by Roy Johansen
Oh, shit.
Jessie hadn’t realized how long it had been since she’d made more than passing contact with Dee. She was right, Jessie had been swamped for the last months, and Dee’s career had also appeared to be operating on hyperdrive. Other than setting up Dee’s appearances at Woodward Academy, she’d barely seen her. But Jessie should have remembered how vulnerable and lonely Dee could be even surrounded by hordes of fans. “I wouldn’t miss it,” she said lightly. “But I thought it was already sold out.”
Dee grinned. “Lucky for you I know someone at the box office.”
“Yeah, lucky for me.” She grinned back at her before she paused to ask, “Is your mother going to be able to make it this time?”
“Gina?” Dee shook her head. “Be for real. She’s in France with husband number five. She said she’d try to see me when I go on tour.”
“Hey, then maybe you’ll be able to have dinner with me after the concert? I’ll understand if you can’t. But I’d be willing to fight my way back through all your friends and fans if I had a chance.”
“You have a chance,” she said quietly. “Thanks, Jessie.”
“For what? It’s just a meal.” She tilted her head. “And talking about meals, would you mind if I didn’t take you right back to that mansion you call home? I’m starved. Maybe we could stop at Pink’s and get a hot dog?”
“Maybe we could.” Dee’s gray-green eyes were suddenly twinkling. “Since you’re the only one in my circle who will let me load mine with onions for fear of media reprisal.”
“I’ll brave it. We’ve gone through worse together.” She pulled back on the throttle. “And I have a hunch there are even better times ahead…”
* * *
Kendra’s Condo
“Stop checking up on me. I told you I was coming to dinner,” Kendra said when she received Olivia’s call as she got out of her car in the parking garage. “I’ll be in the elevator in seconds. But I thought I’d go up to my place and shower first. I was outside on the grounds of the school for a while today and I’m a little mussed.”
“Bad idea,” Olivia said flatly. “Get off at my condo instead. Harley has been missing you, and that means you’ll end up more than ‘mussed’ when he gets through with his first attack. And you’ll probably smell like chopped liver. I don’t think those new breath mints are working.”
Kendra groaned. “I thought you told me that dog training was making a big difference.”
“Oh, it has, but with a unique dog like Harley, you have to consider that his superb intelligence would let him know that he’s being ignored, and he’d feel as if he had to do something about it.” She paused. “He might even think you have to be punished.”
Kendra didn’t like the sound of that. There were times these days when she regretted persuading Olivia to take a Seeing Eye dog into her home. Her friend had sworn she didn’t need a service dog since she considered herself, though blind, to be totally independent. She’d even built a successful web destination called Outasite that earned her seven figures. Yet she’d fallen in love with Harley. Perhaps they’d become entirely too close in both nature and spirit, Kendra thought gloomily. “You wouldn’t have been coaching him?”
“I never coach Harley in bad behavior. But you’ll have to take responsibility for your own misbehavior. Neither of us approved of you canceling dinner for the second time in a week. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She ended the call.
Kendra sighed as she pressed the button for Olivia’s fourth-floor condo. Might as well accept whatever Olivia and Harley had in store for her. Olivia had been her best friend since they’d both been students at the academy as children. When Kendra had gained her sight, it hadn’t changed anything about the relationship but the fact they’d both gotten stronger and more determined to be their own people.
She heard Harley’s hideous bark as she hurried down the hall so the neighbors wouldn’t complain. Poor baby, he couldn’t help that his vocals had been damaged in a fire, but it didn’t help the effect that sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
Olivia threw open the door. “It’s about time.”
Harley launched himself at Kendra. She saw a flash of one blue eye, one brown eye, and curly brownish face and body hair before his paws hit her shoulders. The dog was part German shepherd, part mystery mutt, and totally adorable.
But that big tongue licking her chin was not, and neither was the liver smell Olivia had mentioned. “You’re right, try another breath mint for him.” Then she knelt down and started stroking and crooning to him. He instantly rolled over on his back and presented his belly for attention.
After a moment Olivia said, “That’s enough.” She bent down and snapped her fingers and made a downward motion.
Harley quickly rolled back over and jumped to his feet.
“Good boy.” Olivia turned away. “Kendra, I poured glasses of wine for us when I heard you in the hall. You can sit down at the kitchen bar and keep me company while I finish the salad.”
Harley was now calmly sitting next to the island and gazing happily at Olivia. He was completely ignoring Kendra. Night and day, she thought suspiciously. “Could you have stopped that attack before it began?”
“Of course. Harley’s training is going along splendidly. But both barking and displaying affection are vitally important to dogs. If I keep it within limits, I’ll raise a healthy dog.” Her lips twitched with mischief as she got down the salad bowl. “I decided that since you hadn’t been around lately to contribute to his health and well-being, you’d certainly want to help out. Isn’t that right?”
She sighed. “Right.”
Olivia’s smile had disappeared. “Then we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“About why you’ve turned your back on me and stopped being my friend.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Olivia turned toward the salad ingredients on her kitchen counter. “Have a seat.”
Kendra was still trying to recover from the shock as she sat on a barstool on the other side of the counter. “That was a hell of a thing to say. What did I do? Look, I know you were upset about me missing dinner, but I didn’t think you’d go that far to punish me. After all, I had work to do up at Oceanside. You’re usually very understanding about professional engagements. Heaven knows, you have enough of them yourself.”
“Yes, I do.” She was expertly tossing the salad. “And I let all the excuses go for a little while because I thought there might be a smidgen of truth in them. But then I decided that it was time to clear all the crap away.”
“Crap?” She frowned. “What are you talking about? And smidgen of truth? I was telling you the truth about working late at the school.”
“Smidgen,” Olivia repeated precisely. “You wouldn’t lie to me, but if you didn’t want me to worry, you’d spend more time than needed on a project to avoid telling me about a problem. You’ve done it before. Sometimes I think you’re not even aware you’re doing it. But I am beginning to worry. Because it’s stretching on too long…”
“And you want to clear the crap away?” Kendra said. “Did it occur to you that you could be wrong?”
“No, I know every nuance of your voice and phrasing. I’m terrific at it. I realize when I’m getting smidgens.” Her expression was sober. “What’s going on? I have to know. You’re my best friend. You’ve never hidden anything from me before. Are you working on a new case? You haven’t mentioned Griffin or Metcalf, but they’ve asked you to keep cases confidential before. I won’t pry, but I want to be there when and if you need me. You live right upstairs, and I should at least know that much.”
“You think a homicidal maniac is stalking me?”
“It’s happened before.” She drew a deep, relieved breath. “But judging by my infallible ability to read your voice, I gather that it’s not happening now.”
“No, it’s not.” She chuckled. “I haven’t been called by anyone at the FBI for weeks. No serial k
illers knocking on my door or following me to the school. You screwed up, Olivia.”
“No, I didn’t.” She finished the salad and leaned back against the counter. “The smidgen was there. I just exaggerated the threat. For which I’m grateful. I instinctively go for the worst-case scenario when I believe something’s not right with you.”
“Actually, I’m admiring how good you were to listen and identify a possible problem. Your audio abilities might be better than mine these days.”
“You’ve just gotten lazy since you got your vision. I have to work harder. I went after what I wanted, but I just took the wrong path.”
And this wasn’t going to be over until Olivia had everything clear to her satisfaction, Kendra could see.
“Then turn around and start over.” She took a sip of her wine, trying to read Olivia’s expression. “Don’t wait and let it simmer. Come right out with it.”
“Are you certain? I was trying to be diplomatic.”
“That’s always a lost cause between us.”
Olivia shrugged. “If it wasn’t a life-or-death situation, it has to be Lynch. I didn’t think that was possible, because you usually do such a great job of guarding yourself from him. But maybe something has changed lately…”
“It could hardly have changed, since I haven’t seen him for two weeks.”
“That sounded a bit barbed,” Olivia said. “Is he still in Tibet?”
“As far as I know.” She added warily, “And I don’t have any right to be barbed. We don’t have that kind of a relationship. We’re friends and partners, and anything else that occurs between us has to trail behind.”
“Bullshit,” Olivia said. “It would be nice if we could all keep our emotions in those neat little boxes, but it doesn’t happen. They all get jumbled up together and who the hell knows where they’ll land.” She took a sip of her wine. “I’ve known you since the day you met Adam Lynch years ago and you’re even more jumbled than most. You’ve both been moving cautiously around each other, but it was inevitable that you’d come together. Who could blame you? You’re both brilliant, and you match each other. Then add sexual tension, respect, admiration, and a number of other emotions that are guaranteed to drive you around the bend.”
Kendra forced a smile. “It sounds very uncomfortable.”
“You’d have to tell me. I’m on the outside. From what I’ve been able to judge, it’s like two fencers fighting a championship match. Sharp. Thrusting. Exciting. I have an idea you both draw blood on occasion.” She shrugged. “But I can’t let myself care, because you’d tell me to mind my own business. Which I will do, as long as you clarify that it’s Lynch with whom you’re having a problem and not some mystery serial killer.” She added softly, “Because I’ll always know a problem is there, Kendra.”
Kendra nodded ruefully. “Acknowledged.” She lifted her glass. “Between you and Harley, I don’t have a chance, do I?”
“Hell, no.” She turned toward the oven. “Now take Harley for a short walk, and then set the table while I finish dinner.”
* * *
Paul Fantinelli exited the elevator and strode across the rooftop patio of the London Hotel. The sun was setting over West Hollywood, and the poolside bar was packed with young entertainment industry professionals. There were the agents, the lower-level studio execs, and the impossibly good-looking stars- and starlets-in-the-making.
And a man who didn’t fit in any of those categories. Nick Parillo stood on the pool’s far side, nursing a drink as he stared at the lights of Sunset Boulevard. Parillo was a handsome man, maybe fifty, who obviously felt no connection to anyone or anything on that patio. He was dressed in an expensive suit, no tie, and a close-cropped hairstyle that almost appeared to be a military cut. He turned and waved Paul over.
“Nice hotel,” Fantinelli said.
Parillo shrugged and finished his drink. “Any problems this morning?”
“No, I blended in with the paparazzi. There were probably ten of them there at the school. No one suspected a thing. I was just another member of the pack.”
“Good. Anyone at that concert that I should know about?”
He shook his head. “It was only for the kids.” He held up the fingers of one hand. “That hotshot Congressman Dalborne who wants to be the next president, Delilah Winter, Jessie Mercado, and Kendra Michaels.”
“Kendra Michaels?” Parillo repeated. He swore softly. “And you didn’t think I’d be interested in her? Are you an idiot? Even you must have heard about her background.”
“It doesn’t mean anything. She teaches classes up there at the school.”
“Everything means something in this game. Particularly Kendra Michaels. Count on it.” He suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to him. “But it’s obvious you weren’t worried about anything that happened this morning. So why did you call and ask to meet me?”
“I just thought we needed to have a talk.” Fantinelli hesitated. He was already having second thoughts. Parillo wasn’t a man to fool with, and his contacts with the mob were legendary. But the stakes were high enough for Fantinelli to risk probing a little. He smiled ingratiatingly. “This deal is going to be a huge score. How much do you think you’re going to make off it?”
Parillo stiffened. “Don’t concern yourself with that. You’re not paid to do anything but obey orders. I chose you because the word on the streets is that you’re smart and your team couldn’t be traced back to me. Just do your job and you’ll get every dollar you’ve been promised.”
“Maybe I should have asked for more,” Fantinelli said softly. “Come on, I’ll do a better job for you than those Las Vegas guys you usually hire. Like I said, you must be making a fortune. Share a little.”
“Talk like that could be very dangerous for you.” Parillo’s eyes were suddenly fierce. “We made a deal. I’d advise you not to try to change it.” He took a step closer, and his voice deepened into a tone that sent an icy chill down Paul’s spine. “This isn’t only about money for me. You know nothing about how I operate or what other contacts I might have. Trust me, my friend, it’s about something far, far more important than that…”
CHAPTER
2
Where are you?” Special Agent Michael Griffin’s voice was distinctly annoyed when Kendra picked up his call the next day. “You’re safe, aren’t you? You’re not in a hospital or being held by terrorists at gunpoint?”
“What on earth are you talking about?” she asked. “I’m just leaving my condo on the way to L.A. to attend a concert at the Hollywood Bowl with Jessie Mercado. And you’re the one who sounds like you should be in a mental hospital.”
“You’re right, I should be committed for ever paying attention to Lynch.”
“He told you I was being held by terrorists?”
“No, I just added that into the scenario because I was so pissed off at him for thinking he could use me to run his errands for him. He said that he was being held up in Tibet and I should check in with you occasionally to make sure everything was going well.”
“He called you? That’s more than I’ve gotten from him since he left here.”
“He didn’t call me. I received a visit from some special Tibetan envoy, Chodan Ki, who gave me his message. The bastard was very insistent I obey Lynch’s orders.” He growled. “I wanted to strangle him, but I had to bow and be polite. I could see that damn Metcalf trying to keep from laughing at me.”
She’d probably have laughed herself if she hadn’t been so pissed off at being the center of Lynch’s action, which spoke of his sheer arrogance and interference in her life. “I sympathize. Ignore Lynch as you usually do. I don’t know what got into him.”
“I can’t ignore him. Now if anything happened to you, it would probably trigger an international incident. Knowing Lynch, I can see him deliberately setting it up to cause me the most grief possible.”
She couldn’t blame him for that suspicion. On occasion Lynch could be positively brimming with catlike
mischief. However, that remark was very cold.
“I’m sorry if my possible demise might cause you inconvenience,” she said dryly. “I assure you that I’ll do everything I can to prevent it. Are we done?”
“Evidently not. But I guess that’s all for me right now.” His voice was silky with malice. “But I decided our fine Special Agent Metcalf was enjoying himself a little too much at my expense, so I gave him the task of delivering a present to you. I don’t think he’s going to like that at all. He should be waiting downstairs in your parking garage right now. Have a nice evening and make certain you take very good care of yourself.” He cut the connection.
A few minutes later Kendra had left the apartment and was in the elevator on the way to the parking garage. All she wanted was to see Metcalf and get this encounter over with. She’d known Griffin and Metcalf too long to ever feel embarrassed at the hijinks that Lynch had thrown at her, but it still annoyed her. What on earth was he doing even hinting that she couldn’t take care of herself and needed the FBI in the background to rush to her defense? It had to be some kind of practical joke, and it was one she didn’t appreciate.
The elevator door opened, and Metcalf was standing there in front of her. “Stop frowning.” He held up his hands. “It’s not my fault. This is the last thing I wanted to do. And Griffin knew it and wanted to punish me.”
Metcalf was a tall, good-looking man in his late twenties who was usually very efficient and confident. He didn’t look either at this moment, and she felt a rush of sympathy for him.
“You shouldn’t have laughed at Griffin.”
“I didn’t.” He added glumly, “I just almost did. If you could have seen that envoy staring down at Griffin as if he was a first-year recruit at Quantico…” He was smiling at the thought. “Lynch and I sometimes have our differences, but it was a stroke of genius to bring in that Tibetan envoy.”
“I don’t agree. So far it seems to have brought me nothing but trouble.” She added impatiently, “Griffin said you had some kind of gift for me?”
