. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”
CHAPTER
12
Lynch didn’t arrive at the ER until over two hours later and Kendra was filled with relief when she saw him get off the elevator and come toward her. “Pauley is going to be fine,” she told him quickly. “Though they’re not going to let him leave here for a few days. I tried to reach you but you weren’t answering your phone.”
“I was doing a little research,” Lynch said. “Something occurred to me that I’d run across a couple of times in the past and I decided I had to check it out.”
She was frowning. “That had to do with what happened to Pauley?”
“Probably not. But one thing led to another.” He took a step closer and examined the bandage on her throat. “And this?”
“Just a bruise.”
“You’ve been taking a beating on this case.”
“I’m still standing.”
“Has Perry or Breen been here?”
“Yes, I called Perry as soon as I got here and gave him a complete report… just as I told you I would. That garage should be crawling with the police as well as FBI by now.”
He touched the bandage. “What did Perry say when he saw this?”
“What could he say? I survived it, didn’t I?” She shrugged. “Did you expect him to assign one of his men to permanently follow me around? He’s already gone that route. Not at all practical.” She suddenly grinned. “Much more reasonable for us to bring the bastard down ourselves, don’t you think?”
“Do you expect me to disagree with you?” Lynch asked.
“Anyway, Perry is here right now. I’m giving him a few minutes alone with Pauley before I go in.”
“Good. I saw a coffee machine down the hall. I think we could both use some.” He went to the machine and got them each a cup of coffee. “Shall we go for a stroll?” He handed her a cup. “Because I was dead serious about not being able to go through a day like this again.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “So you’re all set to give me hell?”
“I’m all set to find a way to stop that agony in its tracks no matter what it takes. As you know, I can be very innovative.”
“Yes, you can. I’ve seen you in action.” She took another sip of coffee. “But you told me there would be no more threats and I trust you. So it would be interesting to see how you’re going to accomplish it.”
“With a good deal of trepidation.” He was scanning her face. “And I’ll have to be very clever.”
“More than you know. But you’re lucky I’m feeling very mellow at the moment. If you’d have let me speak rather than jumping into battle, you wouldn’t have had to go into all this stern crap. I fully intended to talk to you. When I was crawling around in that garage, I thought I might not ever see you alive again.” She looked down into her cup and said simply, “And I thought that if I didn’t, it would break my heart. You might have noticed I have a few problems with maintaining my independence.”
“What, you?” he said gently. “Say it isn’t so.”
“I don’t promise I’ll change. I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I’ll even want to.” She stared him in the eye. “But I’ll never do anything that will put you in danger or do anything that will give you reason to come after me as you did today. That’s all I could think of. When I was trying to get away from that bastard, I realized you’d probably come after me. I should have thought longer and harder before I went down there without calling you. It won’t happen again because I won’t risk your life as well as my own. That’s as much as I can promise you. Is it enough?”
He brushed his lips across her nose. “That was very generous. Yes, for the time being. We’ll work on the rest later.”
She looked teasingly up at him from beneath her lashes. “I thought it was exceptionally generous. Don’t be selfish, Lynch.”
He sighed. “Never satisfied.” He took her hand. “Take me to Pauley’s room. I know he’ll be glad to see me.”
“Maybe.” Her hand tightened on his. Together. And he felt so alive that she didn’t ever want to let him go. “We’ll have to talk about that bastard who hurt him after he sees that I’m safe and sound.”
“Kendra! Lynch!” Pauley was elevated in his hospital bed and looked surprisingly spry considering what he’d just been through. His face was bruised, and his neck was wrapped in a white bandage much like Kendra’s. His face fell when he saw her throat. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was bringing you into.”
She approached the bed and rubbed his arm. “Are you kidding? You’re a hero, Pauley. You warned me about that psycho, and you almost got yourself killed doing it.”
Perry stepped out from a corner. “That’s what I told him. I haven’t been able to get much from this guy. All he wanted to talk about is you and how you were doing.”
Kendra’s hand went to her neck bandage. “I’m fine, Pauley. I’m already up and around, and they’re letting me go home.”
Pauley clicked his tongue. “Which is more than I can say. I’m stuck in here for another couple of days, at least.”
“We heard. I’m sorry, but this is the best place for you right now.”
Pauley turned toward Lynch. “I’m glad you’re here to look after her, Mr. Lynch.”
Lynch smiled. “You know Kendra. She’s pretty good at looking after herself. She got in some licks with that rebar leaning against the wall of the garage.”
Pauley chuckled. “I’ve been on those construction guys to get that stuff the hell out of my garage. I’m sure glad they didn’t.”
“Me and you both,” Kendra said. “Listen, Pauley… you’re the only one to have gotten a good look at this guy. This could be a killer that’s been wanted for over fifteen years. I’m sure Detective Perry has told you all this.”
Pauley nodded. “He did. It scares me to think what could have happened today.”
“We’re going to make sure it never happens again. Can you give us a description?”
Perry raised his notebook. “I got one from him. Dark hair, brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, full lips, chiseled cheekbones, dimple in his chin. He says he’s sure he can ID the guy if he ever sees him again. A sketch artist is already on the way.”
“I’ve got a better sketch artist,” Kendra said.
Perry put away his notebook. “Are you talking about Bill Dillingham? He’s, what, a hundred years old now?”
“He’s eighty-eight. Don’t be ageist. I guarantee you that he’s a better sketch artist than whoever you’re bringing in.”
“Well, our department is going to want our guy to do a sketch no matter what.”
“Fine.” Kendra turned to Pauley. “You won’t mind working with my friend after the police officer comes up with a sketch, will you?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Not like I got anything else to do in here.”
“We don’t want to tire him out,” Perry said. “The FBI may want to have their own sketch artist come here.”
“No, they won’t.” Kendra shook her head. “Not after they’ve seen Bill’s sketch. They’ll know they can’t do any better.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” Perry said.
“I’m sure of Bill Dillingham. And you should be, too. But in the end, it may be tough to get a usable sketch no matter who draws it.”
“What makes you say that?” Lynch said.
Kendra stepped back so she could speak to all three men at once. “The guy in the garage was wearing a disguise.”
“How do you know?” Perry said. “You said it was too dark for you to see him.”
“It was.”
He smiled. “I’m starting to get the hang of this now. I take it that you heard or smelled something.”
“Smelled.”
“And what, exactly, did you smell?”
“Ben Nye prosthetic adhesive. When he had me in that choke hold, I was close enough to get a good whiff. It’s used by everybody from high school drama clubs to Broadway stars to attach fake noses, chin pieces, ears, you name it. That guy was wearing a facial disguise, and it was good enough that Pauley saw him from a couple of feet away and couldn’t tell.” She turned back to Pauley. “Could you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Do your best with the sketch artists anyway,” Kendra said. “Bill is especially good at coming up with alternatives that account for disguises the perps may have used.”
Pauley looked slightly dazed. “Will do.”
She patted his knee. “Take care, Pauley. We’ll be back to visit you soon.”
Kendra and Lynch hadn’t quite reached the elevator when Perry called from down the hall. “Kendra?”
They both turned.
“There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he said. “We extracted a good DNA sample from that tooth you knocked out, and we ran it through CODIS.”
Kendra looked at him excitedly. “Did you get a hit?”
“Of sorts.”
“What does that mean?”
Perry glanced around to make sure they were out of earshot of the workers and visitors. “The sample came back as ‘expunged.’”
“Expunged? As in deleted?”
“Yes. It happens occasionally.”
Lynch nodded. “Often for juvenile offenders who have finished their sentences, or for innocent suspects in closed cases. Sometimes law-enforcement agencies remove it automatically, sometimes people have to petition to have their DNA samples removed from the database.”
“Well, who pulled it?”
