“We’ll have to verify with the families, but I don’t believe that Colby is playing games with his toys. I think that he wants me to know that there’s no doubt that he’s alive and controlling the situation.”
“But he’s done everything so far to make certain that no one did know that. Hence the fact that you’re being thought of as a nutcase. Why now?”
“Maybe he thinks it’s time. He’s a complete egomaniac, and he’s not afraid of anything. He’s been hiding out, making his plans. Now, perhaps, he’s ready to show everyone how clever he is. This reveal may just be the tip of the iceberg.”
“But a fairly powerful revelation.”
“That may not be accepted until Colby comes out with even more irrefutable evidence.” She grimaced. “Who’s going to believe that these trophies are the real thing? The first question you asked was if they were authentic. It will take some time to verify, and even then, there will be doubters.”
“No, the first question was where you got them. I was betting that they were the real McCoy.”
“Because you worked those cases. You knew them intimately. That’s why I brought them to you.”
“And what do you want me to do with them?”
“What’s right to do. Verify, then help me to convince San Quentin to admit that there is a possibility that Colby is still alive and a threat.”
“Another favor, Kendra?”
“No. A duty, Griffin.”
“Ah, such a boring mandate.”
“The people Colby has on his kill list aren’t going to find it boring.”
“And you’re first on that list. If it takes as long as you believe to convince everyone he’s back, we may not be in time for you.”
“I’ll take care of myself. That’s not why I came to you.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “I’ve always appreciated that courage, Kendra. Many of your traits annoy the hell out of me, but that’s one I admire.”
“I don’t want your admiration. I want you to help me. Will you do it?”
“You do know that I won’t publicly acknowledge that Colby may be alive until you can bring me stronger evidence than this. I’ll have to have public backing before I take that risk.”
“I don’t care if you’re protecting your ass. Just help me get public support.”
“That might be possible.” He looked back down at the trophies, and said brusquely, “San Diego PD is going to want to get their hands on some of these items. Particularly since they were taken from another one of their crime scenes. I’ll have difficulty maintaining control.”
“Not true. You always manage to get your own way eventually.” She got to her feet. “I brought these to you because I needed you to fast-track the verification and any clues they might yield. Don’t you dare give them up to the police. You know how they feel about me. I don’t want them buried in their file thirteen. Stall until you get my answers.”
He shrugged. “I’ll do my best. But it might help if you can schmooze that detective, Stokes, whose iron grip I managed to pluck you from.”
“Schmooze? Me? No one would believe it.”
He chuckled. “Too true. But you might try explanation and courtesy.” His smile faded. “Up to you. It could buy me time.”
And so she would do it. Though he didn’t realize how difficult those explanations were going to be after that chase through the hills. She wasn’t the only one who had bruises.
She turned toward the door. “Then get to work, Griffin. I don’t want the humble pie I’m going to eat to be for nothing.”
CHAPTER 10
BETH.
Kendra froze after she pressed the elevator button a few minutes later.
Beth was going to kill her.
She swiftly pulled out her phone and dialed. “Beth, I meant to call you on the way to Griffin’s office. But then I had to get what I was going to say to him straight in my mind and then—”
“Slow down, Kendra. I’m not interested in excuses. I want to know facts.” She paused. “Though I do approve of the fact that you’re feeling guilty for treating me so shabbily. After what we went through tonight, I thought we were doing this together.”
“Very guilty,” Kendra said. “Okay, no excuses, just explanations. What I saw on that coffee table threw me into a tailspin, and I had to talk to someone who knew what I knew.” She added, “And you weren’t that person, Beth. You’re my friend, but that was another life. I saw that shoestring, and it all zoomed back to me.”
“Facts,” Beth repeated. “And I’ll decide whether I’m going to forgive you.”
“That’s fair.” She got on the elevator. “It was that red shoestring that sent me spinning. You called it a weird addition, and it was. Colby wanted to catch my attention, and he knew that would do it. Only one shoestring was missing on the shoes of that little boy. No one could find…”
She was pulling up at her home by the time she finished telling Beth everything. “And now Griffin wants me to smooth down Stokes, and we both know that’s a futile exercise at best.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think that Stokes likes you.”
“Really? You mean when he’s not suspecting me of murder or making me tumble down a hill.”
“Well, he at least respects you.”
“That’s not the same thing.” Kendra unlocked her condo and threw open the door. Beth was curled up on the couch and hung up as she saw Kendra. “Not when I’m supposed to persuade him to do what Griffin wants.” She plopped down in a chair across from Beth. “But I’ll try if it will move things along.” She looked at Beth. “So what’s the verdict? Am I forgiven for running out on you?”
“This time.” She smiled faintly. “You were under extreme duress, or I wouldn’t do it. You shouldn’t have done that to me, Kendra.”
“I know. I’m used to working alone, and I went spiraling backward to that time when there was only me.”
“Not Lynch?”
“Lynch is his own person. Just as I am. Sometimes we just … come together.”
“That’s a provocative turn of phrase.” She got to her feet. “But I’m not going to pursue it. I’m going back to the hotel and go to bed.” She gestured to the objects on the table. “I photographed all of them and made a list. I thought you might want to go over them to see if you’d missed anything.” She gestured to her computer. “I pulled up Sheila Hunter’s coworkers and got addresses and telephone numbers. I’ll call them tomorrow and see if I can turn up anything more. You said that Griffin was going to get you that list of people Colby was in contact with during his prison stint. Do you have it?”
“Not yet. I’ll nudge him.”
“It appears you’re making a career out of nudging him.”
“Much to his displeasure.” She added, “But not this time. There’s no one more cynical than Griffin but I think that he believed me about Colby. Colby was a nightmare for Griffin while he was on his rampage. The last thing he wants is for Colby to cause him that headache again. He’ll want to put a stop to it before it begins. That’s why I had to get to him before the police took over this evidence that might indicate Colby is still alive and kicking.”
“And killing.”
“And killing,” Kendra repeated. “I’ll have those files for you before noon tomorrow. Promise.”
“See that you do.” Beth waved and left the condo.
There had still been a tinge of coolness in Beth’s voice when she left, Kendra realized.
And Kendra deserved it. Beth had been with her all the way and risked life and limb, and Kendra had pushed her aside when she had chosen to run to Griffin. Yet Beth was still trying to help in any way she could.
She had to find a way to make it up to her, Kendra thought wearily. But right now, she was too tired to think how or when.
She glanced at the objects on the table. Nothing more from Colby. She had recognized and collected all of those painful trophies. She carefully put Sheila Hunter’s memorabilia back in the black
bag and set the bag in the foyer by the door.
Then she headed for the shower. Clean up, get to bed, and hope she got some sleep before Stokes called her or pounded on the door. She had an idea it had to be one or the other. She was lucky that Stokes had probably been too involved with explanations about losing a valuable city vehicle to come after her yet. She should probably go on the offensive and call him and offer the bag. It would look much more cooperative.
But she wasn’t up to going on offense or being aggressive right now. She had looked at those trophies, and the memories were still with her.
It was what Colby had wanted, what he had set up, and yet she’d had to fight to get those trophies and give him the satisfaction he wanted.
Damn Schultz. Damn Colby.
And heaven bless the souls of those poor victims he was still using as pawns.
* * *
IT WASN’T A TELEPHONE CALL, it was the pounding on the door.
Kendra was having her orange juice the next morning when she heard the door buzzer downstairs. “Good morning, Dr. Michaels,” Stokes said coldly. “I guess you were expecting me.”
“Oh, yes, come on up.”
“I’m on my way.”
The words were followed a few minutes later by the impatient pounding on the front door.
“Come in.” Kendra stepped aside after answering the door. “I would have been stupid not to think you’d be here to question me.” Her gaze went to his face. It was scratched, and there was a purple lump below his left eye. “You look a little worse for wear.”
“So do you,” he said. “You do know I saw you on that hillside?”
“Yes. Do you expect me to deny it? I was the one being hunted like an animal. Why shouldn’t I hide? You didn’t identify yourself. I didn’t know it was you following me until you started stumbling down that hillside. It could have been anyone.”
“Like Eric Colby.”
“It was one possibility,” she said sarcastically.
“I would have identified myself if you’d—”
“You didn’t advise me I was under surveillance, either.”
“That went without saying.”
“You’re right, I should have known you’d tail me. But the rest you didn’t handle with any great finesse.”
He scowled. “That’s what my superintendent told me. You’re going to be charged for the destruction of my vehicle.”
“How? I was nowhere near it. You saw me at the time that it went off the road.”
“You had a Beth Avery with you when you left your condo. She wasn’t on that hillside.”
“And how are you going to prove it was her? No witness. You left the engine running. It could have been an accident.”
“We’ll find proof.”
“Look, I know that you were probably given a hard time by your superiors. You’re still smarting from it. We had no intention of causing you any problem. That’s not why we were out there.” She turned and grabbed the black plastic bag she had set in the foyer. “This is why we were on that hillside. Take it.”
He opened the bag and looked inside. “What is it? It looks like a bunch of bottles and statues.”
“That’s what it is. It’s a collection of objects taken from Sheila Hunter’s houseboat the night of her murder.”
“By you?”
“Of course not.”
“Colby?” he asked scornfully.
“No, though he certainly set them out to be found. Along with a few more important items.” She grimaced. “But someone got in Colby’s way and spoiled his little surprise for me. Her lover panicked and gathered them up and took them away.”
“Because he’d killed Sheila Hunter?”
“No, I told you that was Colby.”
“Oh, yes, the ghostly Mr. Colby. Then who stole the things in this bag?”
She shook her head. “I made a deal. In exchange for telling me where he’d hidden the bag, I told him I wouldn’t reveal his name.”
“Which makes you an accomplice to evidence theft.”
“Bullshit. I didn’t steal that bag, I found it. And now I’m giving it to you. It should be easy enough for you to pin down who stole these objects without my telling you. You’ve done checks on all Sheila’s associates. He handled these objects and I’m sure he didn’t do it with gloves on, as Beth and I did. He was too scared.”
He was silent, looking down at the plastic bag. “And all the contents are now present and intact?”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. “No?”
“But you can have limited access to them.”
“Limited,” he repeated softly. “What the hell do you mean?”
“I turned over several objects to Special Agent Griffin to process.”
“Evidence from my crime scene?”
“Not exactly.” She hesitated, then went for it. “Trophies. There were a number of past victims’ trophies left at the houseboat by Eric Colby. It was done to taunt me, but there’s a possibility they can be verified by the victims’ families and offer proof Colby may still be alive.”
“And then you’d get what you want.”
“It could save lives. Yes, that’s what I want. That’s what you should want.”
“Don’t lecture me on what I should want. I like the idea of bringing the bad guys to justice and protecting the family next door. I’m a cop and a damn good one. At least that’s what I thought until you showed up on my cases.” His eyes were glittering in his taut face. “Since then, I’ve been called on the carpet twice, and I watched my vehicle crash down a hill. What I want is to find Sheila Hunter’s killer and get you out of my life. That’s my job, not to prove your crazy theory is correct. Colby is dead.”
“He’s alive, Stokes. If you don’t believe me, contact Griffin. He had the same doubts, but he doesn’t any longer. Well, that’s not true. But he believes enough to start to feel the situation out. Talk to him, help him.” She paused, gazing at him urgently, with her entire being focused on convincing him. “Look, you helped me that night at the houseboat. Because you knew that I wanted to find Sheila Hunter’s killer. You had some reservations, but you relied on your instincts. Those instincts were right. I’m not guilty of anything but trying to save lives and bring a monster to justice.”
He was silent, his face expressionless. “Are you finished?”
What else could she say? “I guess I am.”
He turned toward the door. “I’m not going to take you in today, but that might come later.” He looked down at the bag in his hands. “You behaved recklessly and without any sense of standard operational procedure. If you destroyed any evidence, you’ll have to face the consequences.”
“Whatever. But will you work with Griffin? Will you let him try to verify those trophies?”
He opened the door. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll let him try to convince me that you’re not crazy, and Colby is still out there. That’s my duty.”
“Thank you, Stokes. You’re an honorable man.”
“Am I? I kind of think you’re honorable, too.” He looked back at her. “But I don’t believe any of this. Colby is stone-cold dead. He can’t do anyone any harm now. You might make your life easier if you accept the truth.”
“I’ve already accepted the truth.”
He shrugged and walked out of the condo.
She stared after him for a moment. Stokes was being more fair than she’d thought he’d be. He could have caused her a megahassle, and he’d chosen to back down and give her a chance.
Or at least breathing room.
As he’d said, it might not be the end of her problems with the San Diego PD, but maybe it was the start.
And the important thing was that he wasn’t going to get in the way of Griffin’s work on those trophies.
Providing that Griffin could silver-tongue him into believing that there was even the faintest chance that Colby was still alive. He’d been pretty adamant on the subject.
She reac
hed for her phone to call Griffin and tell him about the challenge she’d set for him.
* * *
KENDRA PUNCHED IN THE PHONE number and was surprised when Sam picked up immediately.
“I’ve been wondering when I’d hear from you again,” he answered.
“I’ve been a little busy, Sam.”
“So I gathered. Taunting psychopathic killers is so exhausting…”
“What?”
“I just ran across your conversation with Colby in that Word file. You told me you’d had some back-and-forth with him, but you neglected to mention that you basically challenged him to come at you. Are you out of your mind?”
“Possibly.”
“You have more experience dealing with the sick-and-twisted population than I do, but that seems like some pretty risky behavior.”
“He feeds on fear. Strength is the only thing that has ever worked against him.”
“Still, it’s a little like someone with an allergy sticking their face into a beehive. I wish you wouldn’t do it.”
“What do you have for me, Sam?”
“Ah, and my concerns for you are summarily dismissed.”
“Not at all. Sometimes I need to be told these things.”
“But this isn’t one of those times?”
“No. I know how dangerous Colby is, believe me. I’ve seen firsthand what he’s capable of doing.”
“He’s a devious son of a bitch, and I’ve seen that firsthand.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been poring through the data on your hard drive. It’s exactly what I suspected. He was using your laptop’s microphone to listen to everything that was being said in the vicinity. Even when you thought your machine was off.”
“And my camera?”
“Yeah. Your laptop’s webcam, too. At least when the lid was open.”
Kendra felt that sickening chill again. The thought of Colby watching her, listening to her conversations … “How did he do it? Did he hack in from the Web?”
“No.”
“Then how in the hell?”
Sam was silent for a long moment. “That’s kind of the scary part, Kendra.”
She had an idea where this was going. “Oh, God.”
The Naked Eye Page 16
