“That’s saying a lot.”

“It’s true. You know … I’m kind of conflicted about the death penalty, but not for him. A lot of people would breathe easier knowing he’s no longer on this earth.”

Lynch nodded grimly. “Count me among them. I read up on him during the flight. I can’t get those crime-scene photos out of my head.”

Eric Colby.

“You said those were fresh skin cells on Corrine Harvey’s clothing?” she asked.

“Correct. First thing I checked.”

“His cells somehow found their way onto her sweater. We were meant to find them.”

“You were meant to find them. Your reward for finding the sweater.”

Eric Colby.

Kendra tried to shake off the chill. “Even though he’s sitting in a prison four hundred miles away … He’s somehow involved. And he wants me to know it. It’s his parting shot.”

“He’ll be dead in five days. That doesn’t give us much time to get the answers we need from him.”

“I don’t need anything from him.”

“Kendra … Every day that goes by is another day that someone could die. If we know he’s somehow connected to this, it’s an angle we have to pursue.”

“Which is exactly what he wants,” she said fiercely. “And it’s going to lead nowhere, except where he wants it to lead.”

“You outsmarted him once. You can do it again.”

She shook her head. “Don’t you understand? I don’t want to do it again. I want to turn my head and not turn back until they’re rolling his corpse out of that prison.”

“This isn’t like you. What—” The front-door buzzer rang from the wall-mounted intercom unit. Lynch strode over and pressed the talk button. “Hello.”

After a moment’s hesitation. “Michael Griffin, Roland Metcalf, and Saffron Reade here to see Kendra. Is that you Lynch?”

“Yes, come on up.” He pushed the button to buzz them in through the front door.

“Griffin wasn’t expecting to hear your voice,” Kendra said.

“He thought I was still in Washington. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming back here. They obviously came to break the news to you personally.”

“No matter how many times I hear it, it’s not going to be any easier to believe … or to accept.”

Lynch walked over and leaned close to her. “Listen, Kendra, I know you have some seriously bad history with this maniac.”

She half smiled and tried to joke. “Griffin’s not so bad.”

“The other maniac. Colby. However you want to play this, I’ll back you up. Don’t let them talk you into doing anything you don’t want to do.”

“Just a few seconds ago, you were telling me we needed to follow this lead.”

“They do. You don’t. Not if you don’t think you can. I don’t like your reaction to this creep. Just say the word, and I’ll build a wall around you so strong that Griffin and friends won’t even think about breaking through. Understand?”

That damn protectiveness again.

There was a rap at the door, and Lynch opened it wide for Griffin, Metcalf, and Reade to enter.

Griffin stared at Lynch for a moment before stepping into the condo. “Welcome back. This is an unexpected pleas—” He paused and substituted. “Occurrence.”

“The feeling is totally mutual, Griffin. I just got into town.”

“Huh. Why do I have feeling that my lab has been in touch with you … maybe even before they were in touch with me.”

“With the tight ship you run there?”

Griffin muttered a curse and turned toward Kendra. “So you know about the skin cells we pulled off Corrine Harvey’s sweater?”

She nodded. “The ones with Eric Colby’s DNA? Yeah, old news.”

“I’ve already been in touch with the warden at San Quentin. He’s pulling together a visitor’s list, mail and call logs, and other information he has on Colby. It seems you’re not the only one with a rabid fan base, Kendra. Especially since his execution date was set, he’s become quite popular.”

“Exactly what he wants, I’m sure.”

Reade stepped forward. “The attention will increase exponentially when this gets out, you know.”

“Then don’t let it get out,” Kendra said harshly. “Don’t give him the satisfaction. You can keep a secret for five days, can’t you?” She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. Anger, shock, and frustration were all whirling around within her. “Don’t let him play us like this.”

Griffin spoke in a slow, measured tone that was probably supposed to be soothing but only served to make her angrier. “Trust me, we’re not calling a press conference. But we are flying to San Francisco tomorrow morning. We’ll visit San Quentin, inspect the logs, and speak with Colby and the prison personnel who know him best. You’re the only one of us who has any previous experience with him, so we would like you to join us.”

Kendra had known it was coming, but it still hit her like a swift, wicked, kick. “I already know what it’s like to be face-to-face with Colby. It’s not an experience I’m anxious to repeat.”

“We can certainly understand that,” Griffin said in a tone bordering on patronizing. “But this isn’t really being done for your benefit. Your presence there might provoke more of a reaction from him. He might be more forthcoming.”

“You think the sight of me will make Eric Colby spill his guts?” She smiled bitterly. “Then you really don’t know him. Colby is an iceman.” Her gaze circled the agents. “So what’s the consensus? Do your profilers think we’re dealing with a tag team?”

“No, they’re very cautious.” Griffin dropped down in an easy chair facing her. “Serial-killer tag teams are extremely rare. It’s almost always an extremely solitary pursuit.”

“I’ve never encountered one,” Kendra said.

“Very few investigators have,” Metcalf said. “Thank goodness. But it’s not unheard of for a killer to draw inspiration and even guidance from an incarcerated murderer.”

Kendra looked away from them. “Incarcerated murderer” sounded so sterile, so civilized, compared with the brutal and venomous image she still held of Eric Colby. This time she couldn’t shake the image from her mind. “Aren’t communications with death-row inmates monitored?”

“Depends,” Griffin said. “Mail and telephone are, but in-person visits aren’t. And we all know that it’s distressingly easy to smuggle almost anything in or out of a prison.”

“Like a woman’s sweater?” Kendra asked.

“Or maybe a handwritten serial killer how-to manual,” Reade said. “Thanks to the Web, some of these guys have a worldwide following.”

“That’s depressing.”

Griffin shrugged. “It’s the world we live in. You can sit back and be depressed or do something to change it.”

“Back off, Griffin,” Lynch said. “She’s done a hell of a lot already.”

“I agree,” Griffin turned toward Kendra. “We’ll be on United flight 498 to San Francisco at 7:00 A.M. tomorrow. We’d like you to be with us. A reservation has already been made in your name, and a boarding pass has been e-mailed to you.”

“How efficient.” Kendra picked up her phone from the couch armrest. She glanced at the screen and clicked on an e-mail. “You’re right. It just came in.”

“Then will you do this for us?”

She glanced at Lynch. His eyes were narrowed on her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Screw ’em. You don’t owe these assholes anything.

Tell ’em to shove this case up their asses.

Kendra stood up and gestured toward the front door. “I need to think about it.”

Griffin was definitely not pleased. “When can we expect your answer?”

“At 7:00 A.M. tomorrow. When you’re on the plane, look over at seat 4D. If I’m there, take that as a strong indication I’m coming with you.”

“Okay.” Griffin stood up. “But just remember something, Kendra. This wouldn’t be like the last time you saw Eric Colby. This time there would be all of us and a squad of armed guards between you and him.”

“She knows all that,” Lynch said. “She said she had to think. Let’s all get the hell out of here so that she can do it.”