Sight Unseen(18)
“Wayne Shetland,” Kendra said.
“Who?”
“It’s another one of my cases,” Kendra said. “Up in Fresno. Check the file in your tablet. Wayne Shetland murdered his victims, then dressed them in different ways. The press dubbed them the Paper Doll Murders.”
Lynch nodded. “So our copycat replicated another case from your past. He wanted to be absolutely certain that the police would see this for what it was. And he wanted it brought to your attention.”
Dr. Ross sighed. “If you’ll excuse me, I now have still more amendments to make in my report.” He cocked his head at Kendra. “Unless you have something else for me?”
“Not right now, but it’s early yet.” She headed back down the hall. “Thanks, Dr. Ross. I’ll keep you posted.”
* * *
LYNCH’S MOBILE PHONE RANG JUST as they reached his car. He unlocked her door for her but stood outside talking while she climbed inside.
She watched him speaking into the phone, obviously growing more tense and agitated by the moment. Since gaining her sight, she had been fascinated by the visualization of human speech—the delicate interplay of lips, tongue, and teeth. But her burgeoning lip-reading skills were now handicapped by Lynch’s intermittently turning his back to her as he paced. In any case, she didn’t need special skills to know this call wasn’t making Lynch happy.
He finally put away his phone and climbed into the car.
“Bad news?” she asked.
“Annoying news. I have to leave town.”
“When?”
“In about three hours. I’m afraid I’ll have to take you home.”
“Ah-hah. On orders from your boss who’s not really your boss?”
“Something’s come up in D.C. I guess I shouldn’t have cultivated the reputation of being so damn indispensable.”
“Really?” she said mockingly. “How sad that it’s come back to bite you in the ass.” She gave him a sideways glance. “Just out of curiosity, what’s come up?”
“It’s classified.”
“That, I figured. I also figured you would tell me anyway. I believe I’ve proved I can keep a secret.”
He laughed. “Yes, you have.”
“So spill it.”
“What the hell.” He threw up his hands. “Someone in one of the congressional offices has been leaking sensitive information.”
“Leaking it to whom?”
“To whoever will pay the most, probably. Lobbyists, defense contractors, journalists … Depending on what the information is. I’ve been charged with finding the leak and plugging it.”
“When you say ‘plugging,’ you’re not speaking in terms of a 1930s gangster movie, are you?”
He smiled. “As in, plugging someone full of lead? I love this dangerous and romantic conception you have of me.”
Actually, she could see Lynch in that tough, reckless role. The romantic concept was a harder stretch. Unless it was heavy on the sex. There was no question about Lynch’s sexual abilities and inclinations. “I just knows what I sees.”
“Well, no. I’m speaking purely in terms of stopping the leak. I’ve been planting false information during the past few weeks, and this morning it finally yielded something. Unfortunately, our suspected leaker isn’t talking. They want me to come back and lead the questioning.”
“Don’t you mean interrogation?”
“That’s probably a more accurate way of putting it. But they want him under more psychological duress than physical.”
“I can see why they’re desperate for your expertise. If there’s something you excel at, it’s driving people crazy.”
“I like how you take my gifts and twist them in such a way to make them sound like insults.”
“Oh, so your unique brand of manipulation is now a ‘gift.’”
“What would you call it?”
She tilted her head, thinking about it. “A curse. A bane. A blight. A pain in the ass. Take your pick.”
Lynch started the car and roared out of the parking lot. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to do without my gift for the time being. Perhaps young Agent Metcalf will get his chance with you after all.”
“I don’t need a tagalong.”
“Or you could just wait for me to get back. It will only be a couple days.”
She looked away from him. “A couple days can be a long time. In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s a sicko out there who will kill again.”
“You’re not the only one working this investigation. You can use the time to get up to speed on the case files.”