Chapter 18

Wallace watched as Krebb's men ran to take their positions around the installation. "You have too much faith in those men," he whispered. "Sometimes a scalpel is better than a sledgehammer."

Krebb chuckled. "You think you're the scalpel?"

"Of course."

"A scalpel is a precision instrument. I may have thought that of you once, but no longer. You're too reckless. Unpredictable. These men do as they're told."

"So do I. With incredible efficiency. That's why you've kept me around all these years."

"Yes, but you've also insisted on your insane side projects. Isn't your work for me enough to satisfy those murderous appetites of yours?"

"‘Insane side projects'? People know my work all over the world."

"Your work?"

Wallace smiled. "Or, if you prefer, my art. You're the one who wanted me to come back here after all these years."

"It was an emergency situation. All hands on deck. If Setzer hadn't talked to those sisters, none of this would have happened."

"You should have let me kill him fifteen years ago, the minute he left our group."

"That's funny, I thought about having him kill you."

Wallace chuckled. "I would have sent him back to you in pieces."

"You're not one to throw blame around. If you'd just killed Kendra Michaels instead of trying to toy with her in the garage of her building, we probably wouldn't even be here now."

"You're right. Instead, she was able to lead us right to the Morgan sisters. You're welcome. By the way, your man Banyon literally had Kendra Michaels in his grasp and lost a front tooth for his trouble."

Krebb checked his watch. "Banyon and Ohlmeyer should be on the hillside by now."

"They're dead already. Or they will be soon."

"What?"

"You should have sent me here alone. I've handled much tougher jobs for you."

"These are some of the best men who have ever worked for me."

Wallace snorted. "Have you read Adam Lynch's file? You should have, you gave it to me. They'll be lucky to leave this island alive."

"I like how you leave yourself out of that group."

"I know what I'm dealing with." He flipped up his jacket hood. "You can handle yourself out here by yourself, can't you, Krebb?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll take care of this."

"Wallace, no!"

Wallace smiled and ran into the darkness.

Lynch crouched behind a bush on the hillside, waiting for Krebb's two men to reach their assigned positions. He unsnapped his shoulder holster, but he hoped not to use the gun. Even with a silencer, the shots would be loud enough to give away his position to anyone nearby. There were quieter options.

There was rustling on the hillside above him. He tilted his head. The sounds came from two positions: one directly above, another about fifteen yards to his right. Lynch slowly turned. The guys were good; he couldn't see either one. Fine. They'd show themselves soon enough. He crouched lower to hide in the shadows.

More rustling, more footsteps directly above. Had he been spotted?

With the shoot-on-sight order still ringing in his ears, Lynch imagined a red laser targeting dot playing across the back of his head.

The guy finally emerged from a clump of bushes. He held his automatic rifle in front of him.

In one motion, Lynch pulled a long-bladed knife from its scabbard and let it fly.

The knife buried itself in the man's chest, and he fell onto the ground. The only sounds were the crunching of brush as he rolled a few feet downhill.

His partner called out in a whisper: "Banyon… Banyon!"

Lynch pulled another knife and tried to zero in on the second man's location. Come on, call out again. Once more…

"Banyon!"

Lynch threw the knife, and it found its target on the second man's throat. He gurgled and wheezed for a good thirty seconds before falling dead to the ground.

Lynch scrambled up the hillside and took the automatic weapons from the dead men's hands.

It was a dangerous game he was playing, Wallace thought. If Lynch or the women didn't kill him, one of Krebb's trigger-happy goons might.

But it was intoxicating. He hadn't felt this alive in years. Well, maybe except for when he'd cornered Kendra Michaels in her garage the other day. He'd never gone after case investigators before; he usually preferred to keep them dangling on a string as they pathetically tried to bring him down. But to actually see Kendra Michaels cowering before him… He'd thought of little else, as invigorating as it had been to reacquaint San Diego with the Bayside Strangler. But those two young women didn't present near the achievement that Kendra Michaels would for him.

He couldn't let Krebb's men get to her before he did.

Kendra ejected and reinserted the cartridge of her automatic handgun. She, Chloe, and Sloane were crouched in the crawl space below an observation platform where a telescope had once been mounted. They'd been listening for any sign of Krebb's men or Lynch's return, but the only sounds were of the pounding surf and barking seals in the distance.

"I know where Harley is," Kendra whispered. "He can't get enough of those seals."

"Those seals have been keeping us awake since we've been here," Chloe said. "I think it's their mating season."

Sloane anxiously peered between the crawl space's wooden slats. "How long are we going to wait here?"

Kendra looked back at the dark hillside. "I know Lynch wants us to wait for a signal from him, but if we see an opening, I say we move closer to the boat."

Sloane shifted restlessly. "We prepared for this. I say we go now and—"

"Shh!" Kendra raised a hand to silence her. "Listen!"

It was a whirring sound in the distance. Kendra pushed aside another of the weather-beaten planks for a better view. An electric-powered boat slid onto the shore, crewed by four more men with assault rifles. A group of harbor seals approached the boat, possibly searching for food. As the gunmen disembarked, one of them produced a shock baton and turned toward the seals.

"No!" Kendra whispered.

The gunman powered up the baton and jabbed it at the seals. But before he could make contact, Harley jumped from the surf and sank his teeth into the man's arm.

The gunman screamed, and the shock baton went flying. Harley barked and ran back and forth, sending the seals scurrying into the water. The other men swung their assault rifles in Harley's direction and fired.

Too late. The dog leaped into the dark water and swam away.

"Wow," Chloe said. "I don't know how much he's protecting the rest of us, but he definitely has those seals' backs."

The gunmen now stood before Krebb, who was obviously giving them instructions. With military precision, the four men turned and ran for the installation.

"Shit," Kendra whispered. "We have problems. Four more guys."

"What now?" Chloe said.

"Get down!"

The three women dropped to their stomachs in the crawl space, hiding in the tall grass. Moments later, the four new arrivals swarmed around the sheds, forming a four-corners perimeter over the installation.

"Shit," Sloane whispered. "We're sealed in."

Kendra raised her head and peered through the wood slats. "The other two guys are going through the shacks one at a time from each end. It's only a matter of time before they make it over here."

Sloane bit her lip. "We need to get as many of them to the radio shack as possible."

"Why?" Kendra said.

"Because I did something before we left there." She smiled.

Was there a hint of devilish enjoyment in that smile? Kendra frowned. "Sloane…?"

"Why are you surprised?" she asked innocently as she moved out of the crawl space. "I told you we prepared for this…"

Lynch was heading back to Kendra and the Morgan sisters with the seized assault rifles when Krebb's second boat arrived. He ducked low and watched the attack squad double from four to eight. Of course, he'd already subtracted two from its numbers, and he was confident he could take out the rest. But he'd have to plan carefully, especially since he had Kendra, Chloe, and Sloane's safety to factor in.

Lynch raised his binoculars and surveyed the scene.

Interesting. The new arrivals had adopted a four-corners strategy to secure the installation while the others continued to search the structures.

He could do this.

Lynch reached into his backpack and pulled out a thin-wired garrote. He flexed it between his hands, and it was virtually invisible in the darkness.

Perfect.

Lynch approached the first sentry, who was standing next to a shack that had once been a latrine. The man turned and tried to yell, but it was too late. Lynch snapped the garrote over his throat and squeezed. Blood oozed over the wire as it sliced through his throat. It was over in seconds.

Lynch backed away with the garrote and watched from the shadows. No one seemed to have seen or heard. He moved toward the next sentry, but something else caught his eye. Was that… Sloane?

It definitely was.

Lynch ran over and pulled her to the ground next to the radio shack. She fought him for a moment before realizing who it was.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he whispered.

"I'm trying to finish this."

"How?"

She smiled and then sniffed. "Smell."

"What?"

"Smell."

Lynch took a deep whiff. Natural gas. He looked back at Sloane. "Did you…?"

She nodded. "I turned on the spare gas tank that Detective Williams left with us. The back room should be a powder keg by now."

"What do you plan to do with that?"

She pointed to one of the assault rifles he was holding. "Mind if I borrow one?"

"Do you know how to use it?"

"I've fired one before."

"Where?" he asked doubtfully.

"Beverly Hills Gun Club. A bachelorette party."

He handed her the assault weapon. "Sounds fun."

"You have no idea."

She turned on a pocket flashlight and pushed it through a narrow opening between the structure's tin panels. "We'd better get back to the trees."

Sloane and Lynch ran for a nearby cluster of trees and crouched in the shadows. Sloane's flashlight cast just enough illumination that a faint glow was visible in the shack. "One of those guys is going to see it," she said. "But they won't go inside alone."

Lynch nodded in agreement. "I believe you're right."

Moments later, one of Krebb's gunmen came into view. He stopped short when he saw the light leaking between the tin panels. He raised a walkie-talkie to his mouth and spoke. A moment later, Krebb's other gunman approached from the other side.

"Now, if only the other three sentries will join them, we'll be—" He saw something. "Wait. I see two more coming from the rear."

"I saw them," Sloane said cheerfully. "And one of them was nodding to someone on the other side. We may have a full house."

"You're good at this," Lynch said. "I know some people who might want to see your résumé."

She smiled. "I already have a job."

"If this works the way I think it will, we need to run like hell to the boat."

She nodded. "Kendra and Chloe will meet us there. I told them what to expect."

"Good. The second those guys go inside, we should start firing through every opening in those panels."

"Got it."

The gunmen held up their fingers and silently counted down using a series of nonverbal hand signals, then burst into the shack with impressive synchronicity. Lynch and Sloane raised their guns and fired into the shack.

No more than four shots had been fired when BOOM! a bullet had sparked and ignited the gas-filled structure. A terrific explosion rocked the installation, and the fireball leaped over fifty feet into the air. Lynch shielded Sloane from the falling debris.

When they finally looked up, they saw that one of the men had somehow survived the blast. He staggered in front of the flaming building with his hair and clothes on fire, then fell facedown onto the ground. Unlike the others, he wore a shock baton on his belt, which now sparked and sizzled as his body was consumed by flames.

"Let's hit it," Lynch said.

"Right."

He and Sloane ran toward the boats.

"Move!" Kendra pulled Chloe to her feet and held her gun in front of her. Behind them, several patches of dry brush were burning. They ran toward the water as embers continued to fall from the sky. But a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

"That's far enough, ladies."

Kendra and Chloe froze. Krebb was standing there holding his assault rifle. "Drop your weapon, Dr. Michaels."

Kendra held on to her handgun a moment longer.

Krebb brandished his AR-15. "Trust me. I can squeeze off thirty shots in the time it would take you to fire one. Throw your gun to the ground."

Kendra tossed her gun down. "Everyone knows what you've done," she said. "Killing us won't help you."

"What I've done?" Krebb smiled. "Everything I've done was for God and country. I'm no different than your Mr. Lynch. I suspect he's racked up quite a body count over the years. Or tonight alone."

Kendra shook her head. "You turned a monster loose on our city. And when you found out what he'd done, you let him get away with it."

"You let him kill my mother," Chloe said.

Krebb seemed genuinely regretful. "Trust me, I would have given anything not to have that happen. Collateral damage is a fact of life in my world."

"Collateral damage?" Chloe asked incredulously. "Is that what Detective Chase was? And Detective Williams? Collateral damage?"

"Is that what you think we are?" Kendra said softly.

"I've been forced to make tough choices over the years," he said. "Not all of them have been easy to live with." Krebb suddenly wore a strange expression. His eyes fluttered, and blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He fell to the ground.

From the darkness behind him, Rod Wallace stepped forward, still holding his bloody knife. With his free hand, he picked up Krebb's assault rifle. "I almost went to one of those boats and took off." He smiled. "Aren't you glad I didn't?"

"It's you…" Chloe said.

"Yes. I understand you've been looking for me, Chloe. What do you want to know? Your mother's last words? What her final moments on Earth were like?"

"No. I'm far more interested in your final moments on Earth."

He nodded. "Appropriate."

Wallace spoke with unbridled confidence, and every movement could be called a swagger, Kendra thought. Like most other serial killers she'd known. She was surprised by his youthful appearance, and again by his close match to Bill's alternative sketch.

"You killed your champion," Kendra said, motioning toward Krebb's body.

"I was already living on borrowed time with him. He probably thought he'd have one of his thugs kill me, maybe even later tonight. Purely self-preservation on my part. But now… I'll take my leave. I'll come for you later, Kendra. But the time and place will be my choosing. It may be weeks, months, or years from now. Until then, just keep looking over your shoulder. And Chloe… I haven't decided what to do with you and your sister. But if I do decide to come for you, my offer is still open. I'll give you the opportunity to ask me anything you want about your dear mother. I remember her well."

With lightning-fast speed, Chloe pulled Williams' gun from her rear waistband and fired three shots into his chest.

The knife and gun fell from his hands, and he stumbled backward. He fell to the ground and looked up at Kendra and Chloe as the blood spread across his torso. His entire body trembled, and he tried desperately to catch his breath. "No," he gasped. "This isn't right. It can't… happen to me."

"Sure it can." She plowed two more shots into his chest. "See? Die, you bastard." Chloe held up the handgun as tears streamed down her face. "This was Detective Williams' gun. That was for him and Detective Chase." She aimed it at him at point-blank range. "And this one's for my mom."

She shot him in the head.

Kendra didn't have time to tell Chloe not to fire, and part of her hadn't wanted to. She was happy to see this evil asshole die, especially after he'd just promised to keep her looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.

"I'm not sorry," Chloe said. "If you want to turn me in, go ahead."

Lynch's voice suddenly came from beside her. "There's no reason to do that. I'm sure there will be blame enough for all before this is over. We'll just have to sort it out."

Kendra turned. Lynch and Sloane had just run up with the assault rifles they'd obviously taken from Krebb's men. They stared at the two dead bodies on the ground in front of them.

Sloane turned toward her sister and Kendra. "You guys have been busy."

Kendra motioned toward the still-burning hillside. "You too."

"We can't take credit for Krebb," Chloe said. "Wallace took care of that one himself."

Lynch nodded. "Good. Some things are best left to the experts."

Chloe laughed even as she wiped the tears from her face.

Lynch stepped toward her. "Chloe, they followed us here to hurt us. We were within our rights to defend ourselves."

"I know. It's just… different than I thought it would be…"

A helicopter's engines roared from the north. Lynch listened for a moment. "It's a navy patrol. We made far too much noise here not to be noticed. For some reason, the US military takes issue with explosions going off on their installations." He turned to Kendra and pulled her closer. "Are you all right?"

Kendra nodded. She couldn't take her eyes off Chloe and Sloane, who were both still staring at Wallace's corpse. It was a moment they'd been working toward most of their lives, but she was sure it came with a mixture of emotions. She wanted to talk to them about it, but this wasn't the time. Not yet.

The navy helicopter's rotors kicked up a strong wind as it drew nearer.

There were hours of explanations and statements made as a steady stream of helicopters flew in from the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. Navy investigators swarmed over the scene as Kendra, Lynch, Chloe, and Sloane were separated and questioned. There was talk of detainment until a single call from Washington resulted in an immediate release and an official apology from the on-site naval officers.

As dawn broke over San Clemente Island, Kendra met Lynch next to the boat they'd rented. "Something made those navy guys very nervous," Kendra said. "One of them even offered to get me some breakfast."

Lynch smiled. "Lucky you. They just wanted me out of there."

She tilted her head. "Now, I wonder why? I assume we have your government contacts to thank?"

"I'm sure that had something to do with it. And I'm sure no one is anxious to have the activities of the Dayton Group come to light, especially since they clearly enabled a serial killer."

Another helicopter roared overhead and swung in a large arc over the area. Only when it landed did they see the FBI logo on the airframe. Michael Griffin climbed out and walked toward them, the still-spinning rotor blowing his hair in such a way that made Kendra admire the skillful styling that usually hid his massive bald spot.

Lynch shook his hand and smiled. "This isn't your usual jurisdiction."

"The navy permitted my visit as a professional courtesy. Officially, this is related to an active FBI investigation." He lowered his voice. "Unofficially, the US attorney general wanted me to make sure you're okay and to urge you to file a report on this incident posthaste to him and him alone. Our nation appreciates your service." He nodded toward Kendra. "Both of you."

"Wow," Kendra said. "And me just a poor, weak woman trying to do her job. However can I thank you?"

"I know." Griffin made a face. "That almost made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. But I promised to pass it along."

Kendra turned toward Chloe and Sloane, who had stepped out of one of the tents the navy officers had erected and were using for their investigation. "You should be thanking them."

"I will," Griffin said. "They never gave up, did they?" He added pensively, "Even when the rest of us did."

Griffin walked over, shook their hands, and introduced himself. He motioned toward his helicopter. "Can I give you a lift back to town? I have room for all of you."

Lynch shook his head and pointed to the charter boat he rented. "This needs to go back to its owner in Catalina, but if the ladies would like to ride back in your copter, I don't mind taking the boat back myself."

"No, a short boat trip sounds good right now," Kendra said.

Chloe and Sloane looked at each other for a moment, then Chloe responded to Kendra and Lynch with a grin. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Sure," Kenda said. "I think we could all use the time to decompress."

Griffin shrugged. "Okay. I need to find the base commander. I understand he's confused and more than a little upset by what went on here last night."

As Griffin walked away, Kendra heard the excited barking of seals in the distance. A moment later, there was a different bark.

It was Harley, she realized. She turned just in time to see him running along the shoreline in a playful gallop, followed by half a dozen seals.

Kendra shook her head. "He actually thinks he's one of them."

They stood there for a long moment, watching Harley and his new friends as the early-morning sun bathed the island in a pink glow.