Blink of an Eye

by Roy Johansen

  “Of course, you could.” Kendra was already running back toward her car. “Let’s go. I’ll call Kelland on the way.”

  * * *

  Kendra had already pulled onto State Route 14 by the time she’d called Kelland and explained what she and Lynch had seen and put together.

  “Let’s check it out,” he said instantly. “I’ll put together a team and rendezvous with you and Lynch at the Mojave Air and Space Port. We can be there inside of two hours.”

  “We’re not waiting around,” Kendra said. “We’re less than twenty-five minutes out.”

  “Kendra, listen to me…”

  “You listen. They have their money, and they still haven’t released Dee. And now they have Jessie. There’s no telling what they’ll do. They have to be on edge. They’ve just killed one of their own men in the last couple hours. We can’t waste time.”

  “I’m in charge of this investigation. I’m ordering you to wait for us, Kendra.”

  “Sorry, Kelland. Call me when you get there.” She cut the connection and glanced at Lynch. “We’re on the same page, right?”

  “Of course. It was my idea, and I’m far too arrogant not to believe it’s a good one,” Lynch said. “But Kelland may have a point. Who knows what we may find out there?”

  “We may find nothing.” Her hands clenched on the steering wheel. “But I can’t just sit around for hours when Dee and Jessie might need us.”

  “And I agree. But we don’t know who and how many people we may find ourselves up against. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told you there might be over a thousand commercial planes to search through. We need to be careful.”

  She gazed at him in disbelief. “Now I’ve heard everything. What is the world coming to when Adam Lynch wants to be cautious? It’s almost as if—” She broke off as Lynch’s phone rang.

  “Do you suppose you can stop harassing me so that I can take this call from Karl?” Lynch said dryly.

  “Karl? I almost forgot about that transmission.”

  “You had something else to think about.” He pressed the button. “But I think that you have time to analyze it now, don’t you? Lean back and listen.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice. All of her attention was focused on that voice. It was incredibly clear in every detail. “Keep playing it.” She closed her eyes. “Over and over. There’s something…there.”

  Lynch didn’t answer, he just put the message on repeat and remained silent. The voice was surrounding her, becoming part of her, the roughness, the sarcasm, the intonations…She inhaled sharply and then paused for a long moment. Her lids flew open. “Holy shit.”

  “What is it? Is it a voice you recognize?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never heard it before in my life.”

  “Then what—”

  “Wait, don’t talk to me for a minute.” She rode in silence for a few moments, letting the thought percolate. It was possible and yet it was difficult to believe that it could be true. She didn’t want it to be true because it increased the deadliness that Dee and Jessie were facing. Yet could she be right?

  Lynch leaned toward her. “Kendra?”

  “Okay. Okay. But you’re probably not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”

  “What?”

  She looked straight ahead and then just went for it. “I think I know who did this.”

  * * *

  “For God’s sake, I told you to play it cool,” Jessie said impatiently as she gazed at Dee’s bleeding lip. “What part of that didn’t you understand?”

  “The part where that ape was groping you when he was supposedly checking your manacles.“ She scowled. “And I was pretty cool. I only bit his arm to distract him. It did the job. He left, didn’t he? You said Charlotte wouldn’t turn them loose on me. You didn’t mention that you might still be on their menu.” She met her eyes. “But you probably knew it might happen, didn’t you?”

  “Of course I did,” she said curtly. “They probably guessed I was fair game or would be soon. Plus they were bored and eager to get their share of the money. Sexual dominance was bound to be the next move now that your dragon bitch was temporarily out of the picture. And it might not have gone any farther if I’d just let him feel me up and have a taste of fun.”

  “And what if it had? Was I supposed to watch him rape you?” Dee emphatically shook her head. “No way. I got pretty tired of seeing them toss you around and half drown you after they got you here. I’m not going to let it go on. I’ll find a way to stop it.”

  Jessie should have known that Dee would have that response, but it was too dangerous to ignore. She had to convince her that restraint was the way to handle this nightmare. No, that wasn’t all, she also had to give her a weapon to fight it if everything went to hell. “Look, bad things sometimes happen. It’s not only assholes like those guys. I’ve seen it in Afghanistan, in the slums of New Orleans…” She hesitated. “And it can seem terrible at the time. But no matter what they do, it doesn’t mean that they’ve beaten me. I just close out whatever bad has happened to me and go on. Because, in the end, that’s the only way to win.”

  “That’s very inspiring. Are you finished?”

  “Not unless you understand what I’m trying to tell you. I’ve often found situations don’t escalate if no overt action is taken. Will you trust me on this?”

  “I always trust you.” Dee was smiling. “And I’m very touched that you’re trying to gently let me into the dark side of your world that you’ve struggled so hard to keep from me. But it’s not as if I didn’t know it was there. From the moment you came into my life, you were the most important person in it. You were the one who would always tell me the truth, the one who believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself. Did you think that I wouldn’t make sure I knew what was below the surface?”

  Jessie stared at her for a long moment. Dee was smiling, but beneath it her expression held a kind of serenity. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “I’m trying to tell you that I hope you’ll be my friend forever, but I won’t keep you chained by pretending to be what I’m not.” She added quietly, “I don’t need you, Jessie. I can survive almost anything that comes my way these days and come out stronger. So don’t tell me not to help you when and if I choose.”

  Jessie found her lips quirking. “I’ll try to keep my advice to myself.”

  Dee frowned. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “You can’t shout out a declaration of emancipation like that and then apologize. It doesn’t work that way. It was a great declaration and you should keep it intact.”

  “You’re being bossy. But you’re right, it was pretty awesome.”

  “If I can offer a suggestion, would you wipe that blood on your lip on your shirtsleeve? It hurts me to see it.”

  Dee immediately wiped away the blood. “You’re very manipulative.”

  “Just to show you that need comes in many shapes and nuances.”

  “I knew that.” Her voice was suddenly husky. “I just didn’t want you to feel that particular nuance was an obligation.”

  “Exception noted.” She paused. “But if that situation occurs again, I want you to remember what I said.” She shrugged and then said slowly, “Though it might not occur. Perhaps the play is already in motion. I was just thinking of what Charlotte said before she left. It was half threat, but there was something…very ugly when she was talking about those assholes who delivered me here.”

  “Ugly?” Dee was frowning as she mentally went over that conversation. “She said it would be amusing to give those assholes their last chance at screwing me.”

  Jessie nodded. “And then she repeated something about it definitely would be their last chance. She thought it was funny.”

  “I must have missed the humor.” Then Dee slowly nodded as she realized where Jessie was going. “It wasn’t entirely aimed at me. You believe there’s no way those bastards are going to get their share of the ransom.”


  “They’re not needed any longer,” Jessie said simply. “It just depends what time and method is going to be chosen to get rid of them. I’d judge that Charlotte’s sudden exit and craving for privacy have something to do with that decision.”

  She shuddered. “What did I say about a rattlesnake?”

  “You always did have a way with imagery. That’s why your lyrics come out so well.” Her gaze shifted to the door. “The rattlesnake or the ape? Now all we have to do is wait and see which one comes through that door in the next hour. I’m betting on the reptile…”

  CHAPTER

  ​12

  It was Charlotte who eventually threw open the door. “Here I am. Did you miss me?”

  “Not really,” Jessie said. She could see that color was flushing Charlotte’s cheeks and her attitude was breathing defiance. She wondered what had occurred to cause that change. “We were only discussing what a liar you are. You said that those assholes were going to check on us every hour. Not that we missed them, but it just goes to show that you’re far from being as efficient as you bragged.”

  “Shut up. I won’t put up with that nonsense right now.” She was striding toward them. “For your information, your guards were indisposed.”

  “Drunk?”

  “I didn’t mean that. I should have said permanently indisposed. Muntz, Fantinelli, Blackman…They were all fools.” Her glance shifted to Dee and she stiffened. “What happened to your mouth? It’s cut.”

  “She had an encounter with one of your apes. I believe it was Muntz,” Jessie said. “But it doesn’t really matter which one. Since you’re in charge, you’re responsible.” She tilted her head. “You should have come back sooner.“

  “I couldn’t come back sooner. I had to give them time to finish that bottle of champagne.” Her eyes were blazing. “And I’m not to blame for this. Nothing happened to her all the time I had the bitch here. I didn’t choose those men. It’s his fault.”

  “Whose fault?” Dee asked softly. “And why were you so careful about those guys guzzling down that champagne? Jessie thinks that you were planning on ridding yourself of them.” She paused. “If that’s true, I have to ask myself: What weapon? If you were going to do it, the answer would be poison. Everyone knows poison is the prime weapon used by women.” Her lips twisted. “And it would suit your twisted humor to put the poison in the champagne that was meant to celebrate their newfound wealth.”

  “It was just convenient.” She lifted her chin. “I could have used any weapon.”

  “But you didn’t?”

  “No, I didn’t. The idea did amuse me.” She added, “So maybe you could be smarter than I thought. But it won’t do you any good. In the end, he always comes back to me.” She turned and strode toward the bathroom. “I don’t have time to talk to you any longer. He’ll be here soon. I’ll get a washcloth and clean up that cut, and he’ll just be happy that he had me to keep them from hurting you even more…”

  “Rattlesnake, indeed,” Jessie murmured, gazing after her. “And you were firing on all cylinders while you were probing her just now.”

  “Because I suddenly put everything together about the reason why she had to be involved in this,” Dee said. “Though it’s bizarre and I can’t—”

  “He’s here.” Charlotte was hurrying out of the bathroom. “I know the sound of that monster car.” She carelessly wiped Dee’s mouth with the wet cloth. “Now don’t give me any trouble or you’ll be sorry.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Dee said. “I wouldn’t want you to be upset with me when we’ve grown so close. You might—”

  The door was thrown wide open. “Hello, Delilah!”

  Dee and Jessie turned and stared in disbelief at the man standing in the doorway.

  It was Noah Calderon.

  “Are you all right?” He hurried forward. “I can’t tell you how worried I’ve been about you. You have to understand why this happened. Why it had to be like this.”

  “Understand?” Dee was still staring at him in bewilderment. “Unless you’re here to rescue me, then I don’t think that’s a possibility. You did this, Noah?”

  “Son of a bitch,” Jessie murmured.

  “Shut up,” Noah said savagely. “This is partly your fault. She was always talking about you when we were together, and I could see that she wanted to be like you. You were only a glorified bodyguard. She couldn’t understand that she was so much more than you’d ever be.” His lips twisted bitterly. “And that the two of us together could rule the world if we chose. We were the perfect couple.”

  “Except Dee didn’t agree with you,” Jessie said sarcastically. “And I don’t even remember commenting on you to her while she was dating you. She must have had the good sense to make up her own mind what a loser you were.”

  “I wouldn’t insult me if I were you,” Noah said with soft venom. “I have a possible use for you, but that can change in a heartbeat. Why do you think I chose you to deliver that ransom? A threat or pain to you and Delilah would do anything I wanted. But I’m beginning to believe it might be time to totally eliminate your influence with her.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dee asked through set teeth. “I’ve been listening to all this bullshit you’ve been muttering but I can’t believe it. You have to say the words. Did you actually have the insanity to do this to me?”

  “Of course I did,” Noah said calmly. “There was nothing insane about it. You wouldn’t pay any attention to me when I tried to talk you out of breaking up with me. You even laughed when I tried to tell you we should stay together, that the two of us were perfect for each other.” His lower lip curled. “No one laughs at me. I was brilliant, everyone admired me, look at all I had accomplished. And yet whenever you were with me, you were like a shooting star that made me shine even brighter. You were wrong to try to destroy that. So I had to keep it from happening.”

  “I liked you, Noah. I thought you were fun. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I only wondered if you were getting too serious when I had a career to think about.” She was still shaking her head. “And what you did was insane. How could you even think it wasn’t?”

  “People have told me before that they thought I was crazy, but it was only because they were jealous of what I’d become. All you have to do is understand that we were meant to be together and obey me.” He frowned. “Though it’s going to be much more difficult now. I had to do a lot of shifting and adjusting. I’ll have to take you away and see if we can come to some kind of agreement that will please me.”

  “Take me away?” Dee’s voice was suddenly hoarse with anger. “You took me away, you son of a bitch. And you killed people to do it. Is that what you call shifting and adjusting?”

  “You don’t know what I’ve gone through for you.” He bent toward her. “Do you realize I risked twenty-five million to make this work?”

  Dee shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

  “He paid the ransom to himself,” Jessie said. “It drew away suspicion and brought him access to the investigation. He was right there with us.”

  Noah smiled. “Exactly.” Then he added quickly, “But that didn’t mean I wasn’t forced to put that money at risk. I had to trust some men who had proven to me they would do almost anything for cash. I had no assurance that they wouldn’t take off with that ransom payment, so I placed tracking chips in the money bands. I gave them a signal sweeper that shouldn’t have detected those chips, but one of the men, in a moment of rare initiative, brought another one of his own that was more powerful.” He grimaced. “The cash tracking chips were detected, and the whole thing almost blew up in our faces.”

  “But then you had your chance to do it again and sent me into the Los Angeles River,” Jessie said sardonically.

  Noah clapped his hands together. “Yes, well done, by the way. It kept me in the investigation’s inner circle, and brought you to us. Necessity really is the mother of invention, isn’t it?”

  “And
you sound so proud of yourself.” Dee was gazing at him incredulously. “Don’t you realize what a monster you’ve been? You’ve killed people, you’ve kidnapped me and brought me to this hellhole, and you’ve made me put up with that vicious bitch.” She held out her manacled wrists. “Dammit, now take these off me!”

  “I can’t do that yet,” he said. “You’ll have to earn your rewards, Delilah. I’m still very angry with you. Perhaps when we’re out of here and you can convince me that you’re sorry for the way you’ve treated me.”

  “Out of here? Where the hell are we supposed to be going?”

  “I have a lovely private island set up in the South Pacific where we can get to know each other all over again. It’s very well guarded, and you’ll stay there until you learn your proper place in my life.” He checked his watch. “My pilot will be landing in about an hour to pick us up. However, Charlotte and I have a few things to attend to before he gets here, so you’ll forgive me if I leave you for a while.” His lips suddenly tightened. “But before I do, I want you to apologize to Charlotte for calling her a bitch. I realize she can be difficult, but she’s been very helpful to me in this situation. From now on the two of you will have to get along or you’ll both hear from me.”

  “And you think that would make a difference?” Dee asked in amazement.

  “Yes, because I’ll let her punish you whenever she wishes from now on.” He leaned forward, his gaze holding her own. “I can’t tell you how hard it was to keep her in check. But now I’m not even sure that all this was worth the effort. You didn’t appreciate me.” He glanced at Charlotte. “And my Charlotte has always appreciated me. Haven’t you, my dear?”

  “Always,” Charlotte said gruffly. “From the time they put you in my care, you were my little boy. I was the one who kept you safe. I kept you safe this time, too. But this foolishness has to end, Noah. I know you were angry with her, but you can get a woman anywhere.”