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He shook his head. “You said she’s showing off for you. We can wait for Ripley.” He started down the aisle. “I’d better get back to the locker room and make certain everything is going as scheduled. I’ll see you later.”
She watched him leave. This had been good news all around today, she thought. Tricia acing it over the other swimmers. And then the news about the photos. It was incredible how important that ID was going to be to them. She glanced around the center. Milo could be here right now, and they would never know. Her probing gaze went from face to face. She was as blind as Olivia had been when Milo had caught her at that studio. It had been a long time since Kendra had felt so helpless.
But that danger was going to vanish after today.
Yes, it was going to be a good day.
***
Music.
Sports reporters everywhere.
Noise.
The aisles were jammed with people.
And Kendra didn’t stand a chance of making it to the locker room to get to Tricia.
She tried to call Lynch, but he didn’t answer. He was probably running interference between Tricia and the media and anyone else who was getting too near to her.
But now she could see the media surrounding the brilliant blue caps of the swimmers. That had to be where Tricia could be found. Just go for it. Kendra dove into the crowd and started to fight her way toward the bright lights.
But she didn’t spot Tricia until she reached almost the center of the crowd. Then she caught sight of her blue swim cap with her name in white letters emblazoned across the front. “Tricia!” Kendra called out. “Congratulations! I thought I’d come back and tell you how much—”
But it wasn’t Tricia. The girl who had turned around was a freckle-faced, young team member that Kendra vaguely remembered Tricia had called Babs. Her height and build resembled Tricia’s, and she wore aviator sunglasses that further obscured her features. The girl was giggling as she saw Kendra’s shocked surprise. “Hi, not Tricia.” She tapped the name on her cap. “This was Tricia’s idea. She’s been hounded by the media lately, and she asked if I’d wear this to give her a chance to slip away.”
Kendra cursed under her breath and looked around. “When did this happen?”
“After the meet, a minute or so after the final scores were posted. It worked. The reporters saw the cap and followed me and the rest of the team outside while she hid out in the locker room.”
“I can see that,” Kendra said. “The locker room, you said?”
“That’s right, she said if I ran into you to tell you she’d meet you after she was dressed.” She turned back to the TV cameraman. “Yes, I’ve been training with Tricia since she was accepted on the team, and we all knew that she was special…”
Yes, she was special, Kendra thoughtas she whirled away and started to push toward the locker room. But that didn’t mean that she could turn Lynch’s plans upside down because she wanted to be kind to a teammate. Lynch might have followed that cap lead, too, and that meant Tricia could be left unprotected.
“Kendra!” It was Lynch, grabbing her arm and pushing her out of the mob around the media reporters. “I just heard what she said about the locker room. Let’s get the hell over there.” He added grimly, “And I might do bodily damage to Tricia when we locate her.” He was pushing them both through the crowds. “I can understand losing her in this media free-for-all. No one could guess that she’d break two world records today. But up to that time I had her under surveillance. There was no way she should have added to the confusion by this crazy trick.”
“I’m not arguing,” Kendra said. “I can see how this would be the perfect opportunity for Milo to step in and take advantage of all the uproar.” She shook her head. “But I can understand how Tricia might be giddy and want to spread the joy. How often does something like this happen to a young swimmer? It must seem like a miracle.”
“You’ll forgive me if I lack your understanding. I just want to keep her alive. Stay behind me.” They’d reached the locker room and he went in ahead of her.
It was empty.
“Babs said she’d see me after she was dressed.” Kendra went to the lockers, found Tricia’s name, and opened it. “Only her swimsuit. All of her regular clothes are gone. She must have dressed and left the locker room.”
Lynch was swearing softly beneath his breath. “Then she’s out in that mob outside?”
“Maybe not.” Kendra was looking at the swimsuit hanging in locker. “There’s a plastic envelope dangling on the hanger.” She took the envelope off the hanger. “It’s addressed to me.”
“You’d just better hope it’s not from Milo.”
“Don’t even think that.” But as she was opening the envelope her hands were trembling. “She’s probably telling me where we can meet her.”
She scanned the letter.
“Oh, shit.”
