Flashback - Page 101

“Positive. Bill Dillingham captured him perfectly in one of his alternative sketches. The guy was wearing a fake nose and maybe some fake bushy eyebrows, but Bill gave us a possibility that was right on the money. Pauley also deserves credit for remembering that face as well as he did.”

“So did you,” Lynch said quietly. “For picking up the odor of that prosthetic glue.”

Kendra gestured impatiently. “No big deal.” She turned back to the sisters. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t believe it,” Sloane said slowly. “After all these years…”

Chloe’s lips tightened. “We can’t leave this island until we bring him down.”

Kendra and Lynch exchanged a look.

“We’ll get him one way or another,” Lynch said quickly. “It doesn’t have to be here and now. We can wait until the odds are more squarely in our favor.”

“We can’t let him get away,” Chloe said. “How can you say that? He’s been getting away with our mom’s murder for fifteen years. We can’t ever forget the way she died.”

Kendra put a hand on her arm. “We know that. But I also know that your mother wouldn’t want you to do anything to hurt yourself. Would she?”

Sloane looked down and then away. “So what are we supposed to do?”

“Well, there’s no way we’re going to ignore those sons of bitches,” Kendra said flatly. “First of all, I’m going to tell you exactly what those guys are planning.”

Chloe gave her an incredulous look. “How do you think you’re going to do that?”

Lynch smiled at Kendra. “Can you do it?”

She smiled back at him. “As long as no one turns their back to me.”

Sloane looked between the two of them. “What’s happening…?”

Kendra raised the binoculars just in time to see Krebb start to brief his men. As luck would have it, light from the lantern illuminated Krebb’s lips. “Okay,” Kendra began, “they know there’s four of us here and don’t expect any backup. Adam Lynch is the only one they regard as a serious threat. With that in mind, their orders are… to kill him on sight.”

Lynch cocked his head. “Harsh.”

“If even one of us gets away… He’s reminding them they could all spend the rest of their lives in prison, or maybe even facing the death penalty. But the three of us women need to be kept alive long enough for in-depth interrogation.”

Lynch shrugged. “Huh. My shoot-on-sight thing doesn’t seem so bad now.”

Kendra squinted to see as the movement of the lantern cast a momentary shadow across Krebb’s face. “He’s telling them that it’s just as important to secure any written or digital evidence. Any computers, tablets, phones, or written material are to be seized… along with anything we brought with us here. Oh, and they’ll be towing our boat out to sea and sinking it before sunrise.”

Lynch clicked his tongue. “Poor Delgado. My new friend will not be happy.”

“The two men on the right are being sent around and up the hill. They’ll move toward the installation buildings from the rear, then signal via walkie-talkies when they’re in position.”

“They won’t make it,” Lynch said. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“Two of the men will approach from the front, one at each side, then move to the center simultaneously.”

Lynch nodded. “A squeeze play.”

Kendra studied Krebb’s mouth as he finished his briefing. “Krebb and Wallace are going to hang back and watch for any attacks from the installation’s front flank.” She turned to Lynch. “Krebb is keeping Wallace close.”

“Wallace has probably killed more people than the rest of them combined. Krebb might think he offers a certain level of personal protection. Or he may think Wallace is a wild card and want to keep him on a tight leash.”

“Both are possible,” Sloane said. “And knowing their intentions, we’re perfectly within our rights to kill any of them the second they make a move toward us. Right?”

“Of course,” Kendra said. “But our main objective is to get the hell away.”

Neither sister responded. They clearly had their own objective, and deep down, Kendra couldn’t blame them. She would probably feel the same way if it was her mother who had been so brutally murdered.