AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you want the opportunity to get a good look around.”
“That would be helpful.”
The elevator doors slid open, and Officer Kopt stepped out and waited for them to exit.
Lynch winked. “No one can say I’m not helpful.”
He moved forward to catch up with Kopt, and Kendra heard him start to chat up the officer as he led them down the dark corridor toward the Barrett security cell.
***
The Barrett cell was nine by twelve and with a single bunk bed and no window. There was a narrow desk jutting out from the far wall on which a couple of paperback books had been tossed, a utilitarian steel office chair that was fixed permanently to the floor in front of it. One overhead light was the only illumination in the ceiling, and the interior of the cell was almost as dim as the corridor.
“Not much to see,” Kopt said as he threw the door open a little wider. He glanced at Lynch. “But the son of a bitch managed to get whatever he wanted. Do you know six months ago he made one of his deals with the prosecution and they brought a big TV in here so he could watch the World Series? I was stuck working upstairs and I missed the last three innings. It just goes to show you that life’s just not fair.”
“Sure does.” Lynch’s voice was warmly sympathetic. “That was a great series.” He moved to stand in front of Kopt. “Did you manage to at least see the final?”
Kendra waited until she was certain Lynch had Kopt absorbed in the conversation before she moved deeper into the cell.Keep it casual.She moved over to the desk and began to glance at the paperback books. They were all porn, which didn’t surprise her. Almost all of his female victims had been raped. She looked through all of them to make certain there were no hidden compartments.
Nothing.
She opened the single drawer in the desk. Nothing but pens and a notepad. She checked the pad for visible indentations. Nothing. It looked as if he’d never written on it.
She knelt down on the floor and looked underneath the chair. Clean. Nothing affixed beneath it.
She went to the bed and examined the blanket, mattress, and pillow. Nothing. She knelt down and examined the bed’s steel frame. Nothing.
Or maybe…While she was lying on the floor, she’d caught sight of something across the cell in the corner…
She glanced at the door. The guard was still talking to Lynch. She got to her feet and moved quickly to the corner.
It was nothing really. Just a small wisp of a feather. But it smelled…weird. It was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.
And why over here in the corner, not close to any mattress or pillow?
She went back to the bed and examined the mattress. Airtight. She took the pillow and ran her fingers over the edge. It also seemed airtight…until she came to the upper right corner. Then the two sides parted, and she was able to slip her hand into the interior! She froze for an instant and then she began to carefully explore. She was able to only go a small distance before she felt a small object embedded in the feathers. She gave a quick glance at the door.
Keep him busy, Lynch. Just a little longer.
Her hand closed on the object. Small. She was holding it in the palm of her hand. Rubber…Glass…What the hell was it? She carefully pulled the object from the pillow and looked down at it. The light glittered on round glass…They were eyeglasses of some sort. She brought the object closer so that she could get a better look.
And then she caught the smell again. It was overwhelming her.
Shit!
She quickly wrapped the glasses in a tissue from her pocket and stuffed them in her jacket pocket. Then she closed the opening in the pillow itself and pulled and drew the cloth case over it again. She straightened the bed and then whirled and leaned back against the wall. What was she going to do? She knew what she wanted to do. Get out of here right now. But she couldn’t do it. Not yet.
She took out her phone and punched in Griffin’s number.
“Griffin.” Then he followed it immediately with, “What the hell do you want now, Kendra?”
She kept her voice almost low enough to be a whisper. “I want you to send an agent and at least one forensics specialist down here to Barrett’s cell now. I want you to tell them to obey my instructions and not let Rollins intimidate them.”
“What are you up to?”
“I’m trying to be legal. I found something here and I don’t want Rollins to conveniently lose it to save his ass.”
Silence. “Evidence?”
