Kendra jumped and turned around. The man who’d been on the floor was swinging an old fire extinguisher against the car window, trying to get to her.
Kendra threw herself into the SUV’s backseat, where Jessie kept her private-eye tools of the trade. Binoculars, listening devices, camcorder…Where was a good stun gun when you needed it?
Amazingly, the man still wasn’t making much headway against the glass of the window. Kendra squinted into the shadowy darkness behind him as she glimpsed something…Was that—?
FWAPP! Jessie snapped her leather jacket over the man’s head, pulling the ends of the collar over his throat like a garrote.
He struggled, but each of his movements was met with a knee to his kidneys. Jessie finished by repeatedly slamming his head against her SUV roof.
She pulled the jacket from his head, revealing that the man was now unconscious with a bruised and bloodied face. His nose and right cheekbone appeared to be broken. He fell to the floor in a heap.
Jessie ran around to the driver’s side, climbed in, and put the SUV into gear. She backed up, spun the car around, stomping on the accelerator as she headed south on Harbor Drive.
She checked the rearview mirror. “I don’t think we’re being followed.”
Kendra looked at her dazedly. “What are you doing here?”
Jessie smiled. “Saving your sorry ass.”
“No, I mean—”
“I know what you mean.” She shrugged. “I just got into town a little while ago. I dropped in at FBI headquarters because I thought you might be there and Metcalf told me that you were headed here to talk to the victim’s ex-husband. I thought I’d join you.”
“Just like that.”
“Yeah. But then I saw you running across a rooftop with those two thugs after you. I thought you could use a little help.”
“A little help…” Her heart was still beating so hard it was painful. “Did you kill that man?”
“Nah. He won’t be posing for class pictures anytime soon, but he’ll live.”
“What about the man you threw off the catwalk?”
“Oh, him. No guarantees there. Would you like to tell me what happened?”
Kendra picked up Jessie’s phone from the console and started dialing. “I need to call Metcalf. I think those were the men who just killed Kit Randolph. I found his body and I have to get someone out here to arrest them.” She rubbed her aching temple. “And I should meet Griffin and Metcalf here at the crime scene. We should go back and make certain the evidence isn’t—”
“Hold it.” Jessie took the phone away from her. “We’re not going back and letting you hold that corpse’s hand until your FBI buddies get here. I’m taking you home.” She spoke into the phone as Metcalf picked up. “Jessie. I’ll let Kendra talk to you in a minute when she’s thinking straight. Randolph has been murdered and she ran into the assholes who might have done it. They might still be on the premises, so you and Griffin get out here and take care of the situation. She’s not in great shape. I’m taking her home and getting her patched up, providing I don’t decide to go to the ER if the bleeding is too bad. Just tell her she’s barred from the crime scene and you’ll give her a report later.” She handed the phone back to Kendra. “Now you can talk to him. Give him all the information you think he needs. By that time I should have gotten you back to your condo. But try not to get blood all over my phone.”
The advice came too late, Kendra realized. She’d forgotten her cut and bleeding hands. “You made it sound as if I was really hurt. I’m fine. Just a few cuts.” She spoke into the phone. “Jessie was just being difficult, Metcalf. But you should really come quick and I’ll try to be there when you—”
“We’re on our way. And you do exactly what Jessie says.” He paused. “How bad is it?”
“I told you, she’s just being difficult.” However, she could tell from Jessie’s expression that she fully intended to continue being difficult. “But perhaps I’d better fill you in on what happened tonight. You’d better record it while it’s fresh because I’m a little blurry. It was pretty bizarre. And I don’t exactly know what happened to those men who were chasing me…”
* * *
Kendra’s Condo
“Get into the shower and clean yourself up so that I can see what I’m working with,” Jessie said brusquely as she led