Don’t rise to the bait.

“He couldn’t be more real.”

“Okay,” Starger said. “We’ll get back to that later. Let’s go back to Sheila Hunter. Will you repeat what you told us about your first meeting?”

“Why should I do—”

Patience.

She told them again.

And again.

They dug into every minute detail, then came back and did it again.

Hours passed, and the same questions kept coming. Her answers became more clipped and sharp, but she didn’t lose it.

Until Ketchum leaned forward, and said, “Why not be honest? We know this is a pack of lies.”

She blew up. “You know nothing of the sort. You’re just trying to wear me out, hoping to get lucky and find a fallacy in my statement. I’ve put up with it, but if that’s the way you’re going to speak to me, then we’re done here.”

Ketchum shook his head. “We’ll tell you when you’re done.”

“Actually, no. Unless you’re prepared to arrest me, which I know you aren’t, or you wouldn’t be trying to give me this poor man’s third degree. This conversation is taking place by virtue of a Kendra Michaels grant. A grant of my time, and of my willingness to put up with your questions when I could be out there finding this person who will kill again.” She looked Ketchum in eye. “Plus, I don’t like being judged or called a liar by a man who’s clearly cheating on his wife.”

Ketchum reacted with a start. “What? What the hell makes you think that—” He looked at Starger and Stokes and started to sputter. “This is— This is crazy. Are we gonna just sit here and—”

“You know, I’ve just decided you’re done, Detective Ketchum,” Kendra said. “You can watch the rest of this conversation from the next room or wherever this camera feed goes. If you don’t leave this room in the next thirty seconds, then I will.”

Ketchum stared at her incredulously. “You’re crazy. Do you believe we’d allow a person of interest in a murder case to dictate the way we—”

“Only if you want the conversation to continue.” Kendra grabbed her sweater from the chair back. “Twenty-five seconds. Your choice.”

Another few seconds of silence. Stokes jerked his head toward the door. “Ketchum, take a break. It’s gotten a little tense in here.”

Ketchum looked at them all as if they were insane. He stood and stalked out of the room.

After the door slammed shut behind him, Starger leaned toward Kendra. “Just out of curiosity, how did you know he’s cheating on his—”

“Let’s not get into that right now,” Stokes interrupted, nervously eyeing the camera. “Just a few more questions, Dr. Michaels.”

“I believe that you’ve learned all you can from Kendra.” Griffin walked into the interrogation room. “It’s time to wrap this up.”

“I think we have to make that decision,” Stokes said. “And you’re not invited in here.”

“And I was politely keeping out of your way for the last hour. It was very interesting observing your interrogation techniques.” He looked back at the door through which Ketchum had exited. “Or lack of it. But it appears Dr. Michaels is getting impatient. So I decided to step in and try to effect a compromise.”

“Oh, yes, he’s very good at compromises,” Kendra said with irony.

Griffin ignored her comment. “She’s right, you’re not ready to arrest her, and it must have come to your attention that you’re not going to get a confession out of her. I’m not sure you have any conviction that she really had anything to do with the killing. You just don’t have anywhere else to go, and it’s not making you look good.”

“Her hair in the grate was—”

“A good reason to bring her in. I would have done the same. But we all know that DNA can be planted. Anyone with the abilities of Dr. Michaels would have known to safeguard herself and removed it from that grate. The FBI is assuming that it has to be a plant.”

“And the San Diego PD isn’t any too certain,” Stokes said.

“And that’s where the compromise comes in,” Griffin said. “Let us have the strand of hair, and I’ll have our labs fast-track any evidence about that DNA and any other evidence you bring to us on the case.”

“We already have an ID on the hair. Why should we go any further?”

“Because if you don’t search further, then you’ll look like asses if we turn up something that makes her look like a heroine victimized by the hometown cops,” Griffin added softly. “And we’re very good at what we do. Let us help you tie this case up.”

Stokes’s gaze narrowed on his face. “Why are you doing this? She’s not one of your agents.”

“In the interest of justice. In the spirit of cooperation. You name it, Stokes.”

He hesitated. “We remain in control of the investigation?”

“Of course.”

Stokes slowly nodded. “Compromise is a good thing. Particularly when I come out on top.” He pushed back his chair. “I was close to releasing her anyway. I can always pick her up again.” He smiled at Griffin. “And I made a deal that the department will appreciate. We don’t often get the chance to give orders to the FBI.”

“Enjoy it.” Griffin took Kendra’s arm and nudged her toward the door. “It will be a rare pleasure for you.”

Kendra only waited until they were out of the room before she turned to face him. “Why?”

“That sounded suspicious,” he said. “When I’m only trying to do you a small service.” He thought about it. “No, it was not small. Not huge, but considerable.”

“Why?” she repeated. “Why did you come down here?”

“I heard you were having some difficulty, and I thought I’d see if it was necessary to step into the arena.” He led her toward the elevator. “I thought you were handling them with admirable coolness until you decided to go on the attack. You had to bring up Ketchum’s affair?”

“I just wanted him out of there. Those detectives were very aware of those cameras. Stokes, at least, is aware of my abilities. He probably didn’t want another detective put on the spot and his private life revealed on that tape.” She got on the elevator. “Why are you here? You wanted me to beg you for a favor that was less than this one. Now you show up and offer a bribe to get me off the hook.”

“Merely a deal that will benefit all of us.”

“Why?”

“I’ll leave you to figure that out for yourself. Maybe it’s because I have a real affection for you.” He was smiling as the doors started to close. “Or maybe it was because I couldn’t see how you’d be able to repay the favor you promised me if you ended up in a jail cell.”

CHAPTER 8

“THEY KEPT YOU A LONG TIME.” Beth was standing by her car, waiting, when Kendra walked out of the precinct. “By the time you called, I’d started to wonder if I needed bail and a defense attorney for you.”

“I think it was a little close,” Kendra said. “I changed from a person of interest to skirting the edge of being an actual suspect.” She got into the passenger seat. “And if Griffin hadn’t gone to bat for me and offered the facilities of the FBI to help in the investigation, I might have had to lawyer up to keep out of jail.”

Beth pulled away from the curb. “Griffin helped?”

Kendra nodded. “Like Batman to the rescue. I was surprised, too.” She looked out the window at the passing streetlight. “He pointed out that DNA could be planted and that a woman of my background and abilities would never make the mistake of leaving a piece of crucial evidence like that.”

“And they said that everyone makes mistakes,” Beth said. “I’m glad they decided not to play hardball.”

“Me too.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “But Colby won’t be glad. He went to so much trouble to set it up.”

“You think it was Colby,”

“Who else? It would show how superior he was to me. How he could manipulate me to suit himself.”

“Kendra,” Beth said quietly. “Where did he get that strand of your hair?”

“I wish I knew.” Her eyes opened. “The logical answer would be my hairbrush. It’s also one of the most frightening. Did he find a way to break into my condo to get that hair?”