might still be within range, Dietrich thought as he leveled down the barrel of his .44. She was moving fast, but she was on the phone now and distracted. That might give him the few seconds he’d need to take her out.
And he desperately wanted to kill the bitch. The white-hot anger was coursing through him. At first, he had only meant to follow her, find out how close she was getting, but that had changed when he’d realized she was on the cliff path where he’d stalked Elaine Wessler. So what if he knew he shouldn’t take her down this soon after Cardona’s death? He was an expert and could make it work. The desire to do it was like a fever inside him. He hadn’t expected her to connect the dots this fast, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take advantage when he found her this vulnerable. One quick, silent, accurate shot, and then drop her into the sea.
But that weird talent she possessed had screwed him up and now she was probably calling her FBI buddies.
He lowered his gun. She was no longer in range and he’d better get the hell out of here. He whirled and turned back into the trees, cursing beneath his breath. She probably thought she had beaten him—and nobody ever beat him. He was smarter than all of them, and particularly Kendra Michaels, who was so smug and satisfied with herself.
Enjoy it, bitch.
You won’t get away from me again.
Chapter
15
Kendra’s Condo
And why didn’t you call me, instead of Metcalf?” Lynch asked politely. “Isn’t that what partners commonly do? Or am I mistaken?”
He was clearly pissed off, and Kendra was too tired to argue with him. “You were busy. I didn’t want to bother you. I wasn’t sure that Dietrich was in those trees. I had no proof. It seemed better to use the FBI to investigate rather than bother you.”
“You might not have had proof but you had a damn good idea that he was there or you wouldn’t have called Metcalf. Isn’t that right?” He leaned back against the bar and took a drink of his whiskey as he gazed at her across the room. “And Metcalf thought the same thing once he examined the footprints he found up there. Just how close was he to you before you realized he was there?”
“Too close,” she said curtly. “What do you want me to say? Everything I said to you before you left the school was true. This shouldn’t have happened. Dietrich would have to be crazy to still be hanging around Oceanside after he killed Cardona. It doesn’t make sense that he would have stayed around with the FBI on the property. It’s even crazier that he would have actually gone after me when he thought he had the chance.”
“But I told you that according to the CIA, Dietrich is a little wacko. He likes to take chances; the sensation of skimming close to the edge gives him a rush.” He added grimly, “And this time he chose you to provide him with his buzz. Was Metcalf sure about the footprints?”
“He’s double-checking. But the initial info is that the shoes of the man on that cliff path were made in Portugal. Didn’t you say Lisbon was where Dietrich killed that pilot?”
He thought about it, then nodded. “You were probably right that it was Dietrich up there stalking you.”
“Of course it was,” she said impatiently. “Why else would I have called Metcalf if I didn’t believe it was Dietrich? I didn’t only hear him, I could feel him there, Lynch.” She added, “And I did what I thought was best. Now will you please stop interrogating me. You haven’t done anything else since you walked in that door fifteen minutes ago. I’m sick of it.”
“I can see that.” His gaze was narrowed on her face, and he turned to the bar and poured a glass of wine. “You’re also very tired. Metcalf told me you spent another two hours trekking around that path after he brought his team to investigate.” He crossed the room and handed her the glass. “How does your back feel?”
“Okay.” She shrugged. “A little sore. I did a little running through those trees before I reached the campus trail.”
“Running? You didn’t mention that.”
“I didn’t think of it.” She took a sip of wine. “It wasn’t important.”
“It was important.” His lips tightened. “I don’t like the picture it brings to mind of you darting through the trees like a frightened