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She looked at him in disbelief. “Swim goggles.”
“Yes.”
“Well, no one’s likely to get in much trouble forthat.”
“Exactly. I just want some information. Who arranged it?”
She sat back in her chair and shook her head. “Swim goggles. Hmm. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”
“Thanks, Ula.”
“Anything for you, Lynch.”
***
“You’re Kendra Michaels?” Jackie Gabert threw the door open. “Welcome. I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since I started to read those newspaper articles about you. I thought you and I would be on the same wavelength. Come in, come in.”
Kendra came into the foyer. “Really? And would you care to tell me what that wavelength is?”
“Certainly. Two women who have intelligence and the power to force other individuals and situations surrounding us to give us what we want.” She smiled. “I could see that in you the moment I read those articles about you, and now I see it in person. Do you see it in me?”
“Perhaps.” What Kendra could see in Jackie Gabert was an attractive brunette woman in her thirties with a personality that was as powerful as she claimed. Kendra could almost sense the vibrancy of that self-will reaching out to enfold her. “I do see you’re a woman who wants her own way, Miss Gabert.”
“Jackie.” She threw back her head and laughed. “You’re being careful. I usually am, too, with strangers. But I don’t feel you’re a stranger. Why do you think I permitted you to come and interview me? I realized we were soulmates and I wanted someone to talk to.” Her voice lowered. “I’m in mourning, you know.”
“I understand that you were engaged to Barrett.”
“And you don’t understand why I would mourn him?” She motioned toward two chairs across the room. “Sit down. I’ve made tea. We’ll talk and I’ll tell you. There are all kinds of mourning, you know.” She brought the teakettle and poured tea into the two cups. “And reasons for a person to mourn that may not be in the usual vein.”
“Other than sorrow?”
“Rather the knowledge of things lost.”
“What things?”
“It depends on what is of the most value to you.” She smiled. “First, you must realize what that is. I came to that conclusion when I was a teenager. After that, it was merely a question of going after it.” She paused. “You’re not drinking your tea.”
“I’ve been too fascinated with what you’ve been saying.” It was the truth, she thought. This woman was like trying to open a Chinese puzzle box, but she felt she was getting closer. “You knew I was coming here because of Barrett’s death, and you permitted it. You’re obviously intelligent and I understand you have a respected background as a freelance feature writer. You must have known that there was no way I could approve of your relationship with a murderer like Barrett. What are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m trying to tell you I don’t care if you approve or disapprove of my relationship with Barrett.” She smiled. “Because the only reason I allowed you to come today was because I wanted to interviewyou. I thought I’d allow you to ask me whatever questions you chose and in return I’d get to know if you suited me.”
“Suited you? I beg your pardon.”
She laughed with genuine amusement. “But you never beg anyone’s pardon. You say exactly what you mean and let everyone accept or reject it. I told you I’d studied you.”
“What do you mean, suited you?”
“You’re very strong and determined. You’d be a magnificent challenge. I wanted to know if it would be worth my while to concentrate on training you to replace Barrett.”
Kendra stared at her, stunned. “What the hell do you mean?”
She shook her head. “You’re thinking about sex? You underestimate me. That was never why Barrett was drawn to me. Though it might have been a weapon I might have used later. It certainly wasn’t why I was drawn to him.”
“Then why were you drawn to him?”
“Ahh, the interview begins.” Jackie took a sip of her tea. “It was all about power. I pretended to believe he was innocent, but I’m smart and I did my research. Before I visited him that first day, I knew that he’d killed all those women. It was what attracted me to him. The numbers intrigued me more than anything else. One or two deaths aren’t unusual, but he kept on. I thought that might indicate a stamina and power worth tapping. So, I decided that I’d experiment with the control factor.”
“Control factor?”
