“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.
CHAPTER
2
Kendra still saw Griffin in the rearview mirror as she drove out of the gates and headed down the road toward the freeway. Damn him. She knew better than to let Griffin upset her. She was aware what a hard-ass he could be. But this time he’d shocked her when he’d told her that Lynch might be either hurt or in danger. She’d known he’d been watching her, gauging every sign of weakness or duplicity. It had been difficult to not show that weakness. Now that she was no longer being watched, she found she was even shaking a little.
Don’t let him do this to her. Nothing had happened to Lynch. He was the toughest agent she’d ever known. If he’d disappeared, it was because that was what he wanted to do. Lynch was always two steps ahead of any of the guys he was sent after. She had to remember that.
Because she couldn’t bear it if she didn’t.
First she had to get control of herself. Then she had to decide what her next move would be. No problem.
Because Lynch was going to be fine just like he always—
Blaring noise!
A roar right behind her car.
She knew that sound.
She looked over in the middle lane and wasn’t surprised to see a scarlet motorcycle with a rider who was motioning her to pull off the road ahead.
Kendra sighed and then obeyed the rider’s order and turned onto the access road before parking in the trees. She sat in her car and waited for the rider to pull up beside her and take off her helmet. “Hello, Jessie. Was it Olivia?”
Jessie Mercado grinned. “Who else? She said weird things were happening and told me about a few of them. But she didn’t like the idea of you being alone to contend with any of them. So she got me out of my yoga class and told me I had to cancel the bodyguard detail I had scheduled to protect one of Hollywood’s super hunks from his fans and come rescue you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well, that’s not exactly how she put it. But I can see how she might be concerned. You’re both computer-savvy, and I don’t like weird coincidences. So I hopped on my bike and headed for Lynch’s place. I got there just before you and Griffin came out of the house and locked it up. You were both pretty intense, so I just parked in the woods and waited until you were finished.” She made a face. “Griffin isn’t my favorite person. He doesn’t care for my style. He doesn’t think any private investigator is as good as his agents, and I seem to annoy him. When I have anything to do with any of his cases, he tries to ignore me.”
“That must be a challenge for him.”
“I make sure it is.” Her smile faded. “But your negative vibes were pretty clear to me when you were walking back to your car. Was he giving you a tough time?”
“Not easy. But the situation was the tough part. I wasn’t sure how to handle it.”
Jessie’s gaze suddenly narrowed on her face. “I can see that. And that’s unusual for you, Kendra. Anything I can help with?”
“Not until I decide what to do.” She shrugged. “I’m a bit upset at the moment. It’s a puzzle within a puzzle.”
“But that’s what those police detectives think when they ask you to come in and examine the evidence,” Jessie said quietly. “You usually manage to see through the puzzle and find things that they don’t.”
“Not every time.” Kendra’s hand clenched on the steering wheel. “And what if this time I’m not able to do it? I can’t screw up and make a mistake on this.”
