Chapter 6
CHAPTER
CASTLE INN
I told you that you’ll be much safer there,” Herbert said as he handed Kendra the keys to their rooms. “These owners are excellent people who will take good care of you, and the rooms are very cozy. Kind of like little castles with a nice view of the countryside. If you have any trouble, you just tell them to call me or Fitz. We know how to take care of our clients.”
“We’ll do that.” She smiled. “You’ve already proved that to us. There’s one other thing you can help us with. We might need a vehicle to get around the city when you’re not around. Can you arrange to get one for us? Something low-key but sturdy?”
Herbert nodded. “Though I’d prefer you let one of us take care of you. We both have our reputations to consider.”
“There comes a time when a person has to go it on their own. I’m sure you realize that, Herbert.”
He nodded again. “I’ll have it delivered and ready for you early tomorrow morning. Anything else?”
“Yes.” Jessie stepped forward. “A motorcycle might come in handy.”
Herbert grinned. “Fitz told me that you were quite a rider. Not my thing, but to each his own. I’ll see to it.
” He gave them an informal salute and turned away.
“If you think of anything else, just give me a call and we’ll take care of you.
” He headed down the stairs. “It’s been an interesting day.
But then I can always count on Fitz to provide that for me. Lock those doors behind you . . .”
“Done.” Kendra was already handing Jessie her key and unlocking her own door as she waved goodbye to Herbert.
She told her softly, “I’m going to call Metcalf right away.
After I finish talking to him, I’ll come to your room and give you a report.
” She didn’t wait for an answer, just closed the door behind her and pulled out her telephone.
Metcalf answered in two rings. “Kendra? Where the hell are you? I’ve been worried sick. Griffin came roaring into my office asking if I had any idea where you’d disappeared to.”
“I decided to take a trip.”
“Well, I figured it had something to do with Lynch. Griffin tracked you to that flight to London, where you somehow disappeared before anyone could even meet your flight.”
So she’d been saved from having to deal with Griffin’s agents as well as possibly those scumbags who had been hunting her down on the road after she’d left Lynch’s place?
Kendra sent a silent grateful vote of thanks to Jessie.
“I can’t imagine how they could have missed me.
But I was in a hurry to find Lynch. Griffin should understand that. ”
“He didn’t. He was mad as hell. He thinks you’re holding out on us. What have you been doing?”
“Just what I said. Searching for Lynch.” She changed the subject.
“But so far I’ve turned up zilch. I managed to track him down to a place that knew him and had dealt with him before, but I couldn’t find any current info about him.
I didn’t have enough official credentials to make any informant believe I was trustworthy. I thought you could help me.”
“Help you do what?” he asked cautiously.
“Griffin told me that Ted Cambry, the agent who was assigned to bring Lynch back to the States, was still over here with a team searching for him. I thought he might be able to give me a lead. Perhaps we can combine forces. Could you possibly set me up with Cambry?”
“I’m not sure,” Metcalf said uncertainly. “I can’t be certain that Griffin would approve.”
“I don’t agree. He’d approve anything that would give him valid information.
He impressed me as wanting desperately to please Justice about Lynch.
” Then Kendra added flatly, “If Cambry and I work together, we might have a better chance of locating Lynch. And you can assure Griffin I’m going to do my very best to make that happen. ”
“That’s obvious,” Metcalf said ruefully. “We all know where your sympathies lie.”
“You’ll try to do as I ask?”
“Of course. It’s a way to save my ass and do you a favor.” He paused. “But be careful, Kendra. I’ve been hearing rumors on the grapevine about Lynch’s assignment, and it all sounds very nasty.”
“All the more reason to get him out of there.”
“But the price may be too high to pay this time,” Metcalf said quietly. “I don’t like the idea of him taking you down with him. But you’ve probably stopped listening, so I’ll get you what you want and get right back to you.”
“Right away,” Kendra said. “Tomorrow at the latest. Things have been kind of falling apart here.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But it doesn’t surprise me,” Metcalf said. “I’ll call as soon as I can. Just remember what I said.” He ended the call.
Kendra drew a deep breath and pressed the disconnect. She’d gotten what she wanted; she could only hope it would give her what she needed.
She got to her feet, strode out of her room, and knocked on Jessie’s door.
“I just spoke to Metcalf,” she said when Jessie opened it.
“We may have to make a deal with the devil, but it may be the only way we can get the information we need. Come into my room and have a cup of coffee and we’ll talk about it. ”
Kendra’s phone rang at eight o’clock the next morning.
“Kendra Michaels? This is Ted Cambry.” The man’s tone was curt and not particularly pleasant.
“I understand that you want to talk to me, and I’ve got orders to oblige you.
Lord knows why. As if I weren’t busy enough.
I certainly haven’t got either the time or the inclination.
But I might as well get it over with since you seem to have been able to persuade both my boss at Justice and Griffin at the FBI that you might be helpful. ”
“My, my. I can’t tell you how warm and appreciative I feel to hear how glad you’re going to be working with me,” Kendra said caustically.
“I hope I won’t disappoint you. Regardless, since you do have your orders, I’m sure you’ll cooperate.
It appears that both Justice and the FBI seem to think that my presence on the case might be of value, since Lynch and I have known each other and worked together for a long time.
” She couldn’t leave it at that after his opening rudeness.
“And I don’t care if you want to work with me or not, but be prepared for me to squeeze every bit of information I can from you before we’re done with each other. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly,” Cambry said. “And I’ll return the favor. The only good thing about your interference in this case is that you might serve as a lure to bring Lynch out of hiding.” He paused. “If he’s even still alive.”
Kendra’s grip tightened on her phone. “You don’t think he is?”
“I have no idea. My bosses seem to think he’s still alive and are making me work my butt off to find him.
But then they’ve always thought he was the golden boy who could do no wrong.
They’ve given me hell since the day he disappeared.
As if it was my fault that I couldn’t persuade him to come back when he was scheduled instead of putting me off until the next day. ”
“And Lynch didn’t give you any reason why he was doing that?”
“He just said he had to finish the job and he’d rather do it himself.
It wasn’t that unusual, Lynch usually worked alone.
Justice just sent me this time as an errand boy to watch out for him because the assignment was so important.
” Another pause. “You can imagine how that made me feel. I’m a very good agent.
I should have been the one assigned to that job in the beginning.
I can’t help it that Lynch gets lucky so often. ”
“No, you can’t,” Kendra said coldly. “Any more than he can help having more intelligence and better instincts than anyone you’ve ever met.
Certainly more than I’ve ever run across.
And that’s why I’m banking they’ll come through for him this time, too.
So you can stop thinking all that negative bullshit you’re spewing out.
Because as long as we’re working together, I don’t want to hear it.
I’m going to find out about every minute of Lynch’s time with you, and you’re going to remember every positive thing that might lead us to him. Do we understand each other?”
“Of course,” Cambry said mockingly. “I don’t want a bad report from you to go back to headquarters. Where are you located? Where shall I pick you up?”
“I prefer to meet you, if you don’t mind.”
He suddenly chuckled. “Are you afraid that I might bring you in for a little Q and A?”
“No. I’m hardly afraid of you on any level. I can take care of myself. I just want to be in control of our relationship and the way it’s going. Can I text you the address at this number?”
“Sure.”
Kendra texted him the address she’d already entered into her map app. “You should have it any second now. I’ll meet you at this address in two hours. It will probably take you that long if you’re in central London.”
“Really?” She heard him move his phone away from his face.
Then he gave a whistle. “You’re right. You’re nowhere near me.
” He suddenly started cursing. “And I recognize that address. Hell, you’re almost over the border into Scotland.
It’s damn near the airport where I was supposed to meet Lynch and bring him back to the U.S. What the devil are you doing there?”
“Exploring,” Kendra said. “I wasn’t trying to fool you.
I just thought that we might as well start at the beginning.
According to what Griffin told me, the last time you saw Lynch it was in this area.
When I realized I needed to talk to you, I called up and chatted with Mackeller, the airport manager, and pumped him a little about you and Lynch and your meetings.
He said he didn’t know much; he’d only run into you and Lynch a few times at his office when you’d rented a helicopter, and once at the bar next door that was the hangout for the pilots who used the airport.
It was pretty obvious that someone had warned him not to answer questions. Was it you?”