Free Claimed by the Secret Agent by Lyn Stone Page B

something like that? She watched as he slowly placed it back on the floor where he’d found it.
    “Enough!” cried the forensics woman.
    “Yes, that’s enough,” Grant agreed. He nodded to the irate examiner as he stood. “Thank you, and I apologize for the interruption.”
    He went over to the window, took out his cell phone and made a call. Marie stayed where she was by the doorway until he joined her.
    “I can’t believe they let you do that,” Marie exclaimed.
    “I told the inspector I was looking for similarities to the last victim of the Embassy Kidnapper. He had orders to cooperate.”
    “What were you doing with that bath sponge, by the way?”
    Instead of answering, he took her hand to lead her back outside. “We’re going to Gouda.”
    She started to jerk her hand away out of habit, but didn’t. It felt somehow right to let him hold it at the moment. She even threaded her fingers through his. “Gouda? Where they make that cheese?”
    “That’s where he was headed with her.”
    “Onders?”
    Grant inclined his head and shrugged. “Like you said, the M.O. is different. He overpowered her, probably knocked her out. There was chloroform on the sponge—pretty much dissipated now, though. Maybe it evaporated too quickly to be effective.”
    “That forensics lady was about to knock you out!”
    “I don’t blame her. But I had to pick up on the kidnapper’s energy.”
    “And you did?”
    Grant nodded. “He carried her over his shoulder. He was thinking about where he could stash her and worrying about the lack of planning. This was a rush job, maybe to make up for losing you.”
    “So how’d you get Gouda out of all that?”
    “He was going there with her. Had to. That means there’s probably someone there calling the shots.”
    Marie hated to leave without seeing more of Amsterdam, but finding this woman was the top priority. Catching the kidnapper ran a close second. She was as eager as Grant was to take up the chase.
    When had she begun to trust his instincts or whatever it was that led him? Marie wondered. Looking back, it was probably when they found that Onders was actually in Amsterdam.
    “What about Onders? Is he still under surveillance?”
    “I hope so. Call and inform them we won’t be relieving them today, would you?” He reached in his pocket and handed her his phone and a card with the number. “This is the force coordinator. Don’t mention the lead we’re following just yet. I could be wrong.”
    “You? Wrong?” She laughed as she punched in the number. “Oh, right, that 20 percent margin of error we have to worry about.”
    “I’m pretty sure about it,” Grant said, obviously not taking offense. He even seemed amused by her doubt.
    Minutes later she related the news to Grant. “Onders is in the wind, and they just discovered it. He must have sneaked out of his hotel somehow and grabbed the clerk.”
    “It seemed like a different energy. Not the same thought patterns.”
    “You want to explain that?” she asked, trying to sound polite when she wanted to shake him till his teeth rattled.
    “Later. I’m thinking right now.”
    Fortunately for him, Grant didn’t sound petulant or annoyed, only distracted, so she let it go.
    The ride to Gouda proved uneventful and silent. Marie wondered if he thought talking about his findings would jinx the op.
    She gave him his time to think and enjoyed the scenery. The day was great, sunny and cool and perfect for open windows to enjoy the sweetness of the air. Small wonder it smelled sweet, since this was the flower capital of the world. Acres of them somewhere nearby she imagined as she inhaled.
    It seemed so unreal that they were out chasing evil on a day like today. Even more so when they arrived in the picturesque little town of Gouda.
    “What a fairy-tale place! Look at that spire. Wow, that has to be a thousand years old! And they have an open-air market. Turn—you can’t drive through there. Pedestrians