The Naked Eye Read Free Page A

awful dreams began.”
    “Maybe that’s where they can end.”
    “Besides, your Asian, bikini-model girlfriend might not like me hanging around.”
    “Ashley is almost never in town these days. Her career has taken off. She actually wants to meet you.”
    “I might say that she just wants to size up the competition, but women that beautiful don’t really have competition.”
    Lynch stepped closer to her. “You’re every bit as beautiful as she is, Kendra.”
    She looked up at him. His sudden closeness was disturbingly intimate.
    Too disturbing, she admitted to herself. Damn him.
    She made herself look away. “Now I know you’re patronizing me. I don’t have all that many fashion designers jetting me off to the French Riviera for photo shoots.” She smiled. “I’ve seen her picture in a few magazines lately. Ashley has branched out from swimsuits to cocktail dresses and athletic wear.”
    “Enough about her,” he said roughly. “You’re the one I’m worried about.”
    “Don’t be.”
    “Then stop this.”
    “Stop what?”
    He waved his arm toward the crime scene. “This. Dropping everything and running at the first sign of a bloody corpse. There was a time that the cops and the FBI had to beg you to come help them out on their cases. Now they can’t keep you away.”
    “I assure you that they make me feel very welcome,” she said wryly.
    “You know what I mean.”
    “You’re damn right, I do.” She stared him in the eye. “It’s because I know Colby will be back. He needs to kill. It’s part of who he is. He can hide for only so long. When he resurfaces, I need to be there.”
    “And you will be. But for now, just let the cops and the FBI do their job. They’re good at it. They have labs, worldwide databases, and lots of manpower. Trust them.”
    “How can I? When they don’t even believe he’s alive? They’re not even looking for him.”
    “He may not even be in the country. You can visit every crime scene in the state, but it won’t mean anything if he’s killing people in Budapest.”
    Kendra leaned wearily against her car. “I know. I’ve been spending a lot of time combing the Web for any sign of him.”
    Lynch shook his head. “You need to take a step back. Please. This isn’t good for you. God, you look tired.”
    “It’s almost 4 A.M. Of course I look tired. You’re the freak here for looking so damned chipper.”
    He slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Let’s go to breakfast. Ever been to Brian’s 24?”
    She laughed. “I’m going to bed.”
    “That’s even better.” His smile was both intimate and mischievous. “Whatever you want, Kendra.”
    “By myself. In my own place.”
    “Okay, fine.” He nodded toward the detectives, who were putting the husband in the backseat of a squad car. “But the next time you feel compelled to barge in on someone else’s murder scene, give me a call.”
    “Why? So you can stop me?”
    “I know better than that. So I can go with you. Which is a hell of a lot better than trailing after you.” He turned and moved away. “Think about it. I always thought we made a pretty good team…”
    *   *   *
    THE SKY HAD BEGUN TO LIGHTEN BY the time Kendra made it back to her condo near the Gaslamp District. She was already wound up by the double punch of the crime scene and Lynch’s unexpected appearance, but the sunlight’s psychological effect would soon make it even more difficult for her to get any sleep. The first year she’d had her sight, she’d covered her bedroom windows with aluminum foil to keep the daylight from poking around her curtains and nudging her awake. She had moved beyond that, but once awake, it was still tough for her to go to sleep once it was light outside.
    Might be time to invest in blackout curtains, or at least a jumbo roll of aluminum foil.
    It would be more difficult to put Lynch out of her mind. How in the hell did he know she’d be there?
    Of course he knew. He was Adam