"It could be. He's still taking a chance. Jeff was one of his agents. Maybe taking a chance is worth it to him." Kendra looked back at the naval base and suddenly tensed. "Or maybe..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I guess. It's just that ... Jeff was here. His recording brought us to the base. And Jeff was out there in the desert with Sanders and Briggs. It's getting to be all about Jeff, isn't it?"

"It always was about Jeff."

"No, I mean..." It was hard to explain. "Things are moving so fast. Everything seems to be closing in around us. It was remote before, a hunt, a puzzle, but it's changing. It's as if he's showing us the way."

"Are you going mystic on me?"

"No." She met his gaze. "I'm telling you how I feel. Take it any way you want to take it. Imagination. Fate. Jeff."

"I'll take it with a grain of salt." He added gravely, "And grat.i.tude that you're willing to share your feelings with me. I value that privilege, Kendra." He had driven onto Coronado Bridge. "Let's hope you're right and that Stedler or Fate or the powers that be show us the way to break Briggs and make him talk."

CHAPTER.

15.

THE RESIDENCE INN ON EL MIRO Boulevard was one of the older cedar structures that looked more like a two-story condo than a motel.

Kendra couldn't see any sign of a stakeout as they parked some distance down from Suite 42. But then she didn't expect to see any obvious surveillance. As she'd told Griffin, she knew that the FBI knew what they were doing.

"I'll go around back and climb up to the window at the penthouse level," Lynch said. "I'll let you in the front door when I've secured the place."

"You're going in by yourself?" Her lips tightened. "What's my part in this, Lynch? I'm supposed to stand by and wonder if that b.a.s.t.a.r.d is going to kill you?"

"Something like that." He got out of the car. "Stop going ballistic. There are some things that you do well and there are some things that I'm qualified to do better. That's why Griffin felt confident to leave Briggs in my hands when I told him I'd get answers. We only have forty-five minutes, and I don't have time to set up an attack that would make you feel needed." He got out of the car. "I'm going in to take Briggs down, and by the time I let you in that front door, Briggs will be intimidated and on the way to giving us what we want to know." He moved toward the motel unit. "And you won't get in my way."

"I wouldn't get in your way. I'm not-" She was talking to air. Lynch had already disappeared behind the motel unit.

Arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

And that arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d was going to risk his stupid neck collaring a murderer who was more brutal than anyone she'd ever met.

And she was scared to death.

He had tied her hands. By moving so quickly, he had a.s.sured that she couldn't follow him or run the risk of getting in his way as he'd told her she might.

She got out of the car and moved close to the motel so that she couldn't be seen from inside the unit.

Wait.

Hope.

And curse the arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d who was making her stand outside twiddling her thumbs.

Three minutes.

Five minutes.

Seven minutes.

Surely, she should have heard something from the- The front door swung open.

Briggs?

"Kendra."

Not Briggs. Lynch stood in the doorway.

She was there beside him in seconds. "What did-"

Then she saw Briggs.

He was lying on the second step leading to the bedroom penthouse. His face was a b.l.o.o.d.y mess, his lips and nose bleeding. His left arm was twisted at an odd angle.

And his eyes were gazing warily at Lynch. No, not warily, fearfully.

Lynch had promised her intimidation. He had delivered.

"Come in. We need to get busy. I wasted a little extra time on him." He pulled her inside the room and slammed the door. "That's Briggs. Poor guy fell down the stairs."

"I see," Kendra said. "On his face?"

"I kind of remembered how Olivia's face looked when we took her to the hospital. That's why I spent a little extra time." He strode over to Briggs and threaded his fingers through his hair and jerked his head back. "But I didn't finish. I thought you'd like to be here to watch. Kendra Michaels, Tommy Briggs."

"I know who she is," Briggs said sullenly. "They told me all about her. She's the one who's freaky. She's caused the-" He screamed as Lynch's fingers skillfully pressed on a nerve center on his neck. "s.h.i.t."

"Don't be impolite to the lady," Lynch said. "I'm already a bit p.i.s.sed at you."

"Stop already. I didn't touch her."

"No, but you tried. And ended up hurting another woman instead." Lynch ran his knuckles down a reddish purple burn on Brigg's face. "But she left you with this souvenir of your visit. Scalding-hot frying pan?"

Briggs winced in pain. "She wasn't supposed to be there. I was told that Michaels lived alone."

Lynch grabbed him by his jacket collar and knocked his head back against the stairs. "And who told you?" He punctuated his words with further head jabs against the stairs. "Who? Who? Who?"

"Laird!" Briggs finally screamed out.

Lynch stopped and loosened his grip on Briggs's collar.

"Good," Kendra said. "Let's discuss Laird, Briggs."

His expression was suddenly cautious. "I ain't talking about him. I don't care what you do to me. I've seen what he does to guys who don't do what he wants."

"But this Laird wanted you to hurt me, and you failed," Kendra said. "What do you think he'll do to you for that?"

"He'll get me out of this, that's what. He was giving me another chance."

"And you thought he was telling you the truth? My G.o.d, you're dumb."

"I ain't dumb," he bristled. "Everyone thinks I'm dumb, even Laird thinks I'm stupid. But I watch, I listen, I know more than he thinks I do."

"Good, then you may come out of this alive," Lynch said.

"You're the law, ain't you? You're not going to kill me."

"Don't be too sure. Law officers don't usually a.s.sist sc.u.m like you to 'fall down the stairs' either." Lynch's hands closed into fists. "I'd suggest you talk, Briggs."

His eyes darted to Kendra. "She's a doctor. She won't let you hurt me."

"Don't count on it," Kendra said. "If you're counting on my Hippocratic oath to save you, I'm not that kind of doctor. Who is Laird to you?"

Briggs was silent.

Lynch took a step closer to him.

"No," Kendra said sharply.

Briggs's smile was almost a sneer. "I told you. She's a doctor. A woman doctor. She's soft."

"Am I?" She took a step closer, her eyes narrowed on his face. "Let's see how soft, Briggs." She reached out and touched the blood flowing from his cheek. "You're bleeding. I want you to bleed, Briggs. You made a mistake when you hurt my friend. When I was sitting in that hospital, I was thinking of all the things that I wanted to do to you." She wiped her fingers on his shirt. "I was angry when Lynch got to you first. But it's not too late. I can do-"

"You're bluffing."

She ignored his interruption. "Look at my face, Briggs. What does it tell you? I love my friend, Olivia. Do I want to make you suffer?"

He stared at her, then moistened his lips. "Maybe."

"But there's only one thing I want more, and that's to find out what you know about another friend." She took out her phone and showed him a photo of Jeff. "Jeff Stedler. Have you seen him?"

He looked away and shook his head.

"I believe you're lying. You don't lie well. He was at Ocotillo Wells. You must have seen him."

"I didn't see him in the desert."

"Okay, I'll drop it for now. Let's go back to the original question. Laird. Is he your boss?"

"I ain't got no boss. I run my own show." He scowled. "And I told you, I won't tell you anything. Go ahead, tell that Lynch to beat me up. I'll take you to court. You'll lose your license."

"Why don't you go take a walk, Kendra?" Lynch suggested. "Five minutes should do it."

She was tempted. Briggs was ugly and weasel-like and proving more stubborn than she thought. It would take a long time to break him. There should be another way to- There was another way.

"I'm tired of dealing with him, Lynch," Kendra said tersely. "Let's just let the poison rot him." She turned away. "We'll find Jeff on our own." She looked back over her shoulder at Briggs. "The FBI will be taking you into custody as soon as we leave here. You'll be held in jail, and you might last thirty days before your insides rot away. And I'll enjoy every minute of it. Come on, Lynch."

"If you insist." Lynch sighed. "But I was hoping for another trip down the stairs."

"He may not know enough to make it worth our time." She had reached the door. "And being with him makes me want to throw up. We're out of-"

"Rot?" Briggs repeated. "What do you mean rot? What poison?"

"You tell us," Kendra said. "All we know is that Leon Sanders would probably have died of that substance in his body if you hadn't blown his head off first. Whatever you were doing out in the desert was toxic."

He moistened his lips. "You're lying. You're trying to scare me."

"Am I?" She pulled out her phone and strode back to him. "Here are the victims murdered by Frank Rusin, you may know him. They all had the same toxic substance in their bodies as Leon." She flipped the photos one by one in front of his face. "Leon was the last one to prove positive."

"That doesn't mean I have that stuff inside me. Leon was the one burning that s.h.i.t."

"I take it you're not talking about meth," Lynch said.

"Don't be an a.s.shole," Briggs said. "This wasn't no penny-ante job." His lips tightened. "And that's all I'm saying."

"How do you know you don't have it?" Kendra asked. "If Sanders was working on this substance, and he contracted the disease, then it's probably airborne." She paused. "And whoever hired you knew that the two of you might be dead men before the job was over. They didn't give a d.a.m.n whether you lived or died. They probably preferred that you die and get rid of any witnesses against them."

Briggs cursed viciously. "That son of a b.i.t.c.h." He regained control. "Not that I believe you. It could just be contagious, and I ain't been around any of those marks in those photos. You could be lying about Leon. You ain't got no proof I've got that crud."

Kendra shrugged. "There's a test to prove whether you have it or not."

"Then give it to me. You're a doctor."

"I'm a psychologist. And I don't give a d.a.m.n if you have that poison in your system. I hope you do have it."

"Then somebody else can test me. Have them do it."

"Why? We don't care, Briggs."

"You want to know stuff. I might tell you a little if you get me tested." He added, "Only a little, understand?"

"And when we confirm, you'll spill your guts," Kendra said. "Because the only way we're going to be able to cure you is to find out exactly what you were cooking in that desert and find a remedy."

"But I don't know that I have it." He was sweating. "And I'm not going to let you bluff me."