And that discussion wouldn’t be pleasant, Kendra knew. Jessie was usually cool and reasonable and got her way by persuasion and cleverness. But she’d been stretched to the limit tonight and she was as frightened about Dee as Kendra. “Give me a couple minutes.” Kendra reached for her phone. “Those are FBI vans over there. FBI is usually in charge in a kidnapping. Let me see if I can get someone to call off that LAPD cop.”
“Do it.” Jessie was looking straight ahead. “Hurry.”
Kendra was hurrying as she dialed Metcalf’s number. He picked up immediately. “God, I’m sorry, Kendra. Any news?”
“All bad, so far. I need your help.”
“It’s not our jurisdiction. L.A. cases are handled by an assistant director in charge up there. You’ll have to go through him.”
“Don’t give me that bureaucratic bullshit. Help me.”
“What do you need?” he asked quietly.
“Right now, not much. Just contact one of the FBI guys at the stadium and have him come up to the entrance gate and order this LAPD cop to let us go down to the crime scene. Jessie’s in no mood to deal with any more delays. You have to know someone there you can ask for a favor. From the look of this parking lot, half the local FBI office must be here tonight.”
“Probably close. I hear they’re pulling out all the stops trying to locate Delilah Winter. I’ll do what I can. Jessie is with you?”
“Yes. Hurry.” She cut the connection and turned to Jessie. “Complications. San Diego jurisdiction doesn’t apply to L.A. But Metcalf is working on helping us where he can.”
“So I heard.” She was swearing beneath her breath. “That’s all we need is to have the local L.A. office getting in our way instead of helping us.”
“We’ll work it out,” Kendra said. “We both know that there are ways to get around every problem. No one wants anything to happen to Dee. We’ll just make sure it doesn’t.”
“But if those kidnappers think that she’s too hot to handle and becoming a liability, the first thing they’ll do is kill her.”
“Not the first thing. They’ll try everything else first and you know it. She’s too valuable to them. And that will give us time to get her back.” She opened her car door. “Come on, let’s go up to that barricade. Stop being negative. I have faith in Metcalf. He’ll pull those strings and we’ll have you down there at the crime scene with Parks in no time.”
“You’re being a little too Pollyanna for me at the moment, Kendra,” Jessie said grimly as she followed her. “Have I ever told you how I hate Pollyanna?”
“Now, that’s truly negative. Though in most cases I agree with you. I was just trying to—”
“Dr. Kendra Michaels!” The LAPD officer was bellowing at the top of his voice, his gaze on his clipboard. “Ms. Jessie Mercado!”
“Shit!” Kendra grabbed Jessie’s arm and pulled her through the crowd of reporters. “This is the last thing I wanted.” She pushed her ID in front of the officer’s face and then ducked through the barricade as the reporters started closing in to fire questions at her. “They’ll latch on to every name, every person connected to the case.”
“Particularly Kendra Michaels,” Jessie said as she started to run down the steps toward the backstage crime scene. “How do you feel now, Pollyanna?”
“Low blow.” But Kendra stopped as she saw a remarkably good-looking auburn-haired man whose sleek dark suit and air of authority were very familiar to her. “I think that has to be the FBI agent who’s coming to follow up his call to that LAPD guy at the gate. I’ll talk to him. You cut across the stage and go find Parks.”
“I wasn’t going to do anything else,” Jessie said. “I’ll see you later.”
She was gone.
But the FBI agent had been taking the steps two at a time and was suddenly standing in front of Kendra. He was just as good looking as Kendra had first thought, with dark brown eyes, a golden tan, and a flashing smile that was very warm and personal. “Kendra Michaels?” He held out his hand. “Special Agent Nate Kelland. I’m delighted to have been able to help you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Your reputation precedes you.”
She shook his hand. “I appreciate you cooperating. I know the first few hours of a kidnapping investigation are so important. You and Metcalf are friends?”
He shook his head. “We’ve worked a few cases together and we’ve met at conferences. I respect him as an agent. But I’m sure he realized he was calling the right person when you said you needed help. We’ve spoken of you a few times, and I’ve told him how I much I admire what you’ve accomplished.” He smiled. “I believe I even mentioned how I envied him the opportunity of working with you.”
“That’s very kind.” Her eyes narrowed. “But does that mean you’ll be willing to let Jessie and me have access to information and possibly contribute to the case as it progresses?”
“I’ll have to see what I can do.” He smiled that charming smile again. “I do have a certain amount of pull with the assistant director, but he might be stubborn where this is concerned. It’s a tremendously big case and very high-profile. The outcome could affect his career…or mine.” He added quickly, “Not that it would make a difference to me. I’m concerned only with the safe return of Delilah Winter.”
“So are we,” Kendra said quietly. “She’s our friend and nothing is more important to us than getting her back.”
“You’re already doing that according to the reports I have from LAPD on-site at the reservoir.” His gaze was on the wet hair clinging around her face. “It must have been quite a chase. I’m sorry you weren’t successful in apprehending them. I hope we’ll get another opportunity to go after them together.” He added brusquely, “We’ll need a detailed statement from both of you regarding the events that transpired on that chase in the city. All information is essential right now. You’re welcome to question any of the witnesses yourself as long as an agent is present. I’ll be glad to discuss the case with you at any time if you believe you have anything to contribute.”
“We’ll need to know when you get a ransom demand.”
“That will be a little dicey. But I’ll try to persuade the assistant director to share.” He gestured to the stairs. “Now may I take you to meet my fellow agents and the LAPD officers who will also be working the case? The governor has requested it be a joint operation until we find the victim.”
Victim. Kendra shivered at the thought of that term applied to Dee. That vibrant, glowing young woman who had lit up the stage only hours ago…“I’m glad. I wish he’d call in the state militia.”
Kelland smiled. “I promise we’ll put so many agents in the field, you’ll think he has.” He started down the stairs. “And since I’ll be one of them, I have to get back to work myself. But I’m sure that’s exactly how you’d want it.”
“Yes, I would.” She wasn’t quite sure what to think of Nate Kelland, but she recognized he might be a force with which to be reckoned. All that charm and warmth and yet his actual commitment to helping them had been minimal. But this wasn’t the time to tear apart the intentions of someone who might be of use to them.