“A few days? That sounds optimistic. Are you?”
“I don’t know what I am,” she said wearily. “Except I’m scared, Metcalf. I was telling Jessie not to be negative, but we’re going at this blind. We don’t know anything yet. Right now, Kelland just seems to be sitting and waiting for that damn ransom note.”
“That’s not what he’s doing. If he’s as good as I think he is, Kelland has already alerted his agents to stake out the phones of all possible sources who might be contacted by the kidnappers. That includes everyone from Dee’s record company to her mother in Europe. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve even staked out Jessie’s phone since she’s so close to her. He’s probably also ordered all of Dee’s bank accounts monitored in case they try to make her move the money herself.” He paused. “That’s what we do the minute we realize a victim has been taken. That’s what I’d do, Kendra.”
“I guess I knew that. As I said, I’m just scared and frustrated.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking. “There are all kinds of bad statistics about kidnap victims. It’s so much safer to kill a victim than return her after they have the ransom. That would probably go double for someone as famous as Dee.”
“But there have been quite a few cases where a victim has been returned after ransom has been paid. John Paul Getty’s grandson, Julio Iglesias’s father, Frank Sinatra’s son.” Metcalf rattled the names off quickly. “And there have been a lot of CEOs and industrialists who have been kidnapped and then released in South America. It’s practically a national pastime down there. Hell, there hasn’t even been a ransom demand yet. Maybe she was taken by one of her fans. Remember that Miss Venezuela who was kidnapped several years ago? Her captors released her a few hours later after she agreed to sign fifteen autographs for them. Maybe it will be—”
“Shut up, Metcalf.” She couldn’t take any more. “I appreciate that you’re only trying to keep my spirits up. But do you think I didn’t mentally go over all those cases that gave me hope as I drove back down here? I was even smiling when I thought about that Venezuela beauty queen and wondering how Dee would have handled those nutcases.” She swallowed hard. “But I’m not laughing now, because whoever did this was very clever and more than likely a professional. Which means I have to assume that this is just as bad as we thought it was when we found she was missing. So now tell me the other side of the coin. What’s the worst-case scenario?”
He didn’t speak for a moment.
“Answer me. You’re FBI and you’ve worked kidnap cases before. Who should I hope doesn’t have Dee?”
“Probably someone who has a political or fanatical reason for the abduction. You can’t reason with groups like Isis.” He added quickly, “But they don’t generally go after celebrities like Dee. They want to make a statement.”
“That’s comforting,” she said dryly. “Next.”
“Revenge.”
“She’s too young to have chalked up much in that column. And she’s probably one of the most popular entertainers in the world.”
“Maybe too popular.”
“Next.”
“Money. And that’s a big umbrella and can hide multiple spokes. Maybe someone so dedicated to a project that they consider she has no right to those enormous paydays?” He added, “Or maybe a plain blue-ribbon psycho. I could go on, but I’m not going to do it. You’re the smartest woman I know. You’ll find out who did this yourself. I just wish I could help you do it.”
“Who says you can’t? Ordinarily, I wouldn’t ask you to break protocol when I know that the director assigned this case to L.A. But this isn’t ordinary times. I can’t promise I won’t ask a favor now and then. I don’t know what I’m facing dealing with Kelland. Feel free to turn me down.”
“You know I’ll help when I can. I’ll just have to keep it quiet around Griffin.” He paused. “You’re feeling uncomfortable with Kelland?”
“He’s an unknown factor. We were definitely the outsiders. It’s a different world up there in L.A., Metcalf. What do you think of Kelland? He said you weren’t really friends, but he jumped when you asked that favor.”
“Because the favor was for you. He pumped me about you at a hotel bar one night. He’d heard I worked with you and he probably liked the idea of getting an introduction. I blew him off.”
“That doesn’t sound very friendly. What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing, I guess. He seemed like a pretty good guy. Everyone likes him.”
“Except you?”
“I told you, he’s a good guy.” Then, at her puzzled silence, he burst out, “Okay, he’s one of those golden boys you come across now and then. You saw him. He’s good looking and polite and does everything right. He’s a really good agent and was even given the FBI Medal of Valor two years ago when he took a bullet for another agent. Everyone knows that he’s going straight to the top and will probably someday end up as director.”
“So?”
“He has it all. I didn’t like the idea of him trying to weasel his way into meeting you and maybe trying to work with you.”
“What? He didn’t impress me as the weasel type.”
“Perhaps not. I guess I don’t trust anyone who does everything right. Hell, I’m even the one who managed to get the golden boy what he wanted this time.”
“He seemed polite but not that eager to work with me. I only hope that he lets us get our foot in the door when the action starts.”
“I do, too. You know I’ll be there for you,” Metcalf said sincerely. “What’s next?”
“I’ve just finished packing my bag, so I’ll go down and say goodbye to Olivia. Then I’ll head back to L.A. to Jessie’s house. We’ll probably both grab a nap and then set out to retrace Dee’s steps for the last few weeks. This kidnapping was too well planned not to have been heavily researched. Which means that she had to have been followed, and there’s a chance someone will have noticed who was doing it.”
“That may mean a lot of legwork. I could do some of it on my own time.”
“Hey, I may take you up on that.” But not unless she found it absolutely necessary. She was very touched by the offer, but she wanted to use Metcalf only in an emergency. “I’ll let you know.” She headed for the front door. “I have to leave now. I’ll stay in touch.”
“You do that.” He paused. “Does Lynch know about Dee?”
“I told you, I haven’t talked to him since he left. Was I supposed to send up a flare? It’s not as if he could do anything from some mountain in Tibet.”
“I just thought you’d want to let him know,” he said quietly. “He’s always been there for you during the rough times. I think this is one of those times.”
“Well, this time he’s otherwise engaged. We’re both adults with our own careers and I can’t expect anything else. Jessie and I will do fine without him. Bye, Metcalf.” She ended the call.