“I think things will start to move,” he said, reiterating what Nat Naylor had said. “Ithaka is wise to this, and the FBI will want to get in there, look at records.”
“If Ithaka has already destroyed records, will your evidence be the only thing the government has to go on?”
“Ideally, they’ll find corroborating evidence. My guess is that they’ll try to get a doctor to flip, someone who provided info to Kennelly and Lister.”
“That old guy you spoke to on the phone?”
“Yes, or maybe someone else on the advisory committee who might have been in on it.”
She sensed he was ready to end the call. No, she decided. She couldn’t let him go.
“Garrett, would you be willing to meet? Just to talk. Not about the case, but I feel there are things we need to say to each other.”
“Do you think you can finally trust me?”
“I think so. It’s been hard because everything went to hell, but I want to clear the air.”
There was a long pause, and she found herself holding her breath.
“Where? And when? We have to be careful.”
“I’m going to sneak out tonight to meet a client. In Tribeca. If you’re still at the same apartment, I could come by after that.”
“I don’t like the idea of you leaving wherever you are.”
“I won’t be going out a lot, but there are appointments I have to keep. Otherwise, there’ll be nothing waiting for me when the case is resolved.”
“What if I meet you downtown when you’re done. We can find a place to talk and then I can bring you home.”
“Okay, I should be finished at about eight or so.”
“All right, I’ll wait at a bar or restaurant in that area. Call me when you’re wrapping up.”
When she disconnected, she was surprised at how much relief she felt. So she would have another shot at seeing him after all. And maybe there was a tiny chance she could make him want to renew their connection. Because that was what she wanted. Weeks ago when she’d asked Baby how she could have done such a bad job judging X in Florida, Baby had told her to think back about the warning signs she’d missed, but in hindsight Kit had never seen any. She’d been drawn to him. She had wanted something from him. And she still did.
She spent the rest of the afternoon brainstorming with Baby about their meeting with Steven Harper and reviewing a shopping strategy for the bachelor apartment with the freelancer she would be using. At six, she changed for her meeting with Holt.
“Any tips you’d recommend on how I should play this?” she asked Baby.
“Yes, stay home,” Baby said. “Let me go.”
“You’ve already been doing far more than you should. And I don’t want to throw him any more curveballs.”
Baby sighed. “Okay, then I’d say you want to regain the power position. Be happy to help but not needy to please. And seem busy with work. Toward the end you might even glance at your watch and say, ‘I’m so sorry but I need to meet another client now.’”
“Do you use this same kind of technique with men, as well?”
“I would if I could meet one who didn’t write his Match profile in all caps or tell me that his main goal in life is to seize the day.”
They hugged goodbye and Kit took off. Though she’d managed to squash her anxiety as she’d worked and brainstormed that afternoon, the minute she was in the lobby, it began to bully its way back. She still meant what she’d said at FBI headquarters, that she wasn’t going to let her life be destroyed, and yet she felt far less nervy each time she actually went out into the world. This time when she surveyed the courtyard, she was on the alert not just for strange men but also for a tall, dark-haired woman with a less-than-sane look in her eyes.
She arrived ahead of schedule at the small café and took a seat at the counter, where she ordered a cup of tea. Lost in thought, she finally glanced at her watch and saw that it was ten minutes past when Holt was supposed to call. She drank more tea and recollected how good it had been to be back in her apartment, even if only for a short while. She thought about Kelman, too, and what she would say to him later. She didn’t want him out of her