Chapter 1 #4
Kendra usually only performed her “parlor tricks” under great duress, but for some reason she enjoyed torturing Griffin with a string of observations and deductions whenever she saw him.
Probably because she knew that it frustrated the hell out of him that he hadn’t made the observations himself.
For her, they were second nature; her years growing up blind had made her hypersensitive to the smells, sounds, and tastes in the world around her, as was the case with most sightless people.
Her years in the dark also made her highly observant about the visual realm, since she took almost nothing she saw for granted.
Those skills were what made her so sought after by law-enforcement agencies over the years, even as she managed to annoy investigators like Griffin.
She smiled. “You’ve moved since I saw you last, to a place closer to the beach.
Not on the beach, but at least you have a pool now.
Which will be quite a magnet for your grandchild in the next few years.
Is that why you and your wife bought the place?
Anyway, I’m sure it’s much nicer than wherever you were living before, which I think was probably more inland. ”
“Are you finished?”
“No. You’ve been worried about losing your hair, though I think you’re winning that battle. But you may have some kidney issues. If you’re not receiving care for that, you should get a checkup.”
He cocked his head. “Interesting.”
“I hope it’s just interesting and nothing serious. I don’t mean to make light of that.”
“Go on.”
“You’re a good grandpa. You’ve gone to Legoland, and while you were there, you bought your grandchild one of those elaborate kits with hundreds of pieces that you even put together for them. That’s love.”
Griffin wore an annoyed expression. “Just so you know, I bought that for my daughter. A grown woman, and she just had to have the Lego Captain Jack Sparrow’s ship from Pirates of the Caribbean. And I knew if I didn’t put it together, it would stay in the box until the end of time.”
“I stand corrected.”
He motioned to his car. “I’d like to get in my car, go home, and not give another thought to this dog-and-pony show . . .”
She nodded and started down the driveway. “Of course. Have a good night.”
“Wait!”
She stopped and turned around.
Griffin cursed. “I said that’s what I’d like to do. But if I don’t get some explanations about how you knew all this, I’m going to drive myself crazy for the rest of the night trying to figure it out for myself.”
She shrugged. “That’s silly. You’d get that worked up over my dog-and-pony show?”
“Kendra . . .”
She stepped back toward him. “Every time your daughter has visited in the past, I’ve picked up a whiff of garlic and onion on your skin and hair. Mediterranean seasoning tends to linger even after you’ve showered. Either she cooks for you, or one of you cooks that for her.”
“My wife cooks it for her. My daughter Tracy is a big fan of that stuff, but I don’t really care for it. So the only time we have it is when my daughter is visiting. How did you know she was here with her daughter? Or that she even had a daughter?”
“Ah. Well. I wasn’t going to mention it, but there’s a bit of vomit on your left shoulder.”
Griffin cursed and slid out of his suit jacket. “I’ve had three meetings today, and no one’s bothered to tell me.”
“Maybe no one noticed.”
He held up the jacket. “It’s positively fluorescent! I guess that was a dead giveaway.”
“That, and the fact that I just got a whiff of Baby Magic lotion, probably from your hands. I’m also picking up chlorine from your skin, and that persists even after several showers.
You’ve been spending some time in a chlorinated swimming pool, something I’ve never known you to do before.
Plus, your clothing now has a fresher, somewhat salty scent, so it’s pretty obvious you live closer to the ocean. It used to smell . . . mustier.”
“You’re telling me I stank?”
“Not at all. It just didn’t smell . . . coastal.”
“Hmm . . . I had no idea my smell was radiating so much information about me.”
“You’d be amazed. It’s the scent of Rogaine from your hair that tells me you’re struggling with hair loss.
It’s a mild scent, but since you apply it after you shower, it’s easy to detect.
And your perspiration is giving off a slight ammonia odor.
That could mean kidney problems. For what it’s worth, I hope I’m wrong about that one. ”
“You and me both. So were my shoes drenched in the odor of Legoland?”
“No. At least not that I could detect.” She pointed to his car. “Even from here, I can see a Legoland parking ticket on your dashboard.”
He groaned. “Of course. And the fact that I bought and assembled one of those excruciating sets?”
“Your fingers tell the tale. Those Lego sets are surprisingly hard on your fingertips and nails. It’s easy to chafe your fingertips when you press several hundred of those rough pieces together, and even easier to chip and break your nails when you make mistakes and need to pry them apart.”
Griffin looked at his hands. “I’ve never had a manicure in my life, but this might be a good time to try it.”
Kendra smiled. “I think that about covers it. I hope you’ll get in touch if you hear anything else about Lynch.”
He gave her a noncommittal nod, then turned and walked down the driveway.