Kendra paid the check, and they walked out to the valet stand in silence. After they handed their tickets to the attendant, Waldridge turned toward her. “Things aren’t always what they seem, Kendra. The Night Watch Project was formed to do great things, but there was more going on than any of us were aware. Even I didn’t know until much later that I couldn’t take pride in all of it. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Enough, Charles. Forgive you? You gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give me.” She took a step closer, her eyes holding his own. “You have to talk to me about this.”
“I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’m afraid it’s not. This was a mistake.” His rental car rolled to a stop in front of them. Waldridge embraced Kendra and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I’m sorry. I know I must be driving you mad, but it’s for your own good. Trust me. It’s better for you.”
“That’s my decision. You don’t call the shots any longer in our relationship, Charles.” She gripped his arm. “Whatever is going on, I can help. Try me.”
“All that intensity. How I’ve missed it.” Waldridge pulled away and looked down at her for a long moment. “No, Kendra. You can’t help. I can’t let you.”
He climbed into his car and drove away.
JADEN STOOD AT HIS HOTEL room’s floor-to-ceiling windows and stared out at the twinkling lights of West Hollywood. His mobile phone was on speaker while he finished changing his clothes.
“No problems?” Hutchinson asked. His voice on the phone had a slight echo.
“No problems,” he replied. “The snow will melt off before anyone finds him. There will be no footprints, no trace I was ever there.”
“Good.”
“I’ll be out on the early flight tomorrow. I’ll be back with the team by early afternoon.”
“That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. He needs you to stay a few more days.”
“It was supposed to be in and out. He promised me.”
“I know, but there’s been a development. Dr. Waldridge has reached out to an old friend. We’re still not sure why, but we’d be foolish to ignore it. Sit tight until we can check it out.”
Jaden muttered a curse as he turned from the window. “I don’t like this.”
“Nothing to worry about. Just a precaution. You haven’t asked me who the friend is.”
“I didn’t ask because I don’t give a damn.”
“You will.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s Kendra Michaels.”
Jaden froze. “Are you sure?”
“They were having dinner together less than an hour ago.”
“Kendra Michaels… That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I really hate unfinished business.” Jaden sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “Okay. I’ll stay. This just got interesting…”
2
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital
London
Nine Years Earlier
“IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU, Kendra. I’m-”
“Dr. Charles Waldridge.” Kendra crossed her arms before her and placed them on the small conference table. “I know. How do you do, Dr. Waldridge.”
Waldridge closed the door behind him. “How do you know who I am? We’ve never met before, have we?”
“No. I listened to one of your lectures on YouTube. Even before you just spoke, I recognized you from your footsteps. And from the jingle of keys in your pocket. You have some kind of charm on your key ring that makes a tinkling sound when you walk.”
“Very good. It’s a little souvenir dolphin my niece brought me from Grand Cayman.”
“You also like to rock back on your heels every time you make a major point.”
“You could hear that on the video?” he asked, amused.
Kendra adjusted her Ray-Ban sunglasses. “Yes. You did it eight times in a fifty-minute lecture.”
He sat in a chair on the other side of the desk from her. “Hmm. I didn’t realize I did that. Is it effective?”
“I’m not sure what it looks like, but those pauses work for you. It gives your students time to think about what you’ve just told them.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“I know you’re British, but I’m not familiar enough with the various accents to know exactly from where. It’s my first time in England. But I do know you have a small dog.”
“You’re wrong about that I’m afraid.”
“Really?”
“You’re not accustomed to being wrong, are you?”
“It happens.”
“Well, you’re not that far off. I’m looking after a colleague’s dog this week. Am I giving off an offending canine odor?”
“No, it’s nice. Oster flea and tick shampoo.”
“And how did you know the dog was small?”
“Mandarin Violet scent. I’m sure there are owners who use that on big dogs, but I’ve never met one.”
He chuckled. “It’s a poodle.”
“That sounds about right.”
He opened a file folder and turned the pages. “So… You’re nineteen years old?”
“Twenty next week.”
“And you’ve been blind since birth.” He spent another moment flipping through the file pages before resuming. “Just so you know, I’m meeting with you as a courtesy. Our pilot program is filled. We had thousands of applicants. If you had called or e-mailed, I could have saved you and your mother an awfully long trip.”
“My mother called and e-mailed. She already knew it was full.”
“Then why are you here?”
“My mother never takes no for an answer.”
“I got that impression. I know she wants this, but I’m not sure you want it, Kendra.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Your tone. Most people I interviewed for this program practically begged to be part of it. You seem as if it’s an inconvenience.”
“Wanting it and believing it are two different things. Do you want me to beg? I’ll do it, if that’s my role in making this work. But don’t expect me not to take this with a grain of salt. My entire life I’ve met a lot of doctors, scientists, and con artists who promised to make me see. My mother has been on a mission.”
“How does that make you feel?”
Kendra bit her lower lip.
Waldridge leaned forward, and asked quietly, “Like you’re not good enough for her the way you are?”
Kendra recoiled. “No. Why would you think that?”
“I’ve seen it a lot in the past few months.”
“Well, that’s not the case here. My mother’s just trying to help. She’s the one who is going to be hurt the most if she can’t pull this off. She doesn’t care if she ruffles a few feathers as long as she’s doing everything she can for me. Me,” she repeated fiercely. “It’s all for me. She wants the best for me. Nothing for herself.”
“Did your father feel the same way?”
“No. I never knew him. He left before I was two. He wasn’t prepared to care for a special-needs child.”