Flashback (Kendra Michaels #11)

Griffin thought about it. “No. Should I have?”

“Chloe Morgan discussed it with Todd Williams a few days before she disappeared. And I discussed it with Williams a minute or so before he died today. He was surprised when I asked him about it. He acted as if it was important.”

“And yet you didn’t think it was important enough to tell Metcalf when you were still on the scene?”

“I wanted to discuss it with you first.”

“The Dayton Group… I’ve never heard of it.” Griffin pulled out his tiny Moleskine notebook and jotted down the name. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“I’ll do the same. While you’re writing things in the world’s smallest notebook, I got another one for you. Neptune’s Eye.”

Griffin stared at him in disbelief. “Really?”

“That’s what Williams said. It may have something to do with Chloe and Sloane’s location.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t mean they’re somewhere in the far reaches of the solar system.”

“Kendra and I would go there, if that’s what it took.”

“I know you would. I hope they’re alive.” Griffin picked up his satchel and pulled his car keys from his pocket. “I don’t suppose Williams told you anything else.”

“Actually, he did, though he didn’t realize it. His phone was somewhere in his car. Before it burned up, my phone tapped into it and copied its contents.”

“All by itself,” Griffin said.

“Well, it was an app I helped design. I activated it before I went down there. I now have all his emails, texts, everything. I’ll gladly share them with you. I would have already downloaded them to your phone, but…” Lynch raised his own phone and glanced at the screen. “You’re two point two gigabytes short of the memory you’d need to hold it all.”

“Dammit, Lynch. I could arrest you right now for hacking into my phone.”

“You could, but you won’t. Instead, you’ll click on the link I placed on your home screen, which will enable you to forward the contents of Williams’ phone to your IT techs. I’ll accept your thanks later.”

Lynch turned and walked toward the stairwell.

Kendra pulled up in front of the FBI building. Lynch jumped into the passenger seat and pulled the door closed.

“Was it worth it?” Kendra said.

“It was interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

Lynch filled her in on Griffin’s explanations, and when he was finished, she drove in silence for a moment. “Okay, maybe it was best that you talked to him alone. If someone wanted the case derailed so bad that they leaned on the FBI to shut it down, what might they do if Chloe and Sloane looked like they were getting close to uncovering the truth?”

“Not to mention Detectives Chase and Williams. We may be too late to help those detectives, but maybe we can still find the sisters. Williams gave me the impression that they were still alive, but in danger. In that coffeehouse security camera video, he told Chloe he had a safe place for her.”

“But where?”

“To be determined.” Lynch gently pushed Harley away again. “Right now, I’d love nothing more than a hot shower. Care to join me?”

“We’ll see. First, you’ll have to get a lot cleaner than you are now. Sorry to tell you this, but between that burning car, dirt, and vines, you kind of stink, Lynch.”

After a hot shower for two and take-out dinner from Kendra’s favorite Chinese restaurant, Lynch stared at his phone for a long moment.

“What is it?”

“It’s a text from Griffin.”

“Did he forget to tell you something?”