Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(90)

“You’re trying to find out where they delivered them,” Kendra said. “And if there might be another lab.”

“When they took that equipment from the Croyden factory, they had to put it somewhere. And those organs could be worth millions to Dyle.”

“But not the billions he’d net if he gets the answers he wants from Waldridge.”

“If I can locate Dyle’s employees here, I might be able to get information that would help to find Waldridge,” Lynch said quietly. “And the first step is to find where they put those damn incubators. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know, Kendra.”

“I know you will.” She also knew he would be fast and smart and probably come up with all the right answers.

But it might not be in time.

“I can practically hear that mind of yours clicking away, and I’m not liking what it’s saying,” Lynch said. “Once I locate any of Dyle’s people here, that will be the end of it. I’ll see that they tell me anything I need to know.”

“You’ll hurt them,” she said dully.

“Yes, if they don’t cooperate. Are you going to tell me I shouldn’t?”

“No.” She swallowed. She had to ask it. “Biers said that Dyle is probably torturing Waldridge. And he said that he might kill him unless he gets what he wants. Do you think that’s the truth?”

He was silent.

“Lynch.”

“Considering the stakes, it’s more than likely the route Dyle will take.”

She had known that would be his answer because he was usually honest with her. But she still felt the panic race through her. “Considering the stakes,” she repeated unsteadily. “That’s all that’s important, isn’t it? Millions of people suffer or die, a good man who can save them suffers or dies. All because the stakes are so high that it makes it worthwhile to a man who wants to have enough power to rule the whole damn world.”

“Did you want me to lie to you? I’ll never do that, Kendra. What I will do is knock Dyle down, so that he’ll never pick up those stakes. That’s all either of us can do right now.”

“Of course I don’t want you to tell me stories and pat me on the head.” She was trying to think through the haze of panic and bewilderment she’d been in since she’d listened to Biers. “But we can’t let this happen. Dyle has had it all his own way. He’s killed and tortured, and he’s made his plans to ruin the lives of all those people whom Waldridge wants to save. And he’ll do it if we don’t stop him.”

“Then we’ll stop him,” Lynch said. “I’ll call Griffin and see if I can put a fire under him. While I’m in Brighton, you go to the FBI field office and ask Metcalf to go with you to question everyone in Dyle’s organization to get any idea where he might have gone.”

But, again, that would take time.

“Kendra, I know how upset you are. I can feel it, dammit.” His voice was intense, urgent. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know that, Lynch.” She cleared her throat to ease it of the tightness. “Once, a long time ago, I told Waldridge that we’d go have a beer, and I’d toast the existence of miracles. I think this might be the time we might need one.” She hung up.

She sat there for a moment, trying to get control. She still felt as if she was in the same shock into which she’d been thrown when Biers had told all the details of Night Watch and what was happening to Charles Waldridge. Speaking to Lynch had not really changed anything. Yes, he had a good lead. Yes, he would follow through with it and probably come up with something that could help them.

But that would not be in an hour or even a day, and she desperately wanted to find Waldridge now. She had been so frightened at Biers’s words. He had already been missing too long. There was no telling what he was going through now.

But, as she’d told Lynch, it seemed as if it would take a miracle to make that happen.

But miracles could happen. She was a prime example. The blind had been made to see.

She just had to find a way to make this miracle become reality.

She turned and walked back down the pier toward Jessie and Biers.

Detach.

Concentrate.

*

“DID LYNCH THINK HE COULD HELP?” Jessie’s gaze was on her face. “You seem more … together.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. What did he say?”

“I filled him in on everything. He’s been following a lead he picked up from Rye’s photographs at the old factory. It was a group of incubating organs.”

“It was our last group before we left,” Biers said.

“The incubators were moved. He’s trying to track them to Dyle’s men who took them. Can you help him? Was there another facility where the incubators were delivered before they came to you?”

He frowned, thinking. “We never dealt with any of the equipment details. We placed our orders through Dyle, and anything we needed showed up on the loading dock. We were only concerned if it worked properly.”

“So the answer’s no.”

He nodded. “Sorry.”

“So am I. Because that means Lynch is going to take too long to see if this search is another blind alley.” She turned to Jessie. “And that we can’t wait for him to do it. Dyle can’t be allowed to do anything more to Charles. We’re going to find him right away.”