Deadly Illusions(66)

“I am so turned on right now.”

“Just to make sure, I then Googled the name,” Mandy said. “It came back to a chemistry graduate student at Wayne State University.”

James sucked in a breath. “What’s the name, baby?”

“Andrew Wayne,” Mandy said. “He was a victim of Pritchard’s, and Pritchard was really sadistic with him. There was piano wire involved.”

James swore under his breath. “Do you have an address for him now?”

“What? Do I have to do everything?”

“Is there an address in the file for where he lived at the time?”

Mandy recited it back to him.

“This is great,” James said. “I’m going to take you out to a special dinner when this is all over with. I’ll even watch one of those stupid shark marathons on the SyFy channel with you. You’ll have to be naked to make it worth my while, but I’ll totally watch it with you.”

Mandy bit her bottom lip.

“I can hear your mind working over the phone,” James said.

“Just … remember, he was a victim, too.”

“I know,” James said. “I’ll do what I can. Emma has to be our priority.”

“I know.”

“Mandy?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”



EMMA was almost out of bread. Finn had been in the shower for more than ten minutes, which probably meant he would be getting out soon. She should finish up here and then get inside. They had a lot to do today – including going to the rental office at the apartment complex. Emma had decided she was comfortable here. She liked the neighborhood and the proximity to easy shopping. She wanted to stay. She was hoping to get a unit in Mandy’s building. Even though the blonde was rarely there, the idea of being close to her unit was a bonus.

Emma grabbed the final two slices of bread and shredded them, tossing the pieces into the air so the geese could fight over them. She crumpled the empty bag in her hand and turned back toward the apartment.

The man standing on the adjacent patio staring at her caused her to pull up short. When had he gotten here? She hadn’t even heard him approach.

Emma studied the man closely. He looked harmless enough. His blond hair was shorn close to his scalp, and his green eyes were clear and sharp. His face was handsome, that weird, crooked nose making him interesting to look at.

“Hi,” she greeted him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

The man didn’t respond. Emma didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

“Well, um, I have to be getting back inside.”

Emma moved toward the sliding door, her hand already on the handle, when something stopped her. That something was the man. He was right next to her now, his hand on top of hers as she tried to slide the screen back so she could step inside.

Emma swallowed hard.

Uh-oh.





Twenty-Six


Finn shut the water off and reached around the shower curtain to grab the towel off of the counter. This was the last clean one, which meant someone was going to have to do laundry today. Funnily enough, the idea of doing something as domestic as laundry with Emma had the same appeal as taking her out on the town. More even.

Finn glanced down at his phone, which was sitting on the closed toilet lid, and checked to see if he’d missed any calls or messages. Nothing. It’s not like he expected the case to magically solve itself or anything, but he would feel better when he knew Emma was safe. When that happened, they would be able to focus on each other and really get to know one another.

Finn was smiling as he plugged his electrical razor into the outlet, flipping the switch. He opted for a close shave today – as close as he could get. He had visions of rubbing his cheeks against every soft part of Emma’s skin later in the day. He would need a close shave for that, even if he doubted that Emma would complain about the stubble burn.

It took Finn about five minutes to complete his task. After splashing on some aftershave, and stashing the razor in the drawer, he dressed quickly. Emma was probably still outside feeding those infernal birds. He had no idea why she was so taken with them. When she’d told him her idea to move into the building, Finn had requested she pick a unit on the second or third floor. Balconies were much safer than patios in places like this – which was another reason James didn’t want Mandy to spend a lot of time at the apartment. When Emma had argued, Finn realized it was because of the stupid geese. He told her she could always walk down to the pond and feed them every day if she wanted to. Reluctantly, she had finally agreed.

Once he was satisfied that he looked as good as he possibly could, he reached down and grabbed his phone, frowning when the missed-call bubble flashed on the screen. Finn peered at it closely for a second, recognizing James’ number. He punched the voice mail button and held up the phone to his ear to listen.