Olivia shrugged. “Just thought I’d try. We both know that Harley isn’t the only one who could use a bit of care and attention around here. Between your students and occasionally working with the FBI and police, you don’t have much time to think about yourself.”
Kendra nodded. Olivia was right in that there hadn’t beentime for much lately. Kendra had been born blind, and Olivia lost her sight in a childhood car accident. They grew up together as students in a special school in nearby Oceanside, but their dynamic changed slightly when, at the age of twenty, Kendra gained her vision via a revolutionary surgical procedure. Although Kendra struggled with pangs of guilt for leaving her friend alone in the dark, Olivia hadn’t shown a trace of envy or bitterness. There had been times when their paths pulled them in different directions, but if anything, they were now closer than ever.
“Okay, Olivia. You can back off now. I already have a mother who has the sense to let me live my own life. I don’t need you to hover over me. Plus, I have coworkers in all my career endeavors that I respect and trust.” She smiled gently. “And when I want a good meal or a friend to talk to, I can just hop on the elevator and go down to your condo and have you at my mercy.” She gave a mock sigh. “That’s providing you can fit me into your busy schedule.”
“I might be willing to push my many clients and devoted fans aside,” Olivia said dryly. She was joking, but Olivia owned and managed a web destination with hundreds of thousands of daily visitors. It was calledOutasite, and it was geared toward blind consumers, a market long underserved by the media. The site featured news, interviews, and product reviews, and the worldwide attention made Olivia a frequent commentator on cable news networks. She smiled at Kendra. “Though the next time you don’t answer my phone calls, I may put you on my reject list.”
Kendra frowned. “I’ve accepted your abuse about not responding to your email. That could have happened, though I’m usuallyvery careful. But my phone?” She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. “No power.”
“You let the charge go down?” Olivia asked.
“It was fully charged when I left the condo with Harley this morning. It should have lasted me for the next forty-eight hours. But it’s dead as a doornail now.” She was examining the phone, trying different ways to get it to boot up. “I guess sometimes weird things happen with phones.”
“Not with my phones,” Olivia said flatly. “And I know Lynch wouldn’t let you be using anything but the best and most reliable one on the market, since it can be safety gear and you’re constantly phoning each other all over the world.”
It was true, but Kendra didn’t want to read anything into the fact that the phone that had never failed her had become inoperable. “But most of the time we send each other emails. It’s more efficient.”
Olivia snorted. “Not when you don’t send it to the correct address.”
Kendra shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about?” Then she remembered that scrap of conversation Olivia had thrown at her when she’d first come into her condo. “My computer. Why did you say something was wrong with it?”
“Because Lynch emailed you a message but he addressed it to me. Or at least I’m the one who received it. It was crazy. That was why I came storming into your condo. I was fed up.”
“I can see why.” Kendra raised the phone to her ear again. What had she expected? Still dead. “I hope it’s all just a glitch, but it makes me a little uneasy.”
“Because you never assume anything different or bizarre is just an innocent glitch if it’s connected to Adam Lynch,” Oliviasaid. “You expect something a good deal more contrived or dangerous. Isn’t that true?”
“Not in connection with me. He’s always proven himself to be absolutely honest and trustworthy.” She paused. “And he’s always shown himself to be a friend to you, Olivia.”
“Because he realizes how close you and I are.” Olivia shrugged. “But yes, I always find him interesting and amusing. And I like having him around, because it makes me feel you’re safer.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out her Braille smartphone, and handed it to Kendra. “You might as well read it yourself so that you can see why I thought there could be something a little weird about you receiving a message like that from Lynch. As I said, he can be amusing, but there’s no way he’s not direct and to the point. This sounds a little loony.”
Gazing down at the message, Kendra could see exactly what Olivia meant. Only two lines, and she was as confused as Olivia when she read them.
“ ‘Hope all is well at the farm. Be sure to check out the livestock inoculations.’ ”
“What the hell?” Kendra said. “Livestock inoculations?”
“I warned you,” Olivia said. “I thought it might be some kind of private joke. But if so, it wasn’t very clever and didn’t sound at all like Lynch.”
“Tell me about it,” Kendra said. “My phone’s not working and Lynch has forgotten my email address and he’s suddenly decided to become a farmer. Stop grinning. It’s not funny. It’s annoying. May I use your phone?”
“Be my guest.” Olivia leashed Harley and turned to lead him out the door. “In the meantime, I’ll take Harley down tomy condo and get him some water and a treat while you have your talk with Lynch. If he wants to make amends for his peculiar behavior today, you might remind him that Harley is really missing him, and all will be forgiven if he spends some quality time training him.”
“Lord, you’re tough.” Kendra was already dialing. “You’re not even waiting for an excuse from him?”
“Nope. Harley needs this, and he’s family.” The door was closing. “But I’ll be interested to hear his explanation. Come down when you’re finished and I’ll give you lunch and you can tell me what Lynch is up to.” The door slammed shut behind her.
Lynch’s private line was ringing and Kendra impatiently waited for him to answer.
But he didn’t. No answer. No voicemail. It just kept ringing . . .
Which probably didn’t mean anything except that Lynch was working another case and he’d call her when he was free.
But she still didn’t like it.
True, it very likely had nothing to do with that other weirdness that had been happening to her today.
Except that weirdness had been connected to Lynch.
