Chapter 16

Kendra and Lynch valet parked at the Hilton Bayfront and walked around the hotel plaza to a line of yachts lining the harbor. Lynch motioned toward a sleek blue craft that was almost stunning in its appearance. "There's our ride."

"Sure it is," she replied. "Come on, how are we going to get there?"

"I'm serious. The Starshadow will be our home for as long as we need it. It belongs to a friend of mine. He's in Brazil for the season."

"Another one of your insanely wealthy and well-connected friends?"

"What can I say? I move in interesting circles."

"Obviously."

"Another friend down here has a yacht with a helicopter pad on the top deck, but I'd need a full crew to help me with that one."

"You know, with a coupon, I think the Catalina ferry tickets are only forty-nine dollars."

"I'm guessing that's what Williams and the Morgan sisters took to get there, and their charter boat took them someplace else. But this cruiser will fit the bill nicely for us."

"I'm not arguing. The cruiser it is."

Kendra and Harley stepped up the ramp while Lynch moved to ready the boat.

It took slightly more than an hour to reach Catalina Island's Avalon Bay, which formed a breathtaking entranceway to the small resort town of Avalon, with its waterfront hotels, restaurants, and landmark art deco casino. At any given time, there were hundreds of boats anchored in the bay, each a short water taxi ride away from the community's main pier.

The owner of Starshadow had secured one of the rare harbor berths on the south end of the waterfront pedestrian walkway, and it was here that Lynch moored the cruiser and tied it off. They checked in at the Hotel Atwater, where, to Kendra's surprise, Lynch had already arranged delivery of two changes of clothes from one of the local boutiques.

She held up a Valentino Garavini blouse. "When did you do this?"

"I emailed the shop from our boat. If they're not to your taste, we can exchange them. The boutique is just around the corner."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." She laughed. "Thank you."

"Why don't you freshen up and change, and I'll walk Harley and find out about this charter service that Williams took from here. Then we can walk over together and get whatever information we can."

"Sounds good. Then all I'll have to do is decide between the Christian Louboutin pumps and the Ferragamo loafers."

Lynch returned in less than thirty minutes, and he, Kendra, and Harley strolled along the pedestrian walkway to the north end of the bay.

"I could get used to this place," Kendra said as she strolled past the iconic casino building. "Good wine, beautiful sea breeze, and I love the seals."

"So does Harley," Lynch said dryly. "He thinks they're his playmates. I could barely keep him from trying to set up a commune with them when I was walking him. He was so intrigued that I almost didn't get him back to the hotel. He became quite distracted."

"He appears fairly calm right now," Kendra said. She reached down and patted Harley's floppy ears. "Why was he distracted?"

"Sometimes it happens. I managed to take care of it."

"Like you take care of everything? If I remember correctly, Harley is very well trained. You did some of the training yourself. That's why he's so blasted fond of you."

"Come on, he's fond of everybody."

"Maybe. So what did you find out about the charter boat?"

"Evidently the owner of the boat, Darlene Gatwick, is something of a character. I called her, and she refused to talk to me. She said all of her clients had a right to their privacy. And she assured me that was what was wrong with the world these days. Everyone was nosing around in everyone else's business. Her boat is moored a few hundred yards north of the casino, just outside the bay area."

"Good," Kendra said. "Let's not take no for an answer. Let's find out everything she knows about Williams and the guests he might have taken on a chartered trip from here."

He smiled. "I thought that would be your reaction. By all means, let's go see what the lady knows. But even if he was here with them, there's no guarantee they're still alive."

"I know that, Lynch. Whatever we find out here, you've been extraordinary. No one could do more than—"

"Shit!" Lynch jerked the dog's leash away from Kendra as the dog took off at a dead run, jerking her down an alley off St. Catherine Way.

"What on earth!" Kendra followed at a dead run. "Is this what you meant when you said Harley was chasing those seals? I believe you now."

"No!" Lynch was holding out his hand to stop her. "Stay, dammit."

"Stay?" She was laughing. "Not the right word for me, Lynch. I'm not Harley."

"Stay! Don't move!" Lynch was running down a side street. "I don't think it was the seals…"

Kendra stopped short at the curtness of his voice. No laughter there. Then she started to rush toward the direction of his voice. "Lynch!"

Then she saw him standing at the end of the alley holding Harley's leash. "You've got him?"

"I've got him." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward the harbor. "He wasn't running from me. I think he was on the attack."

"Nonsense. No dog is gentler than Harley."

"Except when his protective training kicks in. We've both seen him pretty fierce then. Let's go back to the cruiser."

"Why?"

"I want to check things out."

They reached their cruiser in a few minutes, and Lynch jumped aboard. He lifted her and Harley from the pier to the deck. "I'm going to look over the boat. Stay here with Harley."

"Any particular reason for all this?"

"I want to make sure we're not going to have any passengers hitching a ride."

She stiffened. "You saw something in that alley?"

"No, but I'd swear Harley saw something or someone he didn't like before I caught up with him. I thought I caught a glimpse of someone following us when I was walking him earlier. This time I was keeping an eye on Harley to make sure it wasn't those seals that he wanted to go after and adopt."

"You're sure that it wasn't?"

He shrugged. "Not positive. But whoever it was disappeared before I could get over to the next alley to check them out."

"Could you recognize them again?"

"No, I only caught a flash of a white shirt and navy cap."

"Nothing else?"

"Sorry, I was too busy corralling Harley to pay attention to high fashion."

"I suppose it might have been a tourist?"

"It could be. But you know how suspicious I am. Will you stay here with Harley?"

She shook her head. "I'm not playing that game any longer. I'll go with you."

"I thought that was the way it would work. Do you also still want to go with me to interview our Darlene Gatwick? We could skip it."

"No, we can't. You'd end up by stashing me someplace ‘safe' and going off and doing it alone. Where do we search first?"

"The galley." He gestured that way. "If it pleases you."

She pulled her handgun from her jacket pocket. "It pleases me."

He grinned. "And that pleases me. So we'll both be happy. I hope you keep that toy with you all the time we're on the island."

"It's not a toy. I'm still a very good shot." She met his eyes. "And I'll never leave it behind again when there's a chance you may need me. I'll always remember crawling around on that blasted garage floor when I knew it was my fault you were there." She started toward the galley. "May I go first this time?"

"Hell, no."

She smiled. "You're so predictable. By all means, show off for Harley and me. We both appreciate your amusement value."

"You're maligning me again. However, I'll forgive you because you've promised to protect me."

Lynch stopped and pulled a card-shaped object from his wallet. He propped it against a vase in the main cabin.

Kendra bent over to look at it. "What's that?"

"It's a Bluetooth-connected motion sensor. It'll send a signal to my phone if this boat gets any unwelcome visitors. I didn't think it was necessary before, but better safe than sorry."

"Cool gadget." She straightened up. "Boys and their toys."

After they left the cruiser, Lynch, Kendra, and Harley walked up Crescent Avenue to the spot where Darlene Gatwick moored her boat between charters.

"Ahoy there, Captain Gatwick," Lynch called as they approached the boat. "Sorry to disturb you, but I decided that it was necessary that we have a little talk. I promise I won't bother you or your guests again after I get the info I need. I'd be happy to reimburse you generously for your time."

Darlene Gatwick was peering at him from the other side of her boat. "You're damn pushy, Lynch," she called out. "I told you that my clients like their privacy. Yet you come out here in that fancy cruiser and think that I'll be impressed? Screw you."

"I'm the one who is impressed," Lynch said. "There aren't many captains who have your sense of honor. I'm sure that's why Williams chose you. He was desperate to keep his privacy intact from people who might want to damage or destroy his mission."

"Mission? Williams told me he was no longer working with either the military or the police. He said he just wanted to have a peaceful vacation and catch a few fish."

"Tell her, Lynch," Kendra said quietly as she took a step forward to lean over the rail. "She might know something."

"I believe you aren't going to wait for me to get around to it," he said ruefully. He waved his hand at Kendra. "May I present an employee and old friend of Todd Williams, Captain Gatwick? This is Kendra Michaels, who is very concerned about Williams and his family."

"That's true," Kendra said. "And I admire the fact that you're trying to protect him." She hesitated and then said, "But I'm afraid it's too late to do that now. Todd Williams is dead."

Darlene was obviously trying to maintain a callous expression, but this seemed to hit her hard.

"He was killed in San Diego. Now all we can do is try to find the two women who trusted him with their lives. You're one of the last people he contacted. Do you have any information about where we can find these two women?"

"Women?" Darlene repeated blankly. "His charter reservation was for three people, but I never actually saw the others. He came up here by himself. When he got here, he didn't want the charter he'd booked with me. Instead, he wanted to rent my boat for two days. That's not what I do, so I turned him down cold." She was silent for a moment. "Williams is really dead? Shit. I liked him. He was a good guy. How did it happen?"

"An accident in the hills," Lynch said. "Do you have any idea where he was going from here?"

"When I couldn't set him up for a rental, I gave him the number of another captain who works out of Mexico and is pretty reliable. Marcus Delgado. He's due back here tomorrow to drop off clients. He's fairly money-hungry and I think he probably would have taken the deal if Williams offered it to him." She scrawled a name and number on a scrap of paper and handed it to Kendra. "I hope you find those women."

"Me too," Kendra said. "Thank you for your help, Darlene. We appreciate it."

"He should have told you to ask me in the beginning," Darlene said tartly. "You can't trust those pretty boys. I know he looks like some kind of movie star, but we women have to stick together."

"I'll remember that." Kendra was trying not to smile. "Most of the time he's okay."

"Yeah, sure." Darlene made a sound that might have been a distinct harrumph and stomped toward the steps. "Aren't they all?"

"Pretty boy?" Lynch murmured.

"Definitely," Kendra said. "She obviously calls them as she sees them."

"In any case, I suggest we make our way back to the hotel so that I can call Delgado."

She gazed at him curiously. "What are you going to ask him?"

"Many things. First I want to make sure that Delgado actually rented his boat to Williams when Captain Gatwick turned him down. Next, I want to know where he took Williams and the girls once he was hired. Preferably the entire route."

"So do I," Kendra said fervently. "It's really our best hope of tracking them down, isn't it?"

"Yes." He reached out and took her hand. "Even if I can't get hold of him now, we know he'll be in port tomorrow. Once I contact him, we'll be that much closer."

She smiled. "Maybe you're not just a pretty face after all."

He flinched. "You really know how to hurt a guy."

"Nonsense. I'm just following Darlene's advice. She's older and wiser than I am."

"Then heaven help us…"

Lynch didn't reach Delgado by phone, so instead they dined outdoors by the bay at Bluewater Avalon, which Kendra decided had some of the best seafood she'd eaten on the West Coast. Lynch, however, looked uneasy.

"What is it?" Kendra said. "Have you seen our friend in the cap?"

"No, and I've been looking. It's just… I hate waiting around when we should be doing something."

"I know. I feel the same way. If I thought we could find this Delgado guy right now, I'd set out on our cruiser and track him down."

Lynch waved his hand toward the ocean. "A needle in a haystack. I'll keep trying to text and call. Maybe he'll answer sometime during the night."

After the meal, they retreated to their oceanfront room, where Kendra expected to toss and turn all night. She didn't. The soft bed and the sounds of the ocean outside provided her with the best sleep she'd had in days.

She woke in the morning to find Lynch fully dressed and staring at his phone.

"Anything?" she asked.

"I just got a text from Captain Delgado. He said he'd meet us at the dock at noon and he'd discuss renting me his boat for a few days. Though his fee is fairly outrageous."

"Too bad," Kendra said. "Tell him to go jump in the harbor. We'll find out what he knows and hire another captain and boat. Or we'll take our cruiser and get there ourselves."

"I want this one," Lynch said. "Delgado's. I'll try to negotiate. It may not be that difficult. Anyway, want to go to brunch? I hear good things about the Avalon Grille."

"Sure. Let me take a quick shower." She felt guilty as she headed for the bathroom since she knew Lynch had probably been in protective mode and awake much of the night.

After a wonderful brunch, they walked Harley along Front Street and finally made their way to the berth where Delgado was scheduled to arrive.

Delgado was a small mustached man, and he stood proudly on the elevated express bridge of his forty-foot white boat as it pulled up to its berth. After bidding goodbye to his guests, he turned to Kendra and Lynch.

"So," he said with a Spanish accent, "you want to rent my boat?"

"I do," Lynch said, "but I find your terms a bit unreasonable."

Delgado shrugged. "There are many other boats for rent here. Hundreds, probably. Take one of those."

"I could, and I might. But I've heard wonderful things about Excalibur. Can we discuss this?"

Lynch and Delgado haggled for another fifteen minutes, and by the end of it, Delgado was laughing and hugging Lynch like an old friend.

Lynch turned to her and held out his hand. "This is Captain Delgado, Kendra. He was very cooperative once he understood my problem. Kendra Michaels is going to accompany me on my trip aboard your fine boat. She was a good friend of Todd Williams."

"Delighted," Delgado said as he shook her hand. "My sympathy for your loss." He turned back to Lynch. "But the terms are still the same."

"He strikes a hard bargain, Kendra. But we've come to an agreement. He's going to let me rent his fine boat for the next few days for an exceedingly expensive amount. Isn't that kind?"

"If you say so," Delgado said sourly. "Four days and I get my boat back. Not one more day."

"Didn't I promise?" Lynch asked. "Get in the boat, Kendra. Se?or Delgado needs to leave for his luncheon appointment." He helped her on the boat. "Thank you for your services, Se?or. You're a true gentleman." He handed Delgado a huge wad of cash. "Four days."

Kendra's eyes widened as she saw the denominations of the bills. "I believe I gave you a suggestion about that payment. Are you sure that—"

But Delgado was reluctantly stepping off the boat and Lynch was now speeding off across the water away from the docks.

Kendra was looking back at him. "That was a huge amount of money."

"I had to work fast," Lynch said softly. "Delgado was tempted to back out if I hadn't made it irresistible. Stop complaining. We'll be safely away from here in another fifteen minutes and I'll explain everything."

She made a face. "I detest being held up like that."

"You've made that clear and I'm grateful for your concern. But it's my money, Kendra. You don't have to stand guard over me."

"Someone should." She glanced at Harley curled up happily by Lynch's feet. "Where were you when he needed you? Don't you recognize sheer robbery when you see it?"

Lynch was shaking his head with amusement. "I believe it's time to change the subject when you're attacking Harley. Suppose I tell you what I learned from Delgado before we made our deal? His response was basically the same as Darlene Gatwick's. He said that Williams didn't mention having any other passengers aboard his rental boat. As far as he knew, the Williams job was going to be a solo fishing trip."

"That's a disappointment."

"If it was the truth. He appears to like cash. Williams could have bribed him to say anything he wanted."

"At least you realize how Delgado is trying to play you."

"It did occur to me, you know."

"Then why were you determined to hire this particular boat?"

"Perhaps I had a reason." He tilted his head. "What do you think?"

She was gazing at him with narrowed eyes. "I think you'd better explain in detail before I get very annoyed." She suddenly snapped her fingers as it came to her. "The navigation system."

"You got it."

She slapped her forehead. "I can't believe I didn't think of it until now. There's a GPS record of all this boat's trips in there."

He nodded. "As soon as I'm sure we're totally out of sight, I'll examine the navigation console and cycle it back through several trips."

She gazed eagerly at the map. "And you'll see where the boat has gone and trace Todd Williams' journey."

He nodded. "That's the idea. Does it meet with your approval?"

"You bet it does." She gave him a quick hug. "Brilliant. Let's get started. And I'll definitely have to tell Darlene that you're not just a pretty face!"

"What a relief," he drawled. "I can't tell you how worried I was about that."

Wallace smiled as he focused his binoculars more closely on the boat that was now almost flying across the water. It was all going exactly the way he had planned, he thought. He had been right to be patient when he hadn't been able to take down Kendra as quickly as he had hoped after Lynch began interfering. But her death would be all the more satisfying now that his plans were coming together. It would be the ultimate pleasure to see the light fading from her eyes.

He switched his focus so that he could enjoy gazing at the bitch where she was sitting on the boat. She looked wonderfully happy today and quite beautiful. She was wearing white shorts and a red-and-white sweater and the sun was shining on her hair and making her seem to glow. Or maybe it was that bastard, Lynch, who was making her this happy. He must be screwing her or he wouldn't be willing to risk his neck as he'd done lately. Go ahead, get it while you can. Make her glow so that those final moments will be that much more satisfying for me when she knows what I'm taking away from her. He enjoyed that particular part of his work most of all, and he was looking forward to all the agony and sadness he'd be able to inflict on this woman who had the nerve to hurt and defy him. No one was allowed to do that. He was the one who had to be in control.

But his phone was ringing now. Victor Krebb. This should make the son of a bitch happy. He reluctantly shifted his glance away from Kendra to answer it. "Hello, Victor. I was just about to call you."

"But you didn't," Krebb said curtly. "Look, Wallace, you can't keep ignoring me to go your own way. Remember, I'm the one who saved your life when you managed to annoy everyone, even the president. I've been giving you profitable work that will benefit us both. But you have to cooperate with me."

He didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do, Wallace thought. Krebb had never learned that in all these years. "Why, I am cooperating, Victor. I was just going to call you and tell you that Kendra Michaels and Lynch have rented Delgado's boat and are skimming toward you and your men even as we speak. I told you what I thought they'd be planning. Soon all we have to do is set up a trap and then gather them in."

"You mean I will," Krebb said sourly. "I haven't seen you helping me lately."

"I've been doing your dirty work for you all over Europe for the past fifteen years. I'd still be there now if you didn't need me to come back and help clean up the mess you made for yourself here."

"Your mess," Krebb said. "It was only fair that you come back and help perform cleanup duty after Setzer opened his mouth to those sisters."

"I took care of Setzer with my usual efficiency," Krebb said. "Your men were supposed to take care of the rest."

"Plans change. You know that, Wallace. We needed your help to track down every person privy to our little secret and every piece of evidence that might give us away. Again, your fault."

"We both have our places in the scheme of things," Wallace said. "You have a lethal group of men to order about and keep our enterprises afloat. I have superior brains and a fine intellect, which you lack."

"Bullshit," Krebb said. "I'm getting sick and tired of you trying to tell me what to do. You're not moving fast enough. You've gotten distracted from the real mission here. This isn't one of your sick games, Wallace. If you don't start giving me what I need, you might find me going on the attack by myself."

"Really? I wouldn't suggest you do that," Wallace said softly. Krebb was doing it again, he recognized with annoyance. Perhaps it was time to make certain it never happened again. "I know what needs to be done."

Krebb didn't answer immediately. He might have sensed how dangerous it could be. Wallace found himself disappointed. He'd already begun to wonder whether he needed to use a dagger or a gun to teach Krebb his lesson and exactly where to land the first blow.

Krebb finally spoke in a subdued tone. "I just need you to respect me and to move a hell of a lot faster."

"Then consider it done," Wallace said. "Whatever you want, Krebb."

"Yeah, sure. I'll keep an eye on that boat and call you if they seem to have an agenda or destination you might be interested in."

"Great idea. Naturally I'll do the same. Have a good day, Victor." He hung up the phone and picked up his binoculars and once more trained them where Kendra was sitting on the deck. He much preferred watching her to baiting Victor Krebb. Though Krebb might be future amusement. What he was going to do with that smart, glowing bitch was the stuff his dreams were made of…