okay?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“What do you want to do now?”
“Stay focused and not think.” She gazed at him steadily. “I told Mrs. Corelli that I would contact SK Corp—that’s where Christine works—and tell them about the accident. But I don’t think they’re open yet.”
SKC. The initials rang a faint bell. Military suppliers, he thought. Of what, he didn’t know. “Probably not.”
She wandered around her apartment, lost in thought, for another minute or two. “I’m not going to work today, that’s for damn sure.”
“You should rest.”
“Yeah. As if I could.”
“Try.”
Kenzie turned suddenly to face him. “Linc, can you stay here for a while?”
He hadn’t been expecting her to say that. “Ah—sure. If you want me to. I can make a few calls and explain that I’ll be working outside the office for a few days.” He stretched out his hand and indicated the cushion next to him. “This is fine.”
“I meant stay here in Ridgewood,” she said hastily. “Not here in my apartment. I only have one bedroom. And I—I have to have some downtime. By myself.”
Linc could have kicked himself for instantly assuming he’d be on the couch.
“There’s a motel about five blocks from my building,” Kenzie ventured. “It’s right on the main road, but—”
“I’ll check it out,” he said. He wasn’t committing to a plan of action when she didn’t have one.
“Sorry. I should have been clearer,” she said politely.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kenzie began to pace. “I’ll wind down. Might take me a while.”
He was curious. “How do you do that? Seems to me that you don’t have an off switch.”
She smiled faintly. “It doesn’t work too well. I usually exercise until I’m ready to drop. Or watch TV. Right now, I don’t want to do either. So let’s talk.”
Another request he hadn’t expected. He nodded, though. “All right.” He’d let her start the conversation.
“What do you do, Linc?” The question came out of nowhere. “You never really told me anything specific.”
It was a hell of a time to get into that. But she’d asked, so he’d answer. She didn’t need the details about Project 25, though.
“Special projects, technical, out of Fort Meade. Usually classified. Mostly army. Sometimes they send me over to Langley.”
“Oh. The agency.”
He nodded again. He knew she understood. Army intelligence maintained a major presence in Fort Meade, Maryland, along with the National Security Agency, and they had an off-and-on reciprocal arrangement with Central.
“I’ve done investigative work for both. The world got a lot more complicated ten years ago and it isn’t getting any simpler. We do what we can.”
She moved over to the couch and sat down on the farthest cushion from him. “That doesn’t tell me too much.”
“Sorry. That’s all I can say.”
Kenzie kept her voice level when she turned to him. “Think you can take a short leave?”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to know what the hell really happened on that highway.”
“That’s what the police are for, Kenz.”
She dismissed his reply with a slight shrug. “How long will it take for them to get up to speed?”
“I don’t know.” He was doomed. He knew what she was going to ask next. He couldn’t say no.
“You in?” she asked abruptly.
He sighed and shook his head, meeting her look of fierce determination. “Yeah, I’m in.”
“Good.” She folded her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “I think I’m going to need someone like you.”
After she’d sent Linc on his way, Kenzie headed for the couch. Not to cry. To think.
She had to find out who had smashed into Christine and driven away. She took the corner away from the lamp and curled up, holding a pillow.
She’d been the type of kid who fought hardest for a friend, and that hadn’t changed. Christine had been her best pal since Kenzie had been an army brat without
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“What do you want to do now?”
“Stay focused and not think.” She gazed at him steadily. “I told Mrs. Corelli that I would contact SK Corp—that’s where Christine works—and tell them about the accident. But I don’t think they’re open yet.”
SKC. The initials rang a faint bell. Military suppliers, he thought. Of what, he didn’t know. “Probably not.”
She wandered around her apartment, lost in thought, for another minute or two. “I’m not going to work today, that’s for damn sure.”
“You should rest.”
“Yeah. As if I could.”
“Try.”
Kenzie turned suddenly to face him. “Linc, can you stay here for a while?”
He hadn’t been expecting her to say that. “Ah—sure. If you want me to. I can make a few calls and explain that I’ll be working outside the office for a few days.” He stretched out his hand and indicated the cushion next to him. “This is fine.”
“I meant stay here in Ridgewood,” she said hastily. “Not here in my apartment. I only have one bedroom. And I—I have to have some downtime. By myself.”
Linc could have kicked himself for instantly assuming he’d be on the couch.
“There’s a motel about five blocks from my building,” Kenzie ventured. “It’s right on the main road, but—”
“I’ll check it out,” he said. He wasn’t committing to a plan of action when she didn’t have one.
“Sorry. I should have been clearer,” she said politely.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kenzie began to pace. “I’ll wind down. Might take me a while.”
He was curious. “How do you do that? Seems to me that you don’t have an off switch.”
She smiled faintly. “It doesn’t work too well. I usually exercise until I’m ready to drop. Or watch TV. Right now, I don’t want to do either. So let’s talk.”
Another request he hadn’t expected. He nodded, though. “All right.” He’d let her start the conversation.
“What do you do, Linc?” The question came out of nowhere. “You never really told me anything specific.”
It was a hell of a time to get into that. But she’d asked, so he’d answer. She didn’t need the details about Project 25, though.
“Special projects, technical, out of Fort Meade. Usually classified. Mostly army. Sometimes they send me over to Langley.”
“Oh. The agency.”
He nodded again. He knew she understood. Army intelligence maintained a major presence in Fort Meade, Maryland, along with the National Security Agency, and they had an off-and-on reciprocal arrangement with Central.
“I’ve done investigative work for both. The world got a lot more complicated ten years ago and it isn’t getting any simpler. We do what we can.”
She moved over to the couch and sat down on the farthest cushion from him. “That doesn’t tell me too much.”
“Sorry. That’s all I can say.”
Kenzie kept her voice level when she turned to him. “Think you can take a short leave?”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to know what the hell really happened on that highway.”
“That’s what the police are for, Kenz.”
She dismissed his reply with a slight shrug. “How long will it take for them to get up to speed?”
“I don’t know.” He was doomed. He knew what she was going to ask next. He couldn’t say no.
“You in?” she asked abruptly.
He sighed and shook his head, meeting her look of fierce determination. “Yeah, I’m in.”
“Good.” She folded her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “I think I’m going to need someone like you.”
After she’d sent Linc on his way, Kenzie headed for the couch. Not to cry. To think.
She had to find out who had smashed into Christine and driven away. She took the corner away from the lamp and curled up, holding a pillow.
She’d been the type of kid who fought hardest for a friend, and that hadn’t changed. Christine had been her best pal since Kenzie had been an army brat without
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