The Secret Friend

46

'I spoke to Tina Sanders,' Darby said.

'Did she tell you about her daughter?'

'She did. For some reason, the woman is under the assumption that I know what happened to her. Is there something you'd like to tell me?'

'If you want to know what happened to Jennifer Sanders and the others, drive to Sinclair,' Fletcher said. 'This time, I want you to come alone.'

'Why?'

'I've decided I want you all to myself.'

Click.

The phone call was short, less than thirty seconds. Did Fletcher know the call was being traced? This time he had asked her to come alone. Had he somehow already spotted the surveillance or was he merely anticipating it?

Darby pulled onto the highway and called Bryson. He promised to call her back and did, twenty minutes later.

'I just got through talking with Bill Jordan, the man heading up your surveillance,' Bryson said. 'Fletcher wasn't on long enough. They couldn't lock on to his signal.'

'Is there any way he could have found out about the trace?'

'No. My guess is he's playing it safe, trying to hedge his bets. I've got to run and coordinate with Jordan. He's still scrambling to get his people together.'

'What do you want me to do?'

'It's like you said – he left us the same Virgin Mary statue we found in Chen's and Hale's pockets. It's hard to ignore that fact.'

'He wants to meet me alone.'

'Jordan's using some undercover narcotics detectives. They'll pose as Reed's security people and escort you inside.'

'Tim, if Fletcher does, in fact, know something, maybe I should go in there alone.'

'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.'

'If the man wanted to hurt me, he's had ample opportunity,' Darby said. 'What does Fletcher have to gain by killing me?'

'If I let you go inside the hospital without any sort of protection, the commissioner will have my ass. If something happens to you – if you go in there and stub your toe, the city would be liable. You could sue me, the city.'

'You want me to sign a waiver?'

'I'm not going to debate this with you. You want to drive up to Sinclair, then go, but we're going to be there.'

'I'm driving there now.'

'Okay. We'll make sure all the exits are covered.'

'How many are there?'

'A lot,' Bryson said. 'This past weekend Reed showed me all the different places people can sneak inside. His security can only cover so much of the campus at any given time. When Fletcher calls, keep him on the phone and we'll do the rest. Is your phone fully charged?'

Darby checked the battery level. 'It's still got some juice,' she said. 'I have a charger in my car.'

'Good. Everyone will be in position by the time you arrive.'

'What if he leads me into the basement? The cell won't work down there.' They had discovered that during their weekend search. The basement was too far underground, the walls too thick. The signals either dropped or cut out completely.

'I'm hoping it doesn't come to that,' Bryson said.