Deadly Illusions(63)

Then, without words, he’d pulled her to him. Their mouths found each other at the same time their hearts did. Their lovemaking had been gentle, beautiful almost. Every touch had been a revelation, every moan a confirmation. Emma had never felt so alive – or free.

“What are you thinking about?” Finn asked, his tone sleepy.

Emma smiled. “Nothing. I was just … thinking.”

“Good thoughts or bad thoughts?”

“Good thoughts.”

Finn rubbed his nose against her neck, burrowing in closer. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“What are you thinking?” Emma asked, her tone worried.

“I was trying to decide if we should spend the day in bed or try to accomplish something,” Finn admitted. “It’s a tough choice.”

Emma chuckled. “And what did you decide?”

“I’m leaning toward the bed option,” Finn said, pressing his naked length against her rear.

“Maybe we could do both,” Emma suggested.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that we could spend the morning in bed, and then maybe we could go out and run some errands,” she said.

“What errands?”

“I need to find a place to live,” Emma said. “I can’t live here forever.”

“If it’s any consolation, I’m not sure Mandy wants it back right away,” Finn said. “I think you can stay here as long as you need to.”

“I know,” Emma said. “I just think it would be nice to get a place of my own again. I can’t start putting a list together for the insurance agency until I have a place to put stuff.”

“Ah, I didn’t think of that. Okay,” Finn said, brushing his lips against the hollow of her neck. “I’m up for that.”

“It feels like you’re up for more than that,” Emma said, teasing.

Finn rolled her over so she was facing him. “Let’s find out.”



THE image in the video was still bothering Mandy when she let herself into her office Monday morning. She settled at the desk, trying to clear her mind so she could identify what was bothering her so much about it.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she jumped when Judge MacIntosh poked his head inside her office. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Mandy said. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

The judge walked into the small room, looking her over carefully. “It looks like you were lost in thought,” he said. “Are you still thinking about the fire?”

Mandy shook her head. “No. And, I want to apologize again for what James did,” she said. “It wasn’t very professional.”

Judge MacIntosh pursed his lips. “It may not have been professional, but it came from a place of love,” he said. “You can say what you want about the boy, but he’s completely crazy about you. That makes me like him.”

Mandy couldn’t argue with that. Her mind turned back to the video footage. “Do you remember the Pritchard trial?”

“That’s not the kind of case you can just forget about,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

Mandy told the judge about Emma and her recent troubles, finishing up her tale with the footage and how she felt the hooded figure felt familiar. Judge MacIntosh tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Do you have access to the video here?”

“It’s in a drop box,” Mandy said. “I can pull it up.”

“Show me.”

The judge joined Mandy behind her desk, waiting until she started up the footage, and then watching it – twice – from beginning to end. Mandy waited for his response.

“I don’t know,” he said. “That could be anyone to me. You have a better feel for faces. You know me, I can’t see anything clearly without my glasses on. And, where the Pritchard case is concerned, I had trouble looking a lot of those boys and young men in the eye. That was a failing on my part.”

“It was hard,” Mandy agreed. “Part of me doesn’t want it to be any of them.”

“Because it would mean that you’re victimizing a victim again,” the judge supplied.

“Yeah.”

“On the other hand, if it’s not one of them, that means that Emma is still in danger and your boyfriend and his brothers have to start from scratch,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“Well, there is a third option here I think you’re overlooking.”

“There is?”

“We have security cameras in the building,” Judge MacIntosh said. “There’s a lot of video to go through, but I believe there’s a certain security guard who would be more than willing to try and find a face in a crowd for you.”