Flashback (Kendra Michaels #11)

Page 16



He slowly shook his head. “Not really.”

“Point taken. Touch base with me if the Bureau decides to get involved. I promise I won’t freeze you out, Metcalf.”

He grinned. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Good. See that you do.”

Kendra drove straight to her studio in a medical plaza, where the large room was adorned with electronic keyboards, flatscreen monitors, and several other instruments, all in service of her music therapy practice. After a few minutes, eight-year-old Cecilia Barton arrived with her mother. The autistic child had been growing increasingly withdrawn in the years before they met, but Kendra discovered that she responded to a series of music games. Within months, Cecilia became more talkative and engaged in school and her other interpersonal relationships, and her parents and educators had given Kendra’s exercises all the credit for her progress.

Kendra knew Cecilia could still slide backward, so she’d recently designed slightly more complex games that required even greater interaction. Cecilia had so far risen to the challenge, but this morning Kendra found herself distracted by memories of the murder scene she’d visited only hours before. She didn’t think the girl or her mother noticed, but she hated not being completely present for her clients. Particularly when it involved a child. She concentrated and was able to give the girl her full attention.

“Good,” Kendra said after seeing Cecilia correctly match three lengthy note sequences. “Try the next group.”

The girl was getting better and faster with this game, but Kendra found it was herself that was finding it increasingly difficult to focus.

Damn. As long as the Morgan sisters were still missing and Paula Chase’s killer was on the loose, sessions like this weren’t going to get any easier.

The case had grabbed her and wasn’t letting go.

Kendra said her goodbyes to Cecilia and her mother and was on her way out to her car when her text notification chimed.

She looked at her phone. It was a text from Lynch: HAVE FUN AT YOUR EARLY MORNING MURDER SCENE?

She leaned against her car and tapped out her reply: WONDERFUL. NOTHING LIKE A PRE-DAWN SLAUGHTER TO START THE DAY.

HMM. STILL QUESTIONING DECISION TO TIP YOU OFF. MAYBE SHOULD HAVE LET YOU SLEEP AND DREAM OF ADAM LYNCH.

She inserted a “rolling eyes” emoji and responded: AS ALWAYS, LYNCH HAS INSANELY INFLATED SENSE OF SELF.

MUST DISAGREE. SENSE OF SELF EERILY IN LINE WITH HIGH REGARD FROM WORLD LEADERS, LAWMAKERS, AND GENERAL POPULATION.

MORE IN LINE WITH NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER, PERHAPS.

CONVERSATION NOW TAKING MOST UNPLEASANT TURN.

She smiled and replied: MORE UNPLEASANT THAN GRUESOME MURDER SCENE?

FOR ME, PERHAPS.

SPOKEN LIKE TRUE NARCISSIST. WHERE ARE YOU? EXPECTED PHONE CALL, NOT TEXT.

His response came a few moments later: NOW SURROUNDED BY PARTIES TO A SENSITIVE NEGOTIATION. MAKING THEM BELIEVE CONCERNS ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND CAREFULLY RESEARCHED ON ENCRYPTED CELL PHONE.

INCREDIBLE. PERHAPS SHOULD TERMINATE TEXT CONVERSATION UNTIL LATER TIME.

NOT NECESSARY. TACTIC NOW GIVING NEGOTIATIONS ROOM TO BREATHE. BACK TO MORE PLEASANT MATTERS, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN GRUESOME SAN DIEGO MISSING PERSONS/MURDER CASE?

Kendra crossed her arms in front of her while she thought about it. She knew the answer, of course. There was no way she could walk away from those young women or the heroic former police detective who may have given her life trying to save them. She tapped out her two-word reply:

ALL IN.

CHAPTER

4

Kendra grabbed some croissants from Bagatelle on the way home. She figured she’d catch up on her emails and then see if Olivia wanted to come over after lunch. Then maybe she could have a long talk with her and find out what on earth was happening at the condo. After that, maybe she’d—

What the hell?


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