Sight Unseen (38 page)

“You think they’re both dead?”

She nodded. “Chatsworth killed Dean, then had time to fly up to San Quentin and take care of Pralgo and his wife. I doubt if we’ll ever find them. Colby would have told Chatsworth that no one could know that he wasn’t dead.” She smiled bitterly. “And Chatsworth was always very efficient obeying Colby.”

“Colby’s body?”

“Probably cremated. Why don’t you check with Salazar?”

“I will.” He moved a few feet away and dialed his phone.

Kendra didn’t bother listening to him. She was only aware of the whistle of the wind through the canyons and the yawning cavity of the gully only yards away.

Are you out there, Colby?

“Immediate cremation.” Lynch was back. “And the remains tossed in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast early this morning.”

“Chatsworth probably substituted bodies. And the funeral director will also have an unfortunate accident.”

“But Chatsworth is dead now.”

“That only means Colby will have to take care of his own dirty work.” She shuddered. “And he’s much better at it than Chatsworth.”

“You can’t be sure of any of this. No proof. Griffin would say that it’s your imagination brought on by stress.”

“And what do you say?”

“I say that you’re the smartest woman I know, but I hope to hell you’re wrong.”

“So do I.” She slowly got to her feet. “But I don’t believe that I’m that lucky.” She moved closer to the gully. There were rocks along the edge. She half expected to see one stained with blood, Colby’s blood. Crazy. She bent over and picked up a good-sized black rock and looked down at it. No blood, of course.

Not yet. That was in the next act, the next story.

She closed her eyes and listened. Was that the wind … or something else?

“Kendra.” Lynch’s hand was on her shoulder. “Why are we here? Why were you determined to come to this godforsaken place?”

“Not because I wanted to be here.” Her eyes opened. “But Chatsworth said that Colby was always talking about me … and the gully. Always the gully. And I remembered when I was Skyping with Colby he mentioned the gully and said it was important.”

“And you thought that Colby might be here?”

“I didn’t know. It might have been some kind of twisted message to me. It’s not really reasonable. Colby wouldn’t have had time to be running all over the state. And tetrodotoxin has a lingering effect in most cases. He probably wouldn’t have the strength to even get out of bed for a little while. If I’d reasoned clearly, I wouldn’t have panicked and come here.”

“But you did panic.”

“Because he’s not like anyone else.” She moved still closer to the rim of the gully. “He’s Satan Incarnate. And he might force himself to get out of a sick bed and come down here to torment me.”

That sound …

It was the wind. It had to be the wind.

But that wind breathed of Colby and carried the scent of death and those kills that had been here in this foul gully.

“He’s not here,” Lynch said. “You’ve gone through hell for the last few days, and I don’t want to see you hurting like this. Let’s go home, Kendra.”

She nodded. “In a minute.”

“Now.” His hands fell on her shoulders, and he turned her to face him. “If Colby wanted you to come here, we’re not going to satisfy the bastard by staying and brooding.” He cupped her face in his two hands and looked her in the eyes. “We’re going to ignore him until we’re ready to go after him, then we’re going to skin him alive. Okay?”

“How … violent.” Yet his harshness was sending a surge of warmth and comfort through her. She was not alone. If Colby was out there, she would not have to face him by herself. She dropped the rock on the ground. “But then it’s natural that you would be ready to confront anyone who—”

“Hush.” He kissed her, hard. “No more analyzing my motives or telling me what I want or don’t want. Accept or walk away.” He kissed her again and drew her back from the gully. “But I’d probably follow you. Now can we go home?”

“It’s your home, not mine.”

“Correction. Until Colby is no longer a factor in either of our lives, you don’t get more than a few yards away from me. Look what happens when you do. I told you once that I had your back. I can’t do that long-distance.”

And she didn’t want to leave Lynch. Not yet. She wanted his touch, his humor, his strength. She didn’t know where they were going after tonight, but he was her anchor in this storm. “I … guess I could stay at your place a little longer. After all, it won’t be forever.”

“No?” He smiled faintly. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?” He stepped back and picked up the stone from where she’d dropped it. “You won’t need this.” He reared back and threw the stone as far as he could. She heard the stone hit the canyon wall. “When the time comes, I’ll find you another weapon that will be much more efficient.”

“I’ll find my own weapons.” Once more, she moved away from him to the gully’s edge.

The wind was still moaning.

Death was still here.

Together with memories of horror that would never leave her.

And the fear that the monster was hovering close.

All of those sensations and emotions were still as alive as they had been moments before.

Yet everything was different now.
She
was different. She had let Colby and the shock intimidate her, and it had taken Lynch to jar her back to sanity.

The memory of the term Colby had carved on his chest returned to her.

Mereor?

Screw you, Colby.

I’m the one who is going to win.

She turned and moved back toward Lynch.

“Finished?”

“No. Not finished.” She impulsively stood up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. Why not? She wanted to do it, and Lynch had been entirely too much in control of their situation. She might not be sure where their relationship was going, but she had no intention of having a passive role. Then she strode toward his car. “Watch me. I’m just beginning.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

I
RIS
J
OHANSEN
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust,
and more.

R
OY
J
OHANSEN
is an Edgar Award—winning author and the son of Iris Johansen. He has written many well-received mysteries, including
Deadly Visions, Beyond Belief,
and
The Answer Man
.

Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen have together written
Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle,
and
Silent Thunder
.

ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN AND ROY JOHANSEN

Close Your Eyes

Shadow Zone

Storm Cycle

Silent Thunder

ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN

Live to See Tomorrow

Silencing Eve

Hunting Eve

Taking Eve

Sleep No More

What Doesn’t Kill You

Bonnie

Quinn

Eve

Chasing the Night

Eight Days to Live

Blood Game

Deadlock

Dark Summer

Quicksand

Pandora’s Daughter

Stalemate

An Unexpected Song

Killer Dreams

On the Run

Countdown

Blind Alley

ALSO BY ROY JOHANSEN

Deadly Visions

Beyond Belief

The Answer Man

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

SIGHT UNSEEN.
Copyright © 2014 by Johansen Publishing LLLP. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Cover photograph © Bill Miles

eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-1-250-02052-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-250-02053-6 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9781250020536

First Edition: July 2014