Flashback (Kendra Michaels #11)

“Yes.” Kendra gave her the blow-by-blow of her visit to Sloane’s condo, making sure to repeat every word that came from her attacker’s mouth.

“Damn,” Marlee said when she finished. “You have no idea who it was?”

“He didn’t leave his card. At first I thought it might be a friend of Sloane’s being overly protective, but when he said that stuff about wanting to know what I gave the detective, it was pretty clear he’d been following us.”

“Yes. Scary.”

“That’s why I thought you should know. It seemed very clear I was the main target, but you should be careful, too.”

“I will be. Thank you.”

“But there’s something else I wanted to ask you about. You said Sloane had a fiancé who was completely unsupportive of her and Chloe’s investigation.”

“Yes. Charlie. She was crazy about him. Things were going well between them until Chloe drew her back into the case. He never understood the obsession that both sisters had with their mother’s murder.”

“Have they stayed in touch?”

“I’m not sure. If they have, she never talks about him. If anything, she seemed relieved that he wasn’t around to fuss at her about the case.”

“I’d like to talk to him. Do you have a phone number or email address for Charlie?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. But he’s a car mechanic. He owns a garage that specializes in exotic foreign cars.”

“Do you know the name?”

“I think his name is on it. Charlie Davenport. It’s in Chula Vista.”

“Thanks.”

Marlee made a face. “I’m not certain that you have anything to thank me about. You’ve evidently been taking quite a bit of punishment since we came together.”

“But we’re making progress, and I may have come close to the man who killed Paula. We might still have valuable clues from that encounter, and the authorities are keeping an eagle eye on me. In any case, you should be careful and stay aware of your surroundings.”

“You think I might be in danger?”

“I don’t know. It depends if the killer thinks Chloe and Sloane told you about whatever lead they discovered.”

“But they didn’t.”

“The killer may not know that. Just keep an eye out. If there’s any indication you’re in danger, we may be able to arrange protection. You’ve been very helpful. If you think of anything else, please let me know.”

Marlee nodded doubtfully. “I guarantee I intend to watch my back. You do the same.”

“Absolutely.” Kendra smiled and headed for her car in the driveway. “Thanks again for your help. I’ll let you know if I learn anything from this Charlie person…”

It took Kendra all of two minutes on Google to find Davenport Exotic Auto Service and Repairs in south San Diego County, and only another fifteen minutes to drive there from Marlee’s house. A few questions later, she was standing in front of a tall, slender man wearing a protective face mask as he leaned into a McLaren Spider’s engine compartment.

“Can I help you?” He didn’t look up from the car.

“Are you Charlie Davenport?”

“If you want an update on your car, the guy at the inside counter can help you with that.”

“I’m not here about a car. I’m here about Sloane Morgan.”

He finally looked up warily. “And who are you?”

“My name is Kendra Michaels. I’ve been asked to look into her disappearance.”