Chapter 1 #3
“Hello, Kendra. How nice to see you.” Special Agent in Charge Michael Griffin, head of the FBI San Diego regional office, was standing on the doorstep with a polite smile on his face.
“I saw your car in the driveway. I rang the bell, but you didn’t answer.
That wasn’t courteous when we’re such old friends. ”
Friends? True, they’d known each other for several years, and Lynch had even worked for him before quitting to become a freelance agent-for-hire with several governments and private employers on his client list. In that time, Kendra knew Griffin didn’t allow himself the luxury of friends.
“I wasn’t in the house. I was here tending to an errand in the garden.
” She looked him in the eye. “And I don’t have the privilege of answering the door here. You know this isn’t my house, Griffin.”
“But evidently you’re allowed to treat it as if it is.” He added softly, “You evidently have the keys to the castle.”
“Only when Lynch needs a favor.” She paused. “I’d bet you know about the injured seals that Lynch is paying a good amount to take care of here on the property. He wanted me to check on them for him.”
He nodded. “As a matter of fact, I did know about them. It’s rather bizarre, but Lynch has never had ordinary tastes.” He gestured to Kendra. “You’re an excellent example.”
“I’ve never had an ambition to be ordinary.” She added impatiently, “And since you have such fine information, you must know that Lynch isn’t here now—and you probably know far better than I do when he’ll be back. Can I help you with anything else? I was just about to leave.”
“As a matter of fact, I do have a few questions. Suppose I walk you to your car?”
“Whatever you like.” She turned and locked the front door and then activated the alarm system. “Let’s go.”
“I do like an accommodating woman.” He fell into step with her. “But that wasn’t really my impression of you in the past. Actually, I thought that Lynch might resent the dominance. You must be able to hide that side of you.”
“Not at all. We just work through any personality conflicts, as I’m sure you do with your coworkers.
” He was beginning to annoy her. “What questions?” she asked bluntly.
“And why did you show up here to ask them when you could have come to my condo or had one of your agents bring me to your office?”
“Ah, yes. There’s that flash of dominance again.
I’m afraid that I’m not accustomed to it.
In fact, I didn’t really want to come and talk to you at all.
” His lips tightened. “But there’s a certain hierarchy I have to follow, so let’s be very frank and get it over with.
” He held up his hand. “It seems we have a problem that involves that troublesome Adam Lynch, who has a habit of popping up occasionally in my life. Since he saw fit to leave the Bureau and become their premier agent at Justice, he tends to run his own show now, and that’s fine with me.
” He grimaced. “Except when I get a call from my superiors at Justice ordering me to deal with a major problem and get answers because I once was his boss and they don’t want to offend him.
” His lips twisted. “He’s just an agent, dammit.
” He looked back at the palatial house behind them. “Though you’d never guess it.”
“He needs a place as secure as this,” Kendra said impatiently. “He’s very clever, and I’m sure he got it honestly. You’re probably certain, too. Or you would have had your agents investigating him. Now are you going to answer my questions?”
“As long as you return the favor. Of course I could have had you brought into my office, but that might have caused resentment. That wouldn’t have accomplished anything.
I wanted your cooperation. So when the agent I assigned to you reported that you appeared to be going to Lynch’s place, I decided to join you. ”
Kendra shook her head in disbelief. “The agent you had assigned to me . . .”
“Just covering all the bases.”
“Uh-huh. You must have been disappointed that I wasn’t meeting Lynch today.”
He shook his head. “I doubted that he’d be here. Justice had already sent out a man to check this property.” He paused. “Though I was hoping that your being here might bring him and save me time. It’s no secret that you’re in a relationship.”
She was staring at him in disbelief. “I’m getting an unpleasant vibe here. It sounds as if he’s under suspicion or something.”
“No such thing,” he said quickly. “Just the opposite. Neither of you has anything to worry about. I just wanted to know what Lynch has told you about the case he’s working on.”
“Nothing,” she said flatly. “We never discuss his work. He’d regard it as a breach of confidence.”
“And yet you showed up here today when you knew he wasn’t here.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, yes, the seals.”
“Exactly. I was doing Lynch a favor. He has caretakers and experts from UCSD here every day, but it makes him feel better to know I’m keeping tabs on things.
” She stopped on the path and turned to face Griffin.
“And I’m not sure I believe you when you said there’s nothing suspicious in anything you’re asking.
Almost everything that Lynch deals with is classified.
Perhaps I’d better call the Justice Department myself. ”
“No!” Griffin said sharply. “You’re right, they stressed it was top secret. We don’t want any chatter about any of this.”
“I don’t chatter.” She was getting edgier by the minute. “Any of what? Talk to me. What’s happening to Lynch? Is it some political bullshit?”
“No.” Then he shrugged. “He’s disappeared. We can’t locate him.”
“What?” She stared at him, stunned. “And you think he’s gone rogue?”
“It was one explanation I suggested. But Justice didn’t buy it.
They said they had complete faith in Lynch.
” He added sourly, “You’d think they’d pay attention to my thoughts on the subject since they asked for my help.
But they wouldn’t even talk about his mission to me.
They’d only say that the case he’s working on is extremely sensitive and important and that we have to find a way to get him back. ”
“Get him back?” She felt a chill go through her. “You’re really sincere about him disappearing?”
“I’d hardly joke about an act that’s a national crime,” he said sarcastically. “Now, do you know anything that would help us? Have you talked to Lynch lately?”
“He phoned me several days ago.”
“And?”
“It was just casual conversation. I did most of the talking about my younger clients, the children. Though he seemed to be in a good mood. He was joking.” She took a step closer to Griffin.
“This is all crazy,” she said harshly. “Why on earth do you think something might have happened to him? This is Adam Lynch we’re talking about. ”
“I told you that I wasn’t certain he was a victim.
That’s a call for guys at the Department of Justice.
They’re worried he might be a victim.” His gaze was raking her face.
“But if it will convince you that we’re serious about this, I’ll tell you what we know about his disappearance.
A few days ago, Lynch had contact with Ted Cambry, a special agent assigned by the Justice Department to travel to the U.K.
and pick up Lynch and some precious cargo. ”
“What ‘precious cargo’?”
“No idea. Again, I haven’t been looped in on it.
Anyway, he and Lynch spoke, and Lynch told him he had some details to wrap up.
They agreed to meet at a small airstrip in Scotland four days ago.
Lynch was to be flown back to the U.S. on a private jet to be debriefed, but he was a no-show.
Naturally, Agent Cambry was worried and conducted a thorough search, but none of the airport personnel had seen or heard from him.
Considering the sensitivity I mentioned, Justice has sent a crack team to meet with Cambry in London and they’ve pulled out all the stops to locate him.
” He smiled mockingly. “Including reaching out to a woman with whom Lynch has been known to have a long and very personal relationship. You have more in common with Adam Lynch than you probably think. You’re both extremely hardheaded, but you’re good enough that law-enforcement agencies are still lining up to engage your services.
You’ve worked several cases together, yet you tell me that you know nothing about Lynch’s current business. I find that . . . unusual.”
“Too bad. Neither of us answers to you, Griffin. And I’m quite sure that Lynch wouldn’t appreciate Justice interfering or questioning any of the details of his personal life, either. Now, do you have any other questions?”
“Not at the moment. But I do have to warn you that I might want to bring you in again for interrogation if I see cause.”
“That’s your privilege. Just see that you don’t abuse it or I’ll sue your pants off.”
“I’m sure you would. But you’re sure you can’t help me?”
She wasn’t about to tell him anything about the package she’d slipped into her handbag.
If Lynch had wanted Griffin or one of the agents from Justice to have it, he would have given it to them.
Who knew if he trusted them? He lived in a world that was one tightrope after another.
Better to hold on to it until she could hand it over to him personally.
She forced herself not to look down at her handbag.
“I’ve told you that I don’t know anything about Lynch’s latest case.
That’s the truth. But if you find out anything more about his disappearance, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know right away. ”
“I’ll consider it,” Griffin said.
“Now go home, Griffin. Your daughter and grandchild are visiting from out of town.”
He pulled a thin-lipped smile. “I didn’t even think you knew I became a grandfather.”
“I didn’t. Not until about five seconds after I just saw you.”
“Here we go . . .”