Beverly Hills, California
10:30 P.M.
LYNCH LOOKED UNCERTAINLY at the dark street as Kendra parked her car. “Here?”
Kendra checked her phone again. “This is the place. Jessie told me to park here and walk about half a block up. She didn’t want us to blow her stakeout.”
Lynch looked around at the large Hillcrest Road estates. “These are ten-million-dollar houses. What kind of case is she working?”
“She didn’t say. Just that it was a well-paying client and that if we wanted to talk to her tonight, this was the only way it could happen.”
They climbed out of her car and walked down the street. Kendra looked at the street address numbers on the curb. “We should be at the right place.”
“You are,” a familiar voice whispered. “Though I’ve been wondering all night if I am.”
Kendra and Lynch spun around to see a young woman stepping from the shadows. It was private investigator Jessie Mercado. She wore dark clothing and a pair of headphones and looked her usual sleek, vibrant self.
Kendra gave her a quick hug. “Sorry to crash your operation.”
Jessie made a face. “I believe that’s a misnomer.” She was in her early thirties, but she could easily pass for a decade younger. Her short brown hair attractively framed her face in a pixie cut and her large brown eyes glistened in the moonlight. “Whatever this is, I’m not sure it can be called an ‘operation.’”
Lynch bumped fists with her. “Then what is it?”
“Just another day, another dollar.” She cocked her head toward a black Land Rover parked across the street. “Get in. We can talk in there.”
Jessie took the driver’s seat, Kendra took the passenger side, and Lynch climbed into the cluttered back seat.
“Sorry about all the junk,” Jessie said. “Tools of the trade. Be careful, you may be about to sit on a stun gun.”
“Now you tell me,” Lynch said.
“Man up. The worst that’d happen is that you might wet your pants and froth at the mouth a little.”
Kendra laughed. “Now I’d pay to see that.”
“We’ll talk later,” Jessie said. “My rates are quite reasonable.”
Lynch picked up a stun gun and a pair of binoculars and carefully placed them on the seat next to him.
Kendra peered out the windshield. “So what are you working on?”
“My current client is a movie studio that’s bankrolling a two-hundred-million-dollar action film starring one of the biggest stars in the world. Said star recently lost his driver’s license due to one too many DUIs. The star can afford every chauffeur in town, yet he still prefers to drive. Trouble is, if the cops catch him behind the wheel, the star goes to jail and the film gets put on a costly hiatus.”
Kendra nodded. “So it’s your job to make sure he doesn’t drive.”
“Yep. He’s at a party in that white house at the end of the block. If he so much as climbs behind the wheel of his car, the studio has authorized me to block him and yank him out of the vehicle.”
“Are you sure you can handle that?” Lynch asked. “You said he was a big-time action star.”
“Big-time action star, surprisingly little guy.” She gave him a sly glance. “But I think I’ve shown you that I’m capable of handling guys twice my size.”
“True,” Lynch murmured. “My ribs still haven’t recovered.”
Jessie smiled. “My confidentiality clause prevents me from telling you who this movie star is, but if you hang around long enough, you’ll soon see him. He’ll probably leave the party with at least two or three women who look like Victoria’s Secret models.”
“Tempting,” Kendra said. “But we have something else we need to talk to you about.”
“I figured you didn’t come all this way to watch me babysit Hollywood’s action hero du jour.”
“We’re working a murder case in San Diego.”
“Show-off.” She grimaced. “As if I wasn’t already feeling embarrassed by this job.”
“You said you were being well-paid,” Lynch said.
“Ridiculously well-paid. But it seems a little trivial when you’re probably making the streets safe from a monster.”
“We could use your help,” Kendra said.
Jessie leaned back in her seat and turned to more fully face her. “What’s the story?”
Kendra brought her up to speed on Elena Meyer’s murder and the trail that led them to Brock Limited.
“Brock?” Jessie practically vomited the word.
“I thought you might know them,” Kendra said.
“You could say that.” The sour look still hadn’t left her face. “They had a heavy presence in Afghanistan when I was there. Trust me, every soldier knew who they were. You’ll have a hard time finding anyone with anything nice to say.”
Kendra nodded. “I read a couple Rolling Stone articles today.”
“You mean in the hours since they tried to kill you?” Jessie’s flush of anger was visible even in the dimness of the car. “Believe me, they’ve managed to keep the worst stuff quiet. They took chances they never should have and we had to risk our lives to pull them out of some tough spots. Two good friends of mine died because of them.”
“I never heard about this,” Kendra said. She turned toward Lynch. “Had you?”
“Just rumors,” Lynch said. “It probably wasn’t unique to Afghanistan.”
Jessie was getting even more visibly upset. “By the time these stories hit the media, it was presented that Brock Limited was pulling U.S. military forces out of harm’s way instead of the other way around. To make things worse, our base commanders wouldn’t even let us set the record straight. They said it would disclose confidential strategies and troop movements and that we could be court-martialed for treason if we spoke about it at all.”
“Nice,” Kendra said. “Looks like we came to the right person.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m not very objective where Brock Limited is concerned. I’d give anything to pound Vivianne Kerstine into the ground.”
“She’s their CEO, right?”
“Vivianne Kerstine was head of Brock’s operations in Afghanistan when I was there. She was a tough and brutal woman and her own employees were terrified of her. But Brock must have liked what she was doing because she’s now head of the entire company. And their fortunes have only skyrocketed since she became CEO.”
Kendra took a deep breath. She hadn’t expected such a strong emotional reaction from Jessie. In the short time she’d known her, nothing had seemed to faze her. “We think they’re involved in this murder in San Diego. And maybe even this abduction. Will you help us?”
Jessie tensed her jaw. “Just try to stop me. What do you need?”
“Elena Meyer’s only connection to San Diego was through her law firm and the Brock Limited case. Can you dig up anything on this case and what Elena might have gotten herself into?”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, Jessie.”
Jessie leaned back to address both Kendra and Lynch. “Listen … you think you know what Brock is capable of. But trust me, you have no idea.”
“I think we do,” Lynch said. “We almost died today, remember?”
“It won’t stop there,” she said curtly. “You need to watch your back.”
Lynch nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“And if those guys are as bad as you say, you might take your own advice,” Kendra said. “If you’re poking around Brock Limited, you could find a target on your back, too.”
“Believe me, that’s nothing new. I might as well get a target tattooed back there.” But she was suddenly smiling recklessly. “And as far as I’m concerned, Brock can do their damnedest. I’ve been waiting for the chance to bring some serious pain down on them.”
* * *
KENDRA AND LYNCH TOOK Sunset Boulevard back to the I-405 and headed back to San Diego. Kendra finally broke the silence. “I admit I didn’t expect Jessie to have such strong feelings about Brock. She’s usually very cool and analytical.”
“Neither did I. But then how much do we know about Jessie? She only lets us see what she wants us to see. We’re probably lucky that she permits us to get past the first barriers.”
“What? Barriers?” Kendra looked at him, startled. “Jessie doesn’t try to hide anything. She’s always been open with us.”
Lynch shrugged.
She didn’t understand this. “You like her. You admire her.” She added in frustration, “Now you’re saying that she might not be what we think she is?”
“I’m saying that Jessie’s a very complicated woman.” He smiled. “And I like what I see. I’m just not sure what else is beyond that first barrier. I’m looking forward to finding out.”
“First barrier,” Kendra repeated. “You said that before. You make her sound so guarded. You don’t believe that what you see in Jessie is what you get?”
“I don’t believe anyone is what they seem. That’s what makes life fascinating, exploring the potentials.” He chuckled. “You’re frowning. I’m not attacking Jessie. I knew you’d probably be offended that I even hinted she might not be everything you think she is. You’re very loyal and you consider Jessie your friend. But did you ever think that she might be even more than you think she is? Potentials, Kendra.”
And she shouldn’t be this surprised, she thought. Lynch was considered a world-class expert at not only identifying but pulling the strings of everyone with whom he came in contact. This kind of cool, judgmental analysis was his stock in trade. She’d just never thought it would be applied to someone she liked and respected.
“Actually, I was complimenting her,” Lynch continued. “Complicated women are much more interesting.” He met her eyes. “I have a passion for them.”
She tore her gaze away. “Why can’t you just accept people as you find them? Why do you have to analyze and tear everyone apart?”
“You’ve already figured that out. Perhaps for the same reason you tear a crime scene into impossibly small pieces until you know exactly what happened there.” He added, “But Jessie’s response wasn’t all that unusual considering her background. There are mixed feelings about Brock in the intelligence community, but for soldiers on the ground it’s obviously much more personal. It was a good idea to go to her. She’ll be extremely motivated to find out what she can about them.”
“More than I ever guessed she would.”
“And you were also smart to warn her about them. It’s a warning you should take to heart yourself, especially after what you’ve been through in the past couple of days.”
Her brows rose. “Is this another play to get me to stay with you at your house?”
“Not a play. Just good advice. You know there’s no place safer. And if someone does manage to penetrate my house’s defenses—not damned likely—you have the security of knowing I’m in the next room.” He grinned. “You might even get to see me perform the head-twist-neck-break maneuver on some unfortunate intruder. That alone should be incentive enough.”
She frowned. “I’m not sure I’d really want to see that.”
“Sure you would. Especially if was someone who was coming after you.”
“My place will be fine, thank you.”
“Oh well, you have about eighty-five minutes to change your mind. Think about it.”
Less than thirty minutes had passed when Kendra’s phone rang. She glanced at the Caller ID display on her console screen. Metcalf. She punched her steering wheel button to put him on speaker. “Working late for that government paycheck, Metcalf? You’re on speaker with me and Lynch. What’s going on?”
“Plenty.” Metcalf’s tone was grim. “It seems the scope of our investigation has changed, Kendra.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A woman disappeared tonight. It looks as if she was taken near her workplace downtown as she was getting in her car.”
Kendra felt that familiar knot in her stomach. “And you think she’s connected with our case?”
“Oh, yes, almost certainly. Her name is Barbara Campbell.”
“Who?”
“Barbara Campbell. You’ve seen her. Kendra … She’s in the wedding video.”
Kendra shared a quick glance with Lynch. He mouthed an expletive.
Kendra said it aloud. “Shit.”
“Yeah. She was the maid of honor. But I’m afraid that isn’t the worst of it.”
“It gets worse?”
“I’m afraid so. Like I said, we think she was taken near her car.” He paused. “And we got another unpleasant surprise.”
A chill raced up her spine. Please, please don’t let it be what she was thinking …
“It was the corpse of the first kidnap victim,” Metcalf said. “The bride. Elizabeth Gelson. She was in the back seat.”
Kendra inhaled sharply. “I was afraid of that. But that’s crazy, isn’t it? Why would—” She was trying to think. “Could we be looking at a serial killer?”
“It’s still too early to tell what we’re dealing with here, but we’re already working through the possibilities. We’re holding a powwow at the office tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M. You and Lynch should be there. But before that, do you think you can get yourself to the crime scene before it’s broken down?”
“We’re on the road from LA. We can be there in an hour.”
“Good. For the moment, we’re sharing jurisdiction with San Diego PD. Evidence Response is finishing up right now and the ME is already playing Words with Friends on his iPhone. We’ll hold the scene until you can take a look. We’re at Collins and Broadway.”
“Thanks, Metcalf.” She shivered. “As always, you know how to show a lady a good time.”
“It’s what I do.”
Kendra had a sudden thought. “One more thing. What are you doing to protect the other people in that video?” she asked. “If this is a serial killer, any of them could be next.”
“We’re on it.” He added, “It’s not easy. It was a huge wedding even without the immediate bridal party. Both bride and groom had large families, and the place was brimming with business guests as well. We decided we had to narrow it down to the bridal party and identified fourteen potential targets and reached out to them. The bridal party, parents of the bride and groom, and the officiant. There’s still a couple we haven’t been able to contact.”
“Who?” Lynch asked.
“A bridesmaid and a groomsman. They’re both out of town, but we left messages for both.”
“This might be an opportunity to draw our perp out,” Lynch said slowly.
“You want to use them as bait?” Kendra asked.
Lynch shook his head. “But they may already be targets. It makes sense to use it to our advantage.”
“I’m sure it will be on the agenda tomorrow morning,” Metcalf said quickly. “We’ll talk when you get here.”
He cut the connection.
Kendra glanced at Lynch. “Metcalf wasn’t thrilled with your idea.”
“He knew you weren’t thrilled. He wanted to duck out before the fireworks started.”
“No fireworks. It’s just that putting innocent lives in jeopardy is never my first response.”
“They may already be in jeopardy. If we can find a way to protect them without calling attention to ourselves, it might be an opportunity to get this lunatic off the streets. That’s our priority, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that simple.” Her lips thinned. “You and I have both been part of investigations where plans like that have gone south.”
“Horribly so. I admit it.” He added quietly, “But if we don’t act fast, we know that the chances are that more people are going to die. That’s true, too, isn’t it?”
Kendra didn’t want to admit it, but she had a terrible feeling that he might be right. “Maybe. But I’m not ready to take that chance yet,” she said unsteadily. “I’m not like you. I can’t study a person or situation and analyze ‘potentials’ and decide if it’s worthwhile to risk a life just because it might be a good idea. These are people we’re talking about.”
“I know that, Kendra,” Lynch said. “And I’m not pushing. I’m just saying that there will come a time when you’ll probably have to make a decision.” He paused. “Or let me do it for you.”
“The hell I will.”
He chuckled. “Well, that was the response I thought I’d get. You were getting a little shaky. I’m glad to know you’re back to normal. Now suppose we just wait until we get to the crime scene and see what we decide after we listen to what the ME says.”
* * *
KENDRA AND LYNCH ARRIVED at the scene fifty minutes later. Barbara Campbell’s MINI was parked on a side street, illuminated by a pair of work lights. The medical examiner’s van was a few yards away, competing for space with an enclosed transport vehicle that would soon move the car to the FBI’s garage. Two police cruisers were also parked nearby and four uniformed officers stood by at the periphery of the scene.
Metcalf greeted them with a weary shrug. “Hell of a day.”
“Tell us about it,” Lynch said.
Metcalf cocked his head toward the car. “We’re about to let the M.E. take the body. You wanna take a look first?”
Kendra nodded.
She found her gait slowing as she approached the MINI. Damn. As many murder cases as she’d tackled, it never got easier. As she’d told Lynch, these were people, and life was precious to each and every one of them.
Kendra froze.
But maybe this was even harder than ever before.
Because there was Elizabeth Gelson, scrunched in the back seat. The pretty bride who had been so happy, so full of life in that video. So loved by her father, who was out of his mind with worry at the mere thought that his little girl might be in trouble.
Now, she was gone.
The victim was wearing a skirt, white blouse, and dark jacket, probably as she had dressed for work the previous morning. Her shoulder-length hair was surprisingly well coiffed and the only obvious evidence of her trauma was the severe bruising on her face and the tear stains of eyeliner running down her cheeks.
Kendra cleared her throat and turned to Metcalf. “Cause of death?”
“Strangulation, most likely. Burst blood vessels in the whites of her eyes.”
Kendra knelt beside the open door and examined the skirt. Lightly splattered with what appeared to be orange juice, confirming the kitchen abduction as she’d envisioned it.
“Has the ME been able to pinpoint a time of death yet?”
“Twelve hours, give or take.”
“So he held her captive someplace for over twenty-four hours before killing her. That explains the zip tie marks on her wrists and ankles.” She examined her face. “There’s also a rawness on the skin around her mouth. Maybe from duct tape.”
Kendra glanced around at their surroundings. Although the side street was relatively secluded, they were less than fifty feet from the somewhat busier Collins Avenue, home to several restaurants, strip centers, and mini-malls, all now closed.
Kendra looked back toward the car. “Tricky.… Abducting someone while at the same time leaving behind the body of your previous victim, all on a downtown city street.”
Lynch nodded. “It was dark and these businesses near the car were closed. If he had a large vehicle like a van, he could have shielded himself from Collins Avenue where someone may have spotted him.”
“That’s how we figure it,” Metcalf said.
Kendra stepped back, trying to take in the entire scene. “The body was put in the car first, before Barbara Campbell even left her store…”
“Most likely. The second he grabbed her, he would surrender some control of the situation. He probably wouldn’t want to spend time moving the body inside her car while also having to contend with his newest victim.”
“Unless he’d already killed her,” Lynch said.
Kendra shook her head. “He hadn’t. Barbara Campbell was alive, but unconscious.”
“How do you figure that?” Metcalf said.
Kendra walked toward the car. “The driver’s side door was ajar like this?”
Metcalf followed her. “Yes. And the bank deposit bag was on the street.”
“Keys?”
“No. But her purse and cell phone were on the passenger seat.”
Kendra glanced around. “Security cameras?”
“Only two nearby. One at the jewelry store across the street, another at the ATM down the block. Neither appear to be aimed at the car. We’ll be checking the footage, of course.”
Kendra turned back toward the MINI. The interior of the car was clean except for the slight traces of fingerprint powder still on the steering wheel and dashboard. Kendra pulled out her phone, activated the light and shone it on the side of the car. She worked her way around the vehicle, studying it as she completed a full turn.
“Anything?” Lynch said.
“Maybe.” She turned to Metcalf. “Are there security cameras in her store?”
“Two. One on the floor, one on the cash register. The video feeds are stored in the cloud. We got the access codes from her sister-slash-partner just a little while ago. We’ll examine the feeds to see if there were any creeps lurking about, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“It’s not. I want to see what she was wearing when she left tonight.”
Metcalf crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed on her face. “Why?”
Kendra kneeled beside the MINI. “This car is dirty. It hasn’t been washed in a while. There’s a thin layer of grime, undisturbed everywhere but just in front of the driver’s side door.” She aimed her light at the panel. “It looks like there was a scuffle here, like someone may have been thrown against the door. There are two fresh scratches here about five inches apart.”
Metcalf looked at the scratches. “From keys or a weapon?”
“I’m thinking metallic buttons from a jacket, and they left these scratches during the struggle. If she’s not wearing one, then it might be her abductor’s. Then that’s what you could look for on the security video. But it could just as well be that she was slammed against the door from behind, then rendered unconscious.”
“By a choke hold?” Metcalf said.
“Probably ether. Look at those dried droplets on the driver’s side window.” Kendra moved the light to show the droplets. “Make sure your lab swabs for it.”
Metcalf hunched over to see for himself. “How do you figure ether? Smell?”
Kendra nodded. “Yes, but there’s something different about this scent. Still, it’s an extremely recognizable odor. I’m sure it’s ether.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
She glanced around once more. “That’s all I got. Let me know what your AV guys get off the store video, will you?”
“Sure. They may not have anything by our meeting tomorrow morning, but I know somebody’s already on it.”
Metcalf gave the twirling-finger “wrap it up” sign to the medical examiner, who nodded to an assistant still in the van. They began the grim task of removing the corpse from the car’s back seat.
Kendra walked a few feet away and sat on the curb.
Lynch sat next to her. “You okay?”
She stared at the car moment longer. “I still think I’m missing something here. Maybe something that might have helped protect Barbara Campbell.”
“You’re doing everything you can. You put Jessie to work on the Brock Limited angle, and for now we’ll see where this side of the investigation takes us.” He lifted her chin. “And if we’re going to make that meeting tomorrow morning, I should get you home.”
“I’ll get myself home, after I drop you off at your house. I’m driving.”
He made a face. “I keep forgetting.”
She frowned. “Sorry about your car. I know how much you loved that thing.”
He shrugged. “In the end, it was just a thing. The entire time it was being destroyed, all I could think about was you. Keeping you safe. And here you are, which counts as a win in my book. That alone makes it a good day.”
He stood and extended a hand down toward her. “Let’s go. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another long day.”