Flashback (Kendra Michaels #11)

They arrived at Kendra’s condo to find Olivia there, rubbing Harley’s belly while House Hunters played on the television.

“Hey,” Olivia said, “I thought we agreed you were taking Harley everywhere.”

“It wasn’t possible,” Kendra said. “We were at a coffee shop where our four-legged friends weren’t welcome. But fear not, Lynch magnificently stepped up in his place.”

“Hmm. I’ll take your word for that. If I hadn’t heard HGTV blaring from your apartment, I never would have known he was here. So where are you in your investigation now?”

Lynch sighed. “Right now, we’re trying to find retired detective Todd Williams if we have to search the entire city. He may have some information for us.”

“As you can see, Lynch has made himself part of the investigation,” Kendra said.

“Good,” Olivia said as she stood on the other side of the room. She faced Lynch dead-on. “You and Harley both, right?”

“Yes. He’ll be with us from now on. I promise.”

“Good,” Olivia said. “I trust you. Which is saying a lot after you ended up in that garage and almost got Kendra killed.”

“That wasn’t his fault,” Kendra said quickly. “It was mine.”

“Then prove it.” Olivia held out Harley’s leash to Lynch. “Keep her safe.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took the leash. “As you command.”

“Damn right,” Olivia said. She walked to the front door. “Let me know what’s happening, okay?”

“You bet,” Lynch said. “I’m already hearing from Kendra’s fan club, but there can’t be too many.” He stepped ahead of her and opened the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Olivia.”

She nodded. “Yes, you will. Count on it.”

Kendra frowned thoughtfully as Lynch walked back toward her. “You know, Metcalf was probably right about there not being any real threat to Williams. I guess that’s just where my mind is going these days. I’ve been too worried about the disappearance of those Morgan sisters. But the maid said he appeared to be cheerful, and he paid her before he left that morning.”

“Money in your pocket can make you very cheerful indeed,” Lynch said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t find a way to make sure that you get what we need from him tomorrow when we run him down.”

“But was he alone in the car ?” Kendra asked again.

“As far as she could tell,” Lynch said. “Like I said, he was cheerful and if you’re talking about whether he was being trailed by some creep like the one that murdered that girl in the park the other day, it’s extremely doubtful. There was no real sign he was being followed and the Bayside Strangler was probably a freak of nature and possibly a copycat. The maid just thought he was going away for a trip and would return in a few days. Like I said, I’ll make sure that we know more details tomorrow. Okay?”

“I don’t see why not. Though it seems you’re being very helpful for a change. Are you sure you’re feeling well?”

“I suppose I have to straighten out my reputation after you falsely maligned me to Metcalf. This is only the first installment.” He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “More tomorrow. I’m going to get a glass of wine. Do you want one?”

She shook her head. “Not right now. Maybe later.” She watched him cross to the bar. He was being exceptionally kind; maybe he was trying to erase the tension that she’d been aware of in the car. Or maybe those moments were his way of distracting her. How could she be certain with someone like Lynch? He was an enigma.

Whatever was true, it didn’t matter. Not now. She watched him at the bar for an instant and then moved past him toward her bedroom. “I wanted to thank you for trying to take the blame for drawing you down to that garage. We both know whose fault it was.”

“Yes, we do, and it won’t happen again. But I won’t have Olivia blaming you. It was a bad enough day for you.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Where are you going?”

“The terrace. I thought I’d get a breath of fresh air.”

He shook his head. “Wait for me to go out with you. Give me five minutes so I can have a quick shower, okay?”

“Whatever you say. But it’s really not necessary, Lynch.”

“Both Harley and his mistress would disagree.” He was already heading toward her bathroom. “Five minutes,” he repeated.

She watched him disappear around the corner. He was everything she wanted. Why not reach out and take it, she wondered suddenly. Take what she wanted. To hell with it being wise or cautious. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want her. He’d shown her that the need was as strong as it had been all during their time together. She was the one who had always hesitated and set up boundaries. Lord, she was tired of those boundaries.

Five minutes…