Chapter 9

There's nothing here!"

Kendra stood in the middle of a residential street, surrounded by charming little houses that were probably valued at four to six million dollars apiece. Star Park, a postage-stamp-size park made up of a few sidewalks, green space, and benches, was the area's only point of interest.

"Maybe they know someone here," Lynch said.

"Could be. But it's funny that they started coming here around the time they got so hot on a new lead in their investigation."

Lynch pointed to a few of the front doors. "It looks like the police have already been here with their flyers. Maybe Perry will have something to tell us after all. Might be worth a call."

"That won't be necessary."

"Why not?"

Kendra was looking up the street. "Perry's here."

Lynch turned just as Perry finished parking his SUV and climbed out. He smiled politely as he walked toward them. "Guess we should've carpooled."

Kendra shrugged. "Guess you should have been more generous with your information."

"I had a feeling you two would find your way here."

"That's what made you jump in the car after us?" Kendra asked.

He nodded. "You gave up far too easily when I wouldn't give this location to you. I figured one or both of you had a line on it. Mr. Lynch's government connections are legendary, and you've racked up quite a list of law-enforcement officers who feel they owe you one for the help you've provided over the years."

"Your instincts serve you well," Kendra said.

"A detective's hunch. Just curious, how did you two zero in on this place so quickly? It was someone in the forensics lab, wasn't it?"

"There are some secrets and methods we'd rather keep for ourselves," Lynch said.

Perry nodded. "I guess I deserve that. Anyway, I talked to one of my officers on the way over. Only about half of the residents were home. The ones that were here didn't identify Chloe and Sloane as anyone they'd ever seen."

Kendra walked down the street, and Lynch and Perry kept pace with her. She looked at the well-tended lawns and gardens. "I can't figure out what brought Chloe and Sloane here. It's nothing that appeared in any of their files."

"Remember, it could be nothing," Perry said. "An old mutual friend, a distant relative…"

Kendra stopped. She was staring at a pleasant two-story house across the street from the park.

"What do you see?" Lynch asked.

"The Wicked Witch."

"What?"

"And Toto, too." Kendra nodded toward the house. "There's a picture of the Wicked Witch in the upstairs window. And there's a statue of Toto on the front porch."

"I see," Lynch said. "And aren't those ceramic ruby slippers by the mailbox?"

Kenda gasped and pulled out her phone.

"What is it?" Lynch asked.

"Just one second." Kendra typed in the street address and read the search results. "Wow."

"Time to share," Perry said. "What did you find?"

"Chloe and Sloane weren't talking about ‘the bomb place,'" Kendra said.

"Then what were they discussing?" Perry asked.

"The Baum place."

"What?"

"The Baum house." Kendra smiled broadly. "L. Frank Baum wrote three of his Oz books in that very house over a hundred years ago. That's what Chloe and Sloane were talking about. Not the bomb place, but the Baum place!"

"Bingo," Lynch said softly. "By George, I believe she's got it."

"Well, you're the one who pulled this location out of your hat," Kendra said. "Now we've got to figure out what it means." She hugged him impulsively. "You might just be as brilliant as you think, Lynch."

"I tried to tell you." Lynch was grinning. "But I'm glad you finally came to see the light on your own. That's always inspirational."

Perry stepped closer to the house. "The Baum house… Is it a museum?"

"No." She looked at the Tripadvisor write-up on her phone. "Just a private residence, as it apparently always has been. Now occupied by a family that obviously appreciates its place in literary history."

"I'm still not sure why Chloe and Sloane suddenly appreciated it," Lynch said.

"Me neither. And judging by the flyer we tucked into the front doorjamb, no one has been home to answer any questions."

"It's not just the police flyer," Kendra said. "There are two restaurant take-out menus and a local coupon book on the porch. I'd say the residents have been out of town for at least a week."

Lynch stared at his phone. "By residents, you mean Ted and Lucinda Nichols, and their children Mark and Sasha."

Kendra looked over at his screen. "You found that already?"

"Real estate records, then a quick trip to the last census. They've lived here for nine years. I'm sure Detective Perry could have just as easily pulled this up from his police databases."

Perry chuckled. "Mine are a bit more sluggish than the ones you're using. I usually end up calling someone and waiting for them to get back to me."

Kendra couldn't just stand here. She stepped closer to the house. "Up for a little bit of trespassing?"

Lynch smiled. "Sure. Coming, Perry?"

"Why not?" Perry made a wry face. "It'll give me a chance to count up all the other Oz-related clues that my officers probably totally missed."

Kendra, Lynch, and Perry opened the side gate and walked down the length of the yellow house. The backyard was just as beautiful as the front, with stunning pops of color coming from the flowers and lawn ornaments. Dozens of ceramic winged monkeys dangled from the two lemon trees, and stone pavers had been painted to give an approximation of the Yellow Brick Road.

"They're really leaning into the whole Oz thing," Lynch said.

"It's nice." Kendra ducked to avoid a winged monkey. "I'd love to talk to the owners and see if they had any contact with Chloe and Sloane."

Perry jotted something into his notebook. "We'll track them down, maybe through their workplaces. I'll let you know what we come up with."

Kendra definitely felt uncomfortable relinquishing control to Perry and his officers, but she nodded anyway. Oh, well, she'd decide what to do later. Then she realized Lynch was watching her, and he suddenly chuckled. Sometimes it was like the bastard could read her mind, she thought crossly. Was it possible that what made him so infuriating was the exact same thing that made her miss him so much when he was away for weeks at a time?

Probably.

Dammit.

"I'll let you know as soon as we track down the owners of that property," Perry said as he walked Kendra and Lynch toward the Lamborghini. "It shouldn't take more than a day or two at most."

"Thank you," Kendra said. "I'd appreciate knowing as soon as possible. It may open the entire case if we can trace what the sisters told the owners of this house. I know you want that as much as we do."

"Of course I do." But his answer was absentminded as he gazed at the Lamborghini. "That's quite an automobile. I bet it gets a lot of attention." He turned to Lynch and said wistfully, "I've always wanted a car like that. But I guess everyone does."

Kendra had had enough of car worship for one day. She jumped into the passenger seat. "Thanks for everything, Perry. We'll be in touch."

"My pleasure," Perry said. "You've been a great help."

"She always is." Lynch hurriedly jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. "If there's anything I can do, let me know." Then he was roaring out of the driveway. He shot her an amused glance. "I wasn't sure if you were going to let me get in the car. Did he annoy you that much?"

"Not really. I just wanted to get away from the automobile cult so we could get to work. It was obvious he wasn't going to be all that helpful." She turned, looked over her shoulder, waved at Perry, and smiled sweetly. "While he tracks down the current owners, I'd like to go deeper."

"Meaning?"

"How about the residents of that house fifteen years ago, when the Bayside Strangler murders were happening? That's what Chloe and Sloane may have been interested in. How fast can you get us that info?"

"Ah, so you're going to use me? I admit I do like to be needed."

"We'll see," Kendra said. "You managed to get the info we needed here. How fast, Lynch?"

"If you drive so I can concentrate, I'll get right on it. I regard it as a challenge."

She made a face. "Pull over. Much as I hate to be associated with your blasted fan club, I regard it as my duty to help get this information as quickly as possible."

"Nah." His eyes were dancing with mischief as he pulled over to the side of the road. He then exchanged seats with her. "You're just using it as an excuse to get the chance to drive this beauty. I know you've been secretly lusting after it."

"You're crazy," she said as she started the engine. "Just give me directions and I'll show you how eager I am to drive the damn thing. How are you going to get me this info?"

"Probing. Trial and error. I'll find it."

She hadn't the slightest doubt that he would search until he did. His intensity was incredible as he went through databases with speed and accuracy.

"How is it coming?" she asked after ten minutes.

"Good enough. I'm bringing up real estate records now," Lynch said. "Fifteen years ago, that house was owned by a property management company." He pulled up an address. "They're still around, on Bankers Hill."

"Next to Little Italy?"

"Yep. We're going the right way now." He looked at his watch. "And we're right on schedule. I just sent a text to June Adcock, co-owner of the company, and asked if we can drop in and ask a few questions. Another few minutes…"

June Adcock was a woman in her sixties with brick-red hair and a brisk but smart demeanor. But she appeared to be willing to talk about the Baum place. According to her, it was more a tourist attraction than anything more dangerous.

"I can't tell you much more about it," June said. "The Baum place was a popular rental property for vacationers, especially Wizard of Oz fans."

"We're looking for renters from a certain period," Kendra said. "It's been a while. Fifteen years ago last summer." Kendra pulled up the Notes app on her phone and displayed the date range of the Bayside Strangler murders. "Do you think you can give us a list of the renters of that house during this time?"

"Well, it would be an extremely short list."

"What do you mean?"

"I happen to remember that the house was occupied by only one renter for that entire year."

"You remember that off the top of your head?" Lynch asked.

"Only because it was so unusual." June leaned back in her desk chair and sipped from a tumbler of iced tea. "The house was rented by a corporation. Sometimes companies will rent places when they know their employees will be in town for extended periods of time. It's less expensive than a hotel. But this corporation paid their rent a year in advance, plus another fifty-five-hundred-dollar security deposit, all in cash."

"Cash?" Kendra asked.

"Yes. And a couple of months before the end of the rental period, they dropped off the keys at our office in the after-hours box. The house was spotless. It was as if no one had ever been there. I tried to contact the corporation to return their deposit, but there was no valid address or working phone number. We tried every search we could think of, but the corporation just didn't exist anymore."

"What was the corporation's name?" Lynch asked.

"That's one thing I don't have at the top of my mind." June leaned forward and typed on her desktop keyboard. "We normally protect the confidentiality of our clients, but since this one doesn't exist anymore…" She squinted at the screen. "It was called the Dayton Group."

"Never heard of it," Kendra said.

"Nobody has, before or since."

"Do you happen to remember anything about the person who signed the rental agreement?" Kendra asked.

"No, sorry. That was handled by someone who hasn't worked here for years. But I believe it was a gentleman." June looked between the two of them. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so interested in this place?"

"Two women took an interest in that house last month," Kendra said. "We don't know why. The women have gone missing."

June's eyes widened.

"We don't know if it has anything to do with that house," Kendra quickly added. "Just covering all the bases."

"Interesting. Well, we don't own it anymore. Our company sold off most of its properties around ten years ago, when the housing market spiked. We concentrate more on property management these days." She stood. "Speaking of which, I have to go look at a place right now."

They thanked her for her time and left. On the sidewalk outside, Kendra walked in silence for a moment while she processed what they'd just been told.

"Just plain weird," she finally said.

"The vanishing corporation, you mean?"

"Yes."

"There could be any number of reasons why it was done. Both crooked and legitimate. After all, a corporation could be a conglomerate or a single person. Any industry you can imagine. An energy company, a drug dealer, a classical violinist, or someone who sells watercolors along the Embarcadero."

"You're really reaching now, Lynch," Kendra said.

"Maybe not. You've just got to harness your imagination and then give it free rein."

"Suppose you do that, Lynch," Kendra suggested and added slyly, "Or is it too much of a challenge for you?"

"Not at all." He met her gaze. "You really want to find this guy?"

"Of course I do. He's a strong lead."

"Possibly. Or he might be another victim. We'll have to take a look and see." He grinned. "But I'll do my best to track him down for you."

"And then prove how clever you were to do it?"

"I'd hate to deprive you of a challenge."

"I could survive it."

"But I'd have problems with it. I did give you my word that I'd try to find the sisters. I have to keep my word to you."

"We seem to have gotten along fine with me driving you here."

He shook his head mournfully. "I'm afraid we didn't, Kendra. Maybe if I'd had more time to coach you about the eccentricities of driving such a magnificent car. I'll keep it in mind next time."

"I'm not worthy of driving that damn car?"

"I told you I'd coach you."

"I may murder you, Lynch."

He smiled. "But I could probably do that better than you, too. It's all in the practice, Kendra. First, you have to have the knack, then you have to practice, practice, practice."

"Any other suggestions?" she asked.

"You have to learn how to duck really well when confronted with irate motorists."

"I've got that down pat."

"And you have to let me feed you dinner tonight. At Juniper and Ivy while we discuss the case. Their Wagyu short rib can't be beat, and I insist you try their yodel for desert."

"I'll work on it."

"Then you're a shoo-in." He got behind the wheel. "I knew you could do it!"

"Yodel?" Kendra scanned the dessert menu at the Juniper and Ivy restaurant. So far the décor had proved to be absolutely charming and the food as good as Lynch claimed. "I believe I'll pass on yodeling for dessert. It's a bit on the exhibitionist side and not really my thing."

"Nonsense. You're a music professional and I've heard you sing with your students. You do a great job. Actually, it's really good practice and I was going to suggest you bring some of your students here for an occasional lunch. The entire table could become a guest of the proprietors if your party does a good enough job of the yodel. But it must be loud enough to resonate off the other tables in the restaurant. Your students would love it."

"They might at that. It could be fun for them. And I might be tempted to do it if I was sure that it was for their benefit and not to amuse you, Lynch."

"Well, part of it would be for me." His grin was puckish. "But I'll try to persuade you again when you have a more welcoming audience for your yodel. I'm sure it will be an astounding success."

"I thought so." She was shaking her head and trying to keep from smiling. "You're a very wicked man, Lynch."

"Just trying to help you with your students," he murmured. "I guess we'll have to choose something more boring to keep you entertained. Let me think about it."

Kendra's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked in surprise at the caller ID notification. "It's Metcalf."

"Metcalf? I didn't think the FBI was on this case."

"They're not. He probably just heard about my run-in at Sloane's condo." She answered the call. "Metcalf, my head is fine. Nothing to worry about."

"Uh, glad to hear it," he replied. "But that's not why I'm calling, whatever that's about."

"Oh."

"I'm on my way to a crime scene. Kendra, I guess you haven't heard…" She could hear the stress in his voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Listen, this is related to the case you've been working. I knew you'd want to know right away."

Lynch's phone chimed on the table in front of him. He looked down at the screen and whispered a single swear word.

"I guess Lynch just found out," Metcalf said.

"Found out what?"

"Kendra…" He hesitated and then just came out with it. "The Bayside Strangler is back."