Double Blind_A Novel

by Iris Johansen

  Metcalf looked at Kendra. “What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a very good idea. I’m too tired to talk to Griffin right now.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever you say.” He turned and left the sound booth.

  She turned immediately to Lynch. “Do you believe me?”

  “I always believe you.” He took her elbow and led her toward the door. “But Griffin can be a doubting Thomas on occasion and he’s training Metcalf to walk in his footsteps. I think we need to distance ourselves for a while.”

  “And we’re going to go see Ivan Campbell?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly where we’re going.” He held the door open for her. “We need to talk to that poor, half-crazed widower about his deplorable manners in attacking you.”

  234 Sunset Way

  Lynch rang the doorbell of the Campbell condo.

  No answer.

  He tried again.

  No answer.

  He pounded on the door and shouted. “FBI, Mr. Campbell.”

  “He’s not here.” A plump, white-haired woman stuck her head out of the door of the condo down the hall. “I saw him in the parking lot as he was leaving yesterday. He said being in the condo reminded him too much of his wife and he had to get a hotel room for a few days. I wish you folks would just leave him alone. The poor man has enough to worry about.” She slammed the door.

  “Poor man,” Lynch repeated. “Evidently he managed to inspire sympathy in his neighbors.”

  “But Metcalf didn’t mention he’d decided to move,” Kendra said. “Yesterday Campbell’s wife was still only missing, you’d think that he’d want to stay where it would be easy for the FBI to get in touch with him.”

  “His neighbor would say that the poor man must have been distracted.” He was bent over the lock. “Maybe we’d better take a look around to make sure he didn’t leave anything important behind.” The lock clicked and he pushed the door open. “We have to be kind to those in need.” He nudged her inside and closed the door. He looked around the living room. “But I don’t believe he took more than the bare necessities with him.”

  Kendra nodded as her gaze wandered over the living room. It looked exactly as she remembered it from that brief visit. “I could be wrong,” she said. “Maybe if we check the hotels, we’ll find him registered at one of them. I could be on the wrong track.”

  “Then we’ll humbly apologize.” He looked at her. “But I can see that your every instinct is telling you that you’re not wrong. Correct?”

  She nodded.

  “Then I’ll trust you and back you all the way.” He turned away. “I’ll check out the bedrooms. You go through that desk over there.”

  She went to the desk and went carefully through the four drawers. Pencils, pens, stationary, pharmaceutical order forms literature …

  “He left a closet full of clothes,” Lynch said as he came out of the bedroom. “He was definitely traveling light.” He headed for the kitchen. “Let’s see if he tucked anything into the refrigerator.”

  “I’ll check the powder room.” She moved toward the door across the living room. “Though I can’t see him—”

  She inhaled sharply.

  She stood there, staring at the mirror over the vanity. She couldn’t look away from it.

  “Kendra.” Lynch was standing behind her.

  But she couldn’t take her eyes away from that sheet of paper fastened to that mirror.

  “He … left … me a message.”

  Lynch moved closer behind her, his hands cradling her shoulders. “I see that he did.”

  The bold print was jumping out at her.

  Hello Kendra,

  Congratulations!

  But lesson one is that I always win.

  She drew a shaky breath. “I’m surprised he didn’t sign the damn thing.”

  “I’m not; there’s no real evidence that Campbell is anything but the creature he created to hide his Brock activities. That message could mean anything. I’m surprised that he risked going that far.”

  She whirled to face him. “But you know Campbell is Derek. It’s clear he left here because he expected it to eventually all come together for me.”

  “Shh. I know, but he wanted to create confusion and uncertainty that would allow him more time to complete his plans. It might take a bit of work and persuasion to get Griffin on board.”

  She knew that was true just from that hint of doubt she’d noticed in Metcalf. “Then we’d better get started at convincing him,” she said harshly. “Because we can’t wait for Derek to show his true colors while he has Olivia. We don’t have any idea where he’s keeping her.”

  Lynch nodded. “He has to have a place here in San Diego where he kept Elizabeth Gelson and Barbara Campbell before the murders. It would have to be close enough for him to transport the bodies when he wanted to put them on display.” He looked around. “And this condo was obviously not used for anything but window dressing.” He added quietly, “But I’d judge the charade is over now. He’ll want to establish a new identity and location to continue his passion. He could be planning on heading anywhere in the world courtesy of Brock Limited.”

  “You’re saying he might take Olivia out of the country?” She immediately shook her head. “Of course he wouldn’t do that. Olivia is a dead woman as far as he’s concerned. He’s just got to finish what he started. And teach me how superior he is along the way.”

  Lynch nodded. “But that will take time considering that gigantic ego he appears to possess. We’ve just got to make sure that it’s enough time.”

  “It will be enough time,” she said fiercely. “Because we’re not going to let anyone spin their wheels. We’re going to do everything we have to do. We’re going to use everyone we have to use.” She reached for her phone. “We’re going to find her, Lynch.”

  * * *

  “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME about Olivia right away?” Jessie’s lips were tight. “Did you think I wouldn’t care, dammit? She’s my friend, too.” She whirled on Kendra. “You’re the one who brought us together a couple years ago because she’s blind and you thought there would be times when I could protect her. Well, why the hell didn’t you let me do it?”

  “I didn’t realize she’d be the target,” Kendra said. “I thought it would be me.” Of course, Jessie would be upset, she thought. The relationship between Jessie and Olivia had started out as tentative and sometimes adversarial, but it had developed into strong friendship. “You’re right, I should have told you what was happening. My only excuse is that we were frantically busy trying to figure out what was happening ourselves.” She looked her in the eye. “And I was going a little crazy with worry about her.”

  “I’ll attest to that,” Lynch said quietly. “Back off, Jessie.”

  “Okay. Sorry.” Jessie nodded jerkily. “I can see it. But we’re on the same page now. You said that this Derek creep took it on the lam when he thought you had a chance of identifying him as Ivan Campbell. Then what do we do to get Olivia back?”

  “You’ll be happy about this,” Lynch said. “We go after Brock.”

  “Hallelujah. How?”

  “We know Brock is protecting Derek. According to Facey, they’re terrified that he’ll reveal everything about his work for them if he’s brought down. To protect him and themselves they’d need to know what he’s doing.” He paused. “They need contact with him.”

  “Has Griffin tapped their phones?” Kendra asked.

  Lynch nodded. “He’s already on it. But they’re too smart to leave a digital footprint. I’m betting some of the Brock people are having a face-to-face contact. Facey said that only a limited number of people even knew about the Derek problem. Actual contact would be something Kerstine would only trust to her top people.”

  Kendra said slowly, “You mean like Josh Blake?”

  Lynch nodded. “I would start with him. He appears to be on Kerstine’s favorite list at the moment. Blake was extremely surprised to see me in the
ir offices yesterday morning. He didn’t give a second glance to two dozen FBI agents, hustling past him, but he looked at me like I’d risen from the dead. He knew about what happened in Oregon and that means he would likely be in Kerstine’s confidence about Derek.” Lynch smiled at Jessie. “Now I wonder how we could make sure of that?”

  She nodded. “I can track his car.”

  “He might be expecting a tail,” Kendra said. “Especially after what happened yesterday.”

  “Come on,” Jessie said. “It’s what I do. Page four of the ‘How to be a Private Investigator’ textbook. I’ll put a tracker on his car.”

  “Remember the company you’re dealing with,” Lynch said. “They’re paranoid under the best of circumstances.”

  Jessie smiled and shook her head. “Have a little faith. I’m fully aware his car may have a motion-activated squawker that will go off if I get within six feet of it. And that he may also get some kind of notification if my tracker starts broadcasting at one of the ninety most common frequencies. Trust me. I’ve got this.”

  “I do trust you,” Kendra said. “But be careful.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let those Brock bastards come out ahead on this one.” Jessie grabbed her leather jacket from the back of a chair. “I’d better get going if I’m going to make it to the Brock building before Josh Blake does. Keep your phones close. This could get real very fast.”

  The next moment Kendra and Lynch were watching her tear out of the parking lot on her motorcycle.

  “We have a good chance of being right about this, don’t we?” Kendra murmured desperately as Jessie disappeared around the corner. “It could be Blake who could lead us to Derek?”

  “We could be right.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “No promises. But as I said, I’m betting on him.”

  “Then I guess all we can do is go down to the FBI office and try to persuade Griffin that we’re right about Ivan Campbell. We can see if we can pick up any other information while we’re waiting to hear from—”

  Her text notification was buzzing.

  She looked down at her phone. This time she recognized the phone number.

  And she knew it would not stop buzzing until she took the call.

  Lynch was swearing beneath his breath. “Derek.”

  She nodded jerkily. “Let’s see what he has to say.”

  She pressed the access.

  Hello, Kendra

  Did you have a good night? I’m afraid your friend, Olivia, had a terrible one. We’ll see what tomorrow brings …

  The text cut off.

  She closed her eyes as the pain bit into her. “Just enough to stab deep and then flit away.” Her eyes opened and she added dully, “And to let me know this is going to go on and on. A refresher lesson.”

  Lynch was suddenly holding her close. “We’ll get him, Kendra.”

  “I know.” But would Olivia be able to bear what he was doing to her until that happened? It’s what he wanted Kendra to think. She couldn’t let Derek play her like this. She pushed Lynch away and straightened. She smiled with an effort. “And maybe it will be today. Maybe he won’t be able to send me another one of those damn messages tomorrow.” She turned and headed for her car. “Let’s go to see Griffin and then wait for Jessie’s call.”

  * * *

  JESSIE EASED BACK ON HER motorcycle’s throttle. She could see Josh Blake’s green Lamborghini from over a quarter mile away on Carmel Valley Road and she needed to make sure she wasn’t spotted. She looked at the small screen clipped to her bike’s handlebars. Even with the bright sun washing out the picture, she could see that her tracker was doing its job. She had placed it on the exit ramp of his building garage, then watched and waited from across the street. When Blake’s car rolled over it, she’d remotely activated a powerful electromagnet that adhered it to the undercarriage.

  So far, it was working like a charm. She’d been following him for hours, tracking his movements to two downtown office buildings and a bay view restaurant. Each time it was necessary to drop visual contact, she could still quickly zero in on his location with her tracking device.

  She looked ahead. Where was he going now? If he was travelling far up the coast, he’d already be on the I-5. She passed the Del Mar Racetrack, then Solana Beach, and Carlsbad. Finally he veered off on Oceanside Boulevard and she allowed even more distance between them as they moved through less populated streets.

  For the last mile of their journey, she relied entirely on the tracker until he finally came to a stop in the upscale neighborhood of Loma Alta.

  She put on an extra burst of speed to position herself on a nearby hillside she hoped would offer a view of Blake’s position. She cut her engine and silently rolled to the edge of the elevation. She looked down.

  There, in the courtyard of an enormous, Spanish-styled mansion, was Blake’s Lamborghini. He was apparently already inside the house.

  But was it the house where Olivia was being held?

  Are you here, Derek?

  She looked up and down the street for the white van that had been that sicko’s stock in trade. No sign of it.

  She pulled out her phone and checked the bookmarked page she’d searched for Ivan Campbell’s vehicle. According to DMV records, he drove a late-model white BMW M6 Gran Coupe. No sign of that either.

  At least on the street. A six-car garage fronted the estate’s east side, with two small windows visible from where she stood. She pulled out a pair of binoculars and focused on the windows. They were tinted. Damn.

  She slid a pair of CPL filters over the binocular lenses and tried again. Much better. She could make out a workbench, a pair of Jet Skis …

  And a white BMW M6 Coupe.

  Jessie lowered the binoculars and smiled with fierce satisfaction. “I got you.”

  * * *

  “WILL HE GO FOR IT?” Kendra asked as Lynch strode out of Griffin’s office. “Maybe we should go without them. It’s already been forty-five minutes. What if Derek is there like Jessie says and he leaves before Griffin gets around to giving his OK?”

  “Easy,” Lynch said. “We’ll do whatever has to be done. Jessie is still out there keeping an eye on what’s going on at the property. She’s not going to let him scoot away. But Griffin said to give him ten minutes to do some checking, and it’s worth a delay to have the power of the FBI behind any attack.”

  “But we spent half the morning trying to convince him that Ivan Campbell is Derek. He’s skeptical as hell. You think he’s going to okay a possible attack on some lush million-dollar estate because we tell him Derek is holed up there? You told me he’s all FBI.”

  “And so I am.” Griffin came out of the office. “And I’m paid to be skeptical.” He glanced at Lynch. “I checked out that Loma Alta address with our data miners and the ownership is buried very deep. Could just be some corporation avoiding taxes. Or could be Brock who purchased a possible hideout in case they needed it for an emergency.”

  “Substitute Derek for emergency,” Kendra said.

  “And there’s no real proof that Campbell is Derek,” Griffin said. “All very flimsy.”

  “We could lose him if you don’t stop questioning the fact that Derek’s out there just waiting for us,” Kendra said desperately. “And Olivia could be dead. Is it yes, or no?”

  He looked at her. “I’m getting around to it. Of course it’s yes. Didn’t I tell you that I’d make it up to you for that small necessary prevarication? I just had to make sure you were aware how generous I’m being.”

  “And how much trust you have in Kendra.” Lynch added, “And how good it’s going to look to the director when you bring Derek in.”

  “That’s all true, also,” Griffin said. “But don’t you think we should stop chatting and get this show started?” He glanced at Kendra as he headed back to his office. “Stay out of the line of fire. I don’t want you to mess this up for me.”

  “Take it.” Lynch grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the of
fice. “You’ve got what you wanted. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  * * *

  “YOU LIED,” KENDRA SAID. “It’s been almost thirty minutes.” She glanced around at the army of FBI agents still assembling their gear outside the FBI office building. The fleet of vans, which had been pressed into service that morning, were now being loaded for a far different operation. Kendra turned toward Lynch. “Jessie called and wants to know where we are.”

  “But Jessie will appreciate the equipment once we get there.” Lynch checked his automatic and tugged at his shoulder holster. “It’ll just be a couple more minutes.”

  “You said that before.”

  “I mean it this time.” He stepped over to a pile of black flak jackets, picked one up, and dropped it over Kendra’s head. He stepped behind her and pulled the Velcro fasteners.

  “I’m surprised you’re even bothering with this,” Kendra grumbled. “You heard Griffin. He won’t even let me near the place.”

  “Yes and I also know there’s a good chance your best friend is inside that house. That means there’s no way in hell you’re spending your afternoon in a van parked a discreet, safe distance away from it. Am I right?”

  “Damned straight.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help keep you safe.” He reached down, opened his pack, and took out a 9mm pistol in a leather holster. “No arguments. I know you don’t like guns. This time you take it.”

  “No arguments.” She stood still as he fastened the belt around her waist.

  “And at least let the team make their sweep before you go charging in there.”

  “Of course.” She gazed around the parking lot. “Look at them. Why would I interfere? They’re experts. They’ll know exactly what they’re doing.”

  Griffin, outfitted in his own flak jacket, happened to hear Kendra as he walked by. He stopped. “Did I just hear you suggest we’re actually a competent organization?”

  “Naturally, you had to hear me admit that.” She looked him in the eye. “You’re the only one I have a problem with, Griffin. Your people are the best. I’ve never thought any different. They’ve always come through when it mattered.”