Darkness Lurks by J.L. Drake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

 

 

Lasko

 

I pushed open the door, hearing that annoying little bell ring above me.

“Good morning,” the tiny twenty-year-old with big tits said from behind the counter. She smacked her gum loudly as she read something off her phone. I growled incoherently as I made my way to the back corner. God, my head hurt. I grabbed a bottle of Advil, a protein bar, and a pint of Jack Daniel’s. I set the items down on the counter, opened the pills, tossed back four, and chased them with the Jack. The girl’s mouth dropped open. She glanced at the time.

“Nine in the morning. Hair of the dog?” She popped her gum. I closed my eyes to control my temper. This could go two ways. I could either take her out back and fuck the shit of her, or I could take that goddamn bell off its hook and jam it down her fucking throat.

My pocket started to vibrate. I saw who it was and swiped my thumb to answer the call. “What?”

“Where are you?” the voice asked.

“Out.”

“Well, don’t be.”

I looked up at the female clerk, whose eyes were on me. Deep red lipstick lined her teeth.

“Why?”

“They have a fucking picture of you! What the hell, Jimmy?” the voice screamed at me. “Get back to the cabin now!”

I tossed two twenties at the girl and grabbed the bottle of Jack.

“Tell me what’s going on.” I flung the door open and disappeared into the back alleyway.

After I heard the full story and got my ass chewed out, I started to madly pack my things. I flung the door open and let it slam behind me.

“You leaving, sexy?” my neighbor asked. She sported a black and blue eye and a fat lip, and she flinched every time she took a drag from her cigarette. The bottom of her saggy ass showed, and her light pink thong peeked out slightly. I cringed as I walked by her, happy that I could carry all my bags out in one load. “I had plans for you.”

“Me too.” I smirked and thought about wrapping a shower curtain around her face and watching her fat body bounce around as she fought to stay alive. The temptation was strong. If only I didn’t have a more important call to make…

I hit the freeway with the Jack between my legs, beyond pissed that I had screwed up, but delighted with the turn of events.

“Hello.” I could tell he was asleep, but I didn’t care. This was the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Hank, go get her.”

 

***

 

Emily

 

I was getting ready for school when I heard a knock on the front door. I waited to see if Seth was going to answer it, but I didn’t hear him. As I zipped my dress and ran downstairs, the doorbell rang. “Coming!” I opened the door as I tripped over my bag and fell right into Vince’s arms “Oh!” I yelped as I stabilized myself in his arms. “Sorry.” He chuckled as he set me back on my feet. “Thanks. Hi.” I brushed my hair out of my face.

“Is this how you greet all your guests?” he teased. I chose to ignore him. “David asked me to drop off your car.” I opened the door wider to let him come in.

“Thank you. Would you like some coffee?” I asked over my shoulder.

“Yes, please.” He seemed a little uncomfortable. “You heading to school?”

“Cream?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I have to leave soon. Are you heading back to Temecula today?” I tossed a book in my bag and handed him his coffee in a travel cup.

“Think I might stay for a bit to check out the city.” He took a seat. I nodded as my phone went off, forcing my attention away from Vince. It was Detective Michaels. I put my finger up to excuse myself.

I had turned toward my father’s office and stood inside the door when Seth came in from outside. I waved as I answered my call. “Good morning, Detective.” I said the last word quietly as I glanced at Seth, who didn’t seem too impressed that Vince was at the kitchen table.

“Morning, Ms. McPhee. Could you please come in and see me this afternoon?”

“Of course. How about 2:30?”

“Okay, that would be fine. See you then.”

“Bye.”

“Everything all good?” Seth asked.

“Michaels wants to see me this afternoon.” I quickly rinsed out my mug. “Did he find out…?” I stopped, remembering we had company. Seth shrugged and gave me an ‘I haven’t heard anything’ look.

“Would you mind if I tagged along, Emily?” Vince rose. “I’d like to see your campus, get to know the area better.”

“Sure.” I looked forward to the distraction of having Vince around. It would help keep my mind off whatever Michaels might have found out.

“Great, I can drive you if you’d like.” He turned to Seth. “I really don’t mind.”

“Yeah, okay.” Seth leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll call you later. I’ll get Riggs to pick you up and bring you to the station.”

I showed Vince a few of my favorite places as we drove to school—the coffee shops, the gym, a park, and the best Italian restaurant in town. We walked into the coffee shop where Erin sat. She made a face as she questioned my guest. “Who is this?”

Vince shook her hand. “I’m Vince, a friend of the family.”

Erin looked at me. “Cute.”

I laughed and shook my head. Erin barely had a filter. Vince didn’t seem to mind. He just went along with it.

“All right, we’ve got class.” I told Vince that I’d meet him for lunch at The Goose. I gave him my and Erin’s cell numbers in case he needed to get hold of us.

Class was painfully slow. My mind wouldn’t stop. Erin kept yawning, which didn’t help.

“Who would have thought logic trees would be so boring?” Erin burst out in laughter as we walked in a numbed state toward The Goose.

I linked arms with her. “Is it wrong that I found Wittgenstein hot?” I joked. I fell into her as we both laughed hysterically. We were completely fried from our Philosophy class. “Did you see Scott? The poor guy was staring off into space. I don’t think he took one note the whole ninety minutes of hell.”

“I wonder what he was thinking about.” Erin elbowed me in the ribs playfully. “Oh, there’s Vince.” She pointed to the bar. He came over and joined us at our table. “How did your day go?” she asked, eyeing his dirty shirt.

“Pretty good, actually. I met some people who play on the football team, and they invited me to a scrimmage.” Well, that explained the shirt. “It was fun.” He grinned.

“Good, I’m glad.” I matched his grin. The waitress came, and I ordered us some lunch.

“Hey, all.” Scott suddenly sat in the seat next to me. He looked at Vince suspiciously. “Hey, I’m Scott.”

“Vince.” They shook hands.

“Well, that’s ninety minutes of life I’m never gonna get back.” He sighed as he stole a fry off Erin’s plate. “I may have to borrow someone’s notes, if that’s all right?” He gave me puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah, sure.” I felt my phone buzz.

 

Detective Michaels: Have a meeting this afternoon. Can you come by now?

 

Scott looked over at Vince. “How long are you here for?”

“Just for the day, wanted to check out the campus.”

“That’s cool.”

 

Emily: On my way.

 

“Hey, guys, I have to go for a bit. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” I started packing up my stuff.

Vince leaned forward. “Do you need a ride anywhere?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Um…sure.” I was happy not to have to bother Riggs. I turned to Scott. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Yeah.” He sighed as he shifted in his seat. I could see he was slightly threatened by our new guest.

As we climbed into the car, Vince started to laugh. “What?” I asked and wondered what was so funny.

“You’re pretty popular here.”

I gave him a dirty look; I knew he was referring to Scott. Then I gave him directions to the police station.

“I’m going to be a bit. I’ll get a cab back so you can go and do your own thing.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mind waiting.” He pointed to the Starbucks. “You’ll find me there.”

“All right. Thanks.”

The place was crazy, with people everywhere. One lady is yelling as she came by in cuffs, reeking of booze.

“Hey, Lou.” I waved as I came up.

“Miss McPhee, it’s always a pleasure.” He handed me my ID badge.

“Sorry about yesterday…bad day.” I blushed, feeling badly for being so cold to him the day before.

He leaned over the counter. “Look where I work. Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for, my dear.”

“Thanks.”

The office was busy as usual. I went to reach for the handle when another hand beat me to it. I looked up to see a set of intense green eyes.

“Hello there.” He gave me crooked smile. “Please go ahead.” He nodded me through the door as he held it open with his back.

“Thanks.” I hurried through.

“Matthews,” he said, pointing to his name tag. I remained polite while I gave a little wave. I didn’t want to make friends right now. I needed to know Michaels’s news.

Matthews stepped toward me and whispered, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”

I let out a long breath and saw this was going to take a few minutes of my time.

“Matthews, stop flirting and let McPhee pass,” Michaels shouted from outside his office.

“Oh, Emily McPhee.” He nodded. Clearly the name rang a bell for him. His eyes raked me from head to toe, and it made me very uncomfortable.

“Excuse me.” I stepped around him and hurried into Michaels’s office.

Michaels chuckled as he closed the door behind him.

He flipped open a file and tossed a picture in front of me on the desk. I reached out and propped the picture up to get a look. The man from the drawing stared at the camera as he held a set of numbers.

“Jimmy Avon Lasko, thirty-one years old. He’s been booked a few times for B&E, DUIs, and an assault on a neighbor, but the charges got dropped.”

“Is it…?” I cleared my throat “Is ithim?”

He tossed me another picture. It was from the security camera the night I was attacked. It was a shot of the back of him.

“See the scar on his neck there?”

I squinted and then gave a nod. It was pretty obvious when you knew where to look. He glanced back down and started to read out loud. “Two tattoos, one on his chest and one on his back. One large scar travelling from his left shoulder blade up to his left ear lobe.”

Holy shit, I can’t believe I found him.

He grinned. “Well done, McPhee.”

I felt almost light-headed. I hopped up from chair, my mind firing off a million ideas. I started to pace his small office.

“So, let’s set this thing up. I could…um…go to a back alley and walk around.” I laughed more to myself. “No, that’s stupid.” I put my hands in the air at a thought. “Okay, what if somehow we let him know I’m staying at a hotel and lure him there…we could be waiting. I could get him to talk and then you guys could bust him.” My heart was racing right along with my words.

“Whoa, Penelope, notCriminal Minds, remember? Slooow down. I’m sorry, but that’s not the way this works.”

I felt my sudden high drop into my shoes as all energy drains to join my feet. My braver side felt angry that he thought I couldn’t handle it. “I can do this.”

“Sit, please, Emily.”

I did with a heavy thud.

He thought for a moment and then turned his computer monitor around so I could see it. I looked at him blankly. He tapped a button and a video popped up. The moment my brain realized what it was, I wanted to run screaming out of the room. But I couldn’t because my legs betrayed me as images of that horrible night at the gas station played out in front of me.

Inside my head, my imagination raced. I pictured someone dressed in a hooded red robe with a large brass key. The key went into my mind’s door and popped it open like a child’s jack-in-the-box. My memories of that night came at me lightning fast.

“Please…?” The word barely got past my lips. He tapped the button again and turned it off right as the truck driver pulled up.

“I’m sorry I did that, Emily.”

Like hell, you are!

“But you need to understand that this ‘sting op’ is too risky. Do you think you can handle being in a room with him so close he could reach out and touch you? Smell his breath, feel his skin on you while you try to get him to say something incriminating?

“This guy beat his neighbor nearly to death, then threatened her so badly she dropped all the charges. He is unstable; he’s a psychopath. I encourage your bravery, but this is too dangerous. Leave this to the professionals. Wewillfind him.”

I felt my tears come. God, I hated how they were always ready to spill at the drop of a hat.

“You know,” I scrambled to find my voice, but it was weak and shaky, “I haven’t slept a solid night since that attack. Every time I close my eyes, he’s there waiting for me. Even in my dreams he’s stalking me, screwing with my head.” I felt my stomach turn. “I can’t live like this. I’m scared to be in my own house. I’m scared when I’m at school. Hell, I’m scared to be in my own skin.” I put my hands over my eyes and took a moment to catch my breath.

Michaels’s chair squeaked again, and it made me jump. He opened his top drawer and pulled out a card. “Give me some time, Emily, but most of all, have faith that we’ll find him. For now,” he handed me the card, “please think about contacting this guy. He’s a friend of mine. He’s good at what he does, and I think he could help you.”

Mark Adams, Therapist.“A shrink?”

“You may feel like you’re handling this well, but you’re not.” I went to speak, but he shook his head. “Look, you’re willing to put yourself in danger, you’re not sleeping and not eating either, from the looks of it.” I shot him a dirty look. “If not for yourself, then do it for Connors and O’Brian. They look like shit and are so worried about you that it’s affecting their performance.” He sighed then noticed my face, which I caught sight of in his reflective picture frame. I was white as a sheet. “Are you all right? You’re kind of pale.”

I moved to stand on shaky legs. I guessed I’d known the ‘me being bait’ thing wasn’t really going to happen, but I felt guilty because he was right. I see couldn’t that man again. Even the mere thought of his touch made me want to vomit right there on the tan carpet. “I should go.” I struggled to collect myself.

He nodded but still watched me. “Oh, and Emily.” I stopped and grasped the door handle. “No more solo trips out of town. I’m going to get you an officer, someone who will stay with you full time.” I nodded once without looking at him and left.

I needed a distraction, something to shake this horrible feeling. I couldn’t believe the detective had made me live out my worst nightmare. I found Seth still at a desk, waist deep in reports. He was on his feet before I reached him. “Is there somewhere we can go?” I asked.

“Jesus, Em, you look like hell.”

“Seth, is there somewhere we can go?” I repeated. Without missing a beat, he took my hand and walked swiftly through a door and down some stairs into the locker rooms, which luckily were empty. He opened a door that led into a little room. Off to the side was a sink, a large counter, and a little bed. He pulled me in and locked the door behind us.

“Tell me what happened,” he demanded. As I started to undo my blouse, his brows came together. I reached over and undid his belt. “Em?” he said softly.

I looked right in his eyes as I undid his button. “You really want to talk?” My fingers found his zipper, and I pulled it down.

He knew I needed this; I needed some sense of release as well as closeness to him. He suddenly reached down and grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the counter. He wrapped his hand around my neck, kissing me as he took over my mouth with his tongue.

I moaned. I loved it when he took control. It was the one time I didn’t have to think, just feel, because I knew I was safe.

His other hand ran up my leg and pulled my thong down. I shifted and tried to help him. I pulled his tie loose and pushed back his shirt. I rested my hands flat on his vest and started to kiss his chest, then up to his neck. I lightly bit his ear, and he lost it. He reached down and grabbed himself as he moved into me. I tensed around him, hungry for every bit of him.

“You were ready for me,” he whispered through his kisses.

I leaned back and let out a moan. “Always.” I squeezed my legs around his waist to pull him in deeper.

He pulled out and lifted me off the counter. Then he spun me around and leaned me forward so I could brace my arms around the sink. He held onto my shoulder and my waist as he slid back into me slowly. “God, you feel good.” He shuddered.

“Seth, please,” I begged. I wanted him to take me hard. I wanted to feel Seth take me over without any thoughts of Lasko.

“You want this, baby?”

“Yes,” I panted. “Please.” I thought I was going to explode from the slow friction.

He slid almost out and then fixed his grip on me and plowed inward. I almost lost my hold.

“Again,” I begged.

He repeated it. I held on tighter this time. My knees nearly gave out from the impact, but Seth’s grip told me he had me. He kept thrusting over and over until I felt that knot in my stomach release and a quivery sensation started to grow. I was close when I heard Seth’s breathing pick up. “Seth,” I pleaded. It took everything in me not to scream.

Right then we both let go and felt the release we both wanted and so desperately needed. I took a moment to relish my bliss. It was short-lived once I let my brain go back to reality.

He leaned in and started to kiss my shoulder. “This should be a daily thing.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

I was dressed and ready in a matter of minutes. I looked in the mirror at my hair. Could it be any more obvious what we’d just done? My fingers ran quick paths through the disheveled strands.

Seth stood behind me as he buttoned up his pants and snapped his belt back into place. “So he told you about Lasko?” I shot him a look. He raised his hands innocently. “Michaels held a meeting this morning. I wanted to tell you, but he wanted to talk to you himself.”

I nodded and let out a long sigh.

“What?” I looked away. He came up closer. “Emily.” His tone made me look up, and we locked eyes in the mirror. He waited for me to speak.

“He won’t use me as bait.”

Seth couldn’t hide the relief that danced across his face. “The fact of the matter is that even if there was a chance, I don’t think I could do it anyway.”

“No one expected you to, baby.”

“I know.” I wanted to show my braver side, show that I had the guts to face the man who wanted to hurt me.

“What else?” Seth’s voice changed slightly. I could tell he saw it in my eyes.

“He showed me the video...you know, of that night? I wanted to puke. I almostdidpuke,” I confessed.

He pulled me into a hug and rested his mouth behind my ear. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t think you should have had to see that tape, but he probably felt it was the one thing that would convince you not to keep pushing for your ‘sting’ idea.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.

Seth walked me to the front. “Thanks, Lou, have a good day.” I handed him back my ID badge.

“You too, Emily.”

“You sure you want to go back to school?” Seth asked, fist-bumping Lou to say hello.

“Yeah, I need to focus on something.”

“How are you getting back to school?”

I pulled out my phone. “Vince said he’d wait, even though I told him to leave.” I started to dial, but there was no answer. “It’s fine. I’ll take a cab back.” Seth looked at me. “Okay, I’ll call Erin or something.”

He waved down Johnnie. “I’ll get Johnnie to drive you home.”

“I’d rather it be you.”

He leaned in and gave my hand a little squeeze. “You have no idea.”

My phone buzzed.

 

Vince: I’m here, right outside.

 

“Never mind, I got a ride,” I said as I held it up to show Seth the text message. He rolled his eyes. I knew he’d prefer Johnnie, but I hated to put the guys out if I didn’t have to. Seth pulled me in and kissed me once more. “See you tonight.”

 

***

 

Seth

 

I felt someone come up next to me. “How do you letthatwalk away from you?” Davis said, watching Emily go out the front door.

“It’s not easy.”

“Missed a button.” Davis winked at me.

I elbowed him while I fixed my shirt.

“Can I steal a moment of your time?” Davis asked.

“Sure thing. Just let me make a quick call.” My call ran long, and I saw Davis pace a few feet away. I stepped into Michael’s office to concentrate better.

Afterward, I joined Davis in the conference room. Before I could say anything, he handed me a file.

“Is it not strange to you that that we only know about Jimmy Lasko since 2004? I feel like someone has gone to great lengths to cover his tracks. I ran his fingerprints in two different databases and nothing’s coming up. It’s like he just popped up on the map out of nowhere.”

“Birth certificate?”

“Not that I can find.”

Garrett swung the door open. “I need to show you something now.”

I turned to Davis. “Keep looking, okay? There’s got to be something somewhere.”

“Okay.” Davis sounded dubious.

I turned to Garrett. “What’s up?”

Garrett tossed me his phone; I caught it and slid it open. It was a picture of Emily studying at the library.

 

Unknown Number: Who can get to her first?

 

Garrett flinched. “You think it’s a trick?”

I hurried over to my desk and snatched my keys from my top drawer. “I don’t wanna chance it.” I ran out to the car while I madly called Emily’s phone; it went to voicemail. I texted her.

 

Seth: Call me asap!

 

My phone buzzed. Thank God. But it was only Garrett.

 

Garrett: I tracked her phone. She’s still at the library.

 

I turned a corner, nearly taking out a woman who was crossing the street. I could see the school looming in front of me. So close.I pulled up to the curb, barely putting the car in park. Everyone was staring as I jumped out and raced up the stairs of the library like a bat out of hell.

 

***

 

Emily

 

I hated how the tension at the table was growing. Scott and Vince had been at it ever since we got back from the station. I was hardly in the mood for it. I found it hard to study when they were acting like children.

“What’s your next class?” Vince asked me as he glanced at Scott.

“Law,” Scott answered before I could.

“Yes. Law.”

Vince nodded. “I think she’d have handled that question by herself.” He took the edge out of his voice with a laugh. Scott didn’t look impressed. “Anyway,” he said as he moved the attention back on me, “you want to get a coffee or something?”

I could tell he was bored. I closed my book. “Sure, let’s go.”

Scott stood up. “She—weneed to study.” He looked at me. “Emily, we have a lot to get through before tomorrow.”

“Scott, a coffee isn’t going to take too long, and besides, I could use an upper.” I pulled a twenty from my wallet as we headed toward the stairs.

Vince chuckled. “He’s an interesting fellow.”

I felt like I was in the middle of a National Geographic documentary where the two male lions fought over a female. Onlythisfemale wasn’t interested in either of them. This one felt like rolling over and taking a nap in a warm, grassy meadow.

I smiled at the thought of leisurely walking around. Maybe I would paw at the grass and then flop down and stare up at the clouds as they floated by. My only concern would be the catch of my next meal, and really that wouldn’t be so hard because I had two irritating guys next to me I could sauté up, add a little salt and pepper for taste, and not have to hunt for the next two weeks. Yes, the life of a lioness did sound appealing.

I jolted out of my daydream. There was no line for the coffee cart, which was a first, because this place was great. “Two coffees, please.”

Vince’s phone started to ring. A woman behind a desk peered over her glasses and gave him a dirty look. He quickly answered it. “Wait, what? I can’t hear you. Who did you say this was?” He looked at me and pointed to the door. I nodded.

I balanced the two coffees and started back up the stairs.

“Excuse me, miss, but could you help me?”

I carefully turned and saw an older man two steps below me. He had a cane and wore a button-up sweater. His clothes looked old, and he smelled faintly like mothballs. He had a wide, gummy smile. “I seem to have lost my way, and my eyesight isn’t so good anymore. I’m meeting my daughter at a place called The Duck…or was it The Hen?” He rubbed his chin as he wracked his memory.

“The Goose?” I tried to hold back my smile.

“Ah, yes, that was it. The Goose. Would you be so kind as to point me in the right direction?”

I looked out the door. I couldn’t see Vince. The old man waited patiently for me to answer.

“Yes, I think I could do that.” I put on a smile and rested the coffees on the counter and asked the girl to hold them for me until I got back. I took the old man by the arm and walked him outside. I stopped a few feet from the curb, turned, and pointed. “You see that brick building right next to the green building? It’s right there.”

He squinted and looked over. “Thank you, dear.” He patted my hand. His fingers felt cold.

 

***

 

Seth

 

I whipped through the rows of books and clipped a girl in the shoulder. She fell over as she gripped a table for balance. “I’m sorry,” I yelled over my shoulder. I didn’t have time to stop. “Scott!” I yelled when I spotted him at a nearby table.Finally!

Scott jumped up and looked at me. Everyone around us stared and whispered. “Dude, what the hell? You scared me half to death—”

“Where’s Emily?” I interrupted. I didn’t have time for his feelings right now.

Scott pointed down the stairs. “She and Vince went to get a coffee, like, ten minutes ago.” I looked at her things and then ran. I saw Vince standing by the coffee cart.

“Vince, where’s Emily?” I shouted.

Vince stared at me, confused. “Um, I don’t know. She was here a minute ago.”

The girl from the coffee cart leaned over. “You mean the blonde girl he was with? She just walked out with an old man. He needed directions…”

My heart sank. I charged out the library doors. I looked all around and finally saw her. She was walking with the man toward The Goose.

Shit, baby, no!

I full-out sprinted toward her. “Emily!” I shouted. She was so damn close. She didn’t hear me, so I shouted again, louder.

 

***

 

Emily

 

I slowed my pace when something caught my attention. “What’s wrong, dear?” the old man asked.

“I thought I heard my name.”

He pulled on my arm. “You’re such a sweet girl for walking a poor man to his family.”

I smiled, and we kept our pace. I saw a green car pull in a few yards away from us. The man’s grip got a bit tighter on my arm, and I started to get a strange sensation in my gut.

“Emily!”

Okay, this time I heard it. Something caught the corner of my eye. It was Seth in a full-out sprint toward me. The old man pulled on my hand to keep going.

“Wait!” I said, confused by Seth’s body language and by the old man’s persistence.

His eyes went from old to youthful.

“If you know what’s good for you, my dear, you’ll keep moving.”

I heard his words, but my brain was in stuck in a spin. It was almost as if I knew what was about to happen and my brain just didn’t want to accept it. The old man’s voice was different, and his face was different—what the hell? I stepped back and saw the green car as it rolled toward us. The man’s eyes were locked on mine. “You’re going to anger him, Emily.” His voice was calm, but his words were rushed.

Fear instantly replaced the calm as my free hand flew over my mouth.

The man looked at Seth, who was pretty close now, and then back at me. He was trying to decide what to do. I saw a glimpse of panic as he lunged for my arm and started to drag me toward the car.

My braver side screamed at me to fight, but it took me a moment to let the scenario kick in. Then I twisted my body and elbowed the man in the face. I was actually aiming for his chest, but who the hell cared? The sound of squealing tires told me I’d scared off his help.

The son of a bitch stepped back and let me go. He cursed as his hand covered his bloody cheek. A second later, Seth slammed him to the ground, football-style. Seth was punching the man’s face. By about the fifth blow, I began to realize he wasn’t going to stop.Shit.

“Seth!” I screamed to get his attention. “Stop! We need him alive!”

Seth’s fist stopped midair. His breaths were heavy and his chest was heaving rapidly. His face was that of a man about to commit murder. The man’s limp body didn’t move as Seth hovered over him, and I could tell he was in a debate whether or not to continue. Seth took a good look at the guy and realized he wasn’t Lasko. Who the hellwasthis man?

Garrett and Davis caught my eye as they ran toward us. Their mouths moved as if they were shouting something at Seth. Everything had turned into a slow-motion, silent film. My ears started to ring. Everything tilted slightly as I gradually slumped to the ground.

Seth’s face was in mine. He said something, but I couldn’t hear him. He seemed scared, even panicked. Perhaps I should have been too, but instead I was calm, relaxed, and totally content with staying right where I was. The blue sky was beautiful. Then everything turned black.

 

***

 

Seth

 

I leaned over Emily to check her pulse with shaky hands.What the fuck?I couldn’t believe how close that had been.

Garrett handcuffed the man as Davis pointed a 40mm at his skull. “Is she all right?” Garrett shouted over the man’s groans.

“She fainted.” I picked her up, cradling her against me. A small crowd had begun to form. “Let’s get out of here.”

The Channel Six news team was already in a hustle to get out of their white van, scrambling to get the latest story. Davis used his body to shield me as I slipped Emily into the squad car. Garrett made sure the camera got a good shot of the man’s face, hoping Lasko was watching. As I left Emily with Davis, I roughly pushed the old man into the back of Davis’s car and slammed the door. An EMT was on the way.

“Officer, what can you tell me about what happened here today?”

“Not now, Lilly,” Garrett warned the ever-so-pushy news reporter.

“I heard this girl was being forced into a car, and this man was going to rape her. Can you confirm this is true?”

Garrett had to stop me; I was ready to tear a strip off Lilly. I pushed the microphone down away from her mouth. She watched as I leaned in close to her ear. “Of all the stories you report, Lilly, this is the one you’ll need to watch yourself on.” She swallowed hard as she met Garrett’s angry eyes and my haunted face.

“Got it,” she answered with a nervous nod.

Garrett stepped forward and pulled her hand back up and put the mic to his mouth. “The only information we have is that a man tried to attack a young female, but with the help of the quick-acting University Security Team and the OPD, we were able to catch him before any harm was done.”

I smiled briefly at Garrett. He knew the university would be happy with the shout out to them, even though they had been nowhere to be found during the whole ordeal.

Lilly then turned to her camera guy, who moved his attention to her. “A scary moment here at Orange University. Just goes to show you monsters don’t only come out at night. Reporting live in Orange, I’m Lilly During with Channel Six News. Back to you, Steve.”

 

***

 

Lasko

 

I lifted my finger, raised the needle, and gently rested it in on the black spinning vinyl. Tchaikovsky flooded the small dining room as I went over the inventory laid out in front of me. Adler was in the corner, sitting perfectly still, with his eyes fixed on his master.Divine.

I ran my fingers along the smooth blade, grasped the handle, and picked it up for a better inspection. I saw my reflection in the blade.

Suddenly I flashed back to where I sat in the hall closet with my hands over my ears when I was seven. My father was beating my mother with a belt.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Jimmy,” she said from the shadow of the closet. “Let me take the pain away.”

My phone buzzed and brought me back to the present with a jolt. I wiped the bead of sweat from my upper lip and mumbled, “What?”

“Are you fucking crazy? Do you have any idea what has happened?” the voice screamed at me from the other end of the line.Fuck off.

I rolled my eyes. I did not need this shit right now. “Must you scream? My head is killing me.”

“Must I?” There was a pause. “Yes, I fucking must! You and your dumbass ideas are going to give me a fucking heart attack! Fuck!”

“Okay,” I sighed, preparing myself for yet again another lecture. “What did I do now?”

“Hank got caught and is now in police custody.”

My entire body went on high alert.Oh fuck!

“Ohhh, Jimmy, you better have been fucking right when you said you could trust him. Why on earth would you send a second man in when you can do the job yourself? It’s not like this is the first time, but I can fucking promise you this—it’s gonna be the last.” The line went dead.

I stood and stared at the table. Suddenly, I turned and whipped the knife full force at the wall.

I started to dig through my pile of shit on the coffee table. I knew it was here somewhere! I tugged it free and read out loud Hank’s home address. That fucker better keep his mouth closed.

 

***

 

Emily

 

I could hear Seth’s voice, but it sounded far away. “She’s been out a long time.”

“Huh?” A bright light flashed in one of my eyes, then the other. Voices started to flood my ears and bring me back.

“It’s her body’s way of coping with a traumatic situation,” a stranger’s voice said. “She has been through a great deal of stress these past few weeks.”

I tried to tune them out, to fight my way back to where everything was nice and calm.

“Seth,” I whispered as I wandered through the darkness. Every room looked the same, every window was painted black. It was just so quiet.

I felt warm lips brush over my hand. “I’m here, baby.” His soft voice made my eyes flutter open. “Hey.” He brushed a piece of hair off my face. “There’s my girl.”

“Where am I?” My eyes met a stranger’s face and then Garrett’s. “What happened?” I tried to sit up, but everyone shot forward at once, which made me curl back onto the couch.

“Take a minute, Emily,” the stranger said. I could see my reflection in his large, oval glasses. He must have caught my puzzled face. “I’m an EMT and a friend of the sergeant’s. He asked me to come in and check on you.”

I nodded slowly.

“Emily, can you tell us what happened?” Detective Michaels asked as he pulled up a chair and took a seat.

I sighed, then swung my feet to the floor. My body felt like lead, but I forced myself upright. Seth moved swiftly to my side and wrapped his arm around me. I leaned my head into his neck and sought his comfort.

“Umm, yeah, I think.” I rubbed my face and tried to answer Michaels’s question. “I was at the library with Scott and Vince.” I quickly looked at Seth. “Is Vince all right?”

“Yes.” He stroked my back. “He’s at the house.”

“Okay.” I sighed then and gave them a play-by-play of what had happened. Michaels interrupted a few times and asked me to repeat parts to make sure I was clear on my timeline. I was shocked to hear that Garrett had received a text from Lasko about me. The fact that Lasko had been in the library as he took a picture of me gave me the chills. I ran my frustration through my hair and used my fingers to soothe my scalp. “And who was that old man? It wasn’t Lasko! Are there two psychopaths out there?”

“We don’t know yet, but he’s being questioned. Hopefully we’ll have answers soon.”

“Why me?” I whispered. I knew there was no answer yet. Maybe never.

“He’s fallen for you,” Michaels said.

“No, he’s not in love with me.” My voice was laced with disgust. “That’s not love.”

Michaels leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs. “You’re right. Jimmy Lasko is a psychopath. He is incapable of loving anyone properly. However, I think he truly believes he’s in love with you, and that you belong to him.”

I blanched.

“We will get him.”

“But why does he play games? Why not just take me? He’s had endless opportunities.”

Michaels shook his head. “It’s not so much that he can take you anywhere or at any time. It’s that heknowshe can. It’s the messing with your head. He makes you fear him. He never lets you know what’s waiting around the next corner, and that is what he enjoys. It’s the control, the upper hand, the thrill of the hunt.”

“Hunt.” The word rolled off my tongue. I let it dangle in the air for a moment.To be chased, to be pursued with force and hostility for the purpose of being caught and/or killed. Great...

Seth stiffened next to me. I coughed and swallowed. Deciding to clear the charged atmosphere in the room, I declared, “Then we need to know who that old man is!”

Minutes later, Garrett handed Seth a file. He opened it on the table in front of me. “Hank Wallace, age thirty-five, lives in Culver City with a wife and three kids.” I stared up at him blankly. The picture of the man looked nothing like the old man who had approached me. Seth seemed to be reading my mind.

“It’s amazing what people can do with prosthetic makeup.”

“Is he saying anything yet?”

“No, not yet. But he will.” Seth’s voice sent shivers up my spine.

My phone started to ring in my purse, and I reached for it.Oh, come on!I didn’t have the energy for this, but... “Excuse me,” I said as I rose to my feet. At least I wasn’t as dizzy. I opened the door and slipped out. I left the guys in Michaels’s office and found a quiet corner, then answered the persistent ring.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Emily, dear, am I catching you at a bad time?”

Always.

“No, Mother. How are you?” My voice was flat, no emotion. This was what she brought out in me, and I hated it.

“It’s rude, dear, to let the phone ring for that long if you intend to answer it.” Only my mother could find a way to scold me on how many rings I let go before I answered. I wondered if near-kidnapping victims got cut any slack. Probably not.

“Mom, it’s been six weeks since I’ve heard from you. Is this really how you’re going to start the conversation?” I was tempted to ‘drop the call,’ but I knew she’d call back and have even more of a mouthful to say.

She sighed heavily into the phone. “I wanted to know if you called the real estate agent. I emailed you her information last week.”

Really?I’d been a little busy.

“No, because I’m not selling our house, Mother.” I was in no mood for this conversation right now.

“You’re impossible, Emily!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to calm my nerves. “The house is mine, Mother. Dad left it for me. You haven’t lived in that house for the past seven years. When you did live there, you were barely home. I understand it isn’t such a big deal for you to see it go, but itisfor me, Mother!”

There was silence. I leaned my back to the wall. Shit.

“You need to stop living in the past, grow up, and realize he’s not coming back. You don’t need the constant reminder of him. You need to move on!” Her words lashed out at me and struck me the way they always did.

“What are you talking about? My house is a reminder to me of family and warmth. But that’s something you wouldn’t understand because you were never really involved in the family,” I said in a low voice. I felt like the burden I was to her. Never good enough, never enough for her.

“Emily, don’t be dramatic. You know that’s not what I meant. Just a moment…” I heard someone ask her a question. Her chin must have been over the phone, since it sounded muffled. “Emily, I need to go. I’ll call you when I can.”

The line went dead. No “good bye.” No “I love you.” Just silence. I breathed in deeply, pushed my feelings into the Mom Encounters box, and slammed it shut.

“Everything all right?” I turned to find Avery leaned against the wall. He looked good in his uniform.

I shrugged. “Yeah, all things considered.”

He scrunched up his nose like he was in thought. “Heard you elbowed the guy in the face.” He smiled slightly. “Bad ass, McPhee.”

“Was aiming for his chest.”

He laughed, which made me smile. He put his hand on my shoulder as he walked by me. “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, me too. Avery?”

He turned. “Yes?”

“Do you think I could have handled the sting operation? You know, been able to face Lasko by myself?”

He folded his arms. “Yes, I do, but I understand that they’re nervous about putting you out there. It’s a big risk, and Lasko’s smart. We’ll get him.” His name was paged over the PA. “Stay safe, McPhee.”

“Thanks, Avery, you too.” I watched him walk down the hallway.

“Always.”

“That’s my line!”

He turned and winked at me.

I made my way back to Michaels’s office just as Seth came around the corner. “Hey, baby,” he said as he tried to read my face. I held up my phone. “Mom.”

“Jenny always has such impeccable timing.” Seth closed his eyes briefly as he stepped forward and hugged me. “Sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s fine, nothing new.”

“It’s okay not to be okay.”

“Yeah.” I sighed and hugged him a little tighter.

He kissed my hair. “Come on, we’ve ordered dinner, and you need to eat something.”

 

***

 

Seth

 

I set Emily up with some dinner and asked Johnnie to watch over her. Then I went to find Garrett and Michaels. I stepped into the room with the two-way mirror and watched as Michaels sat across from Hank Wallace.

“Anything?”

“He’s asking to see her,” Garrett said with disgust.

“What?”

“He says he only wants to talk to her.”

“No! No.” I felt sick. There was no way I was putting Emily through that. I ran my finger along my tie. It felt like it was strangling me.I don’t like any of this.

As I moved closer to the window, I watched as Wallace sat perfectly still and listened to Michaels go over his personal file. His face never showed any emotion. Jesus, did the man even blink? Suddenly, Wallace’s eyes shifted and made direct contact with mine.Jesus!My heart leapt to my throat and a bead of sweat broke out over the back of my neck, even though I knew Wallace couldn’t really see me. It was like he could sense me.

“Holy shit,” Garrett yelped, jumping back.

“You hear me?” Michaels said, forcing Wallace’s attention back to him.

“I do, but I will not talk until I see the girl.” Michaels quickly stood up, collected his files, and headed for the door. Wallace entwined his fingers together on his lap, sat up very straight, and stared at the wall.

Michaels shook his head at me as he entered the room. “He won’t crack, he’s too stubborn. But this is a huge break for us. I…” He paused. “I think we should at least see if Emily would be open to the idea—”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” I snapped and took a step toward him. “Absolutely not! No way.” Garrett jumped in front of me to shield Michaels from the anger that boiled off me.

“I’ll let that one slide, Connors,” Michaels warned, “but you need to see that this could be our first break.”

I knew he was right and turned toward the wall. “Fuck!” I slammed my fist into the filing cabinet.

 

***

 

Emily

 

I dipped a piece of bread into my soup. It tasted good, and my stomach seemed to respond well to it.

“I’ve always wanted to do that.” Johnnie shoveled a spoonful of potatoes in his mouth. “My sisters tried it before, but I couldn’t get the time off work to join them.”

“Well, the next time we go out, you should come.”

“Em?” I turned toward Seth’s voice. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

He led me by the hand along a hallway, down the stairs, and through two doors.

“Just know I’m dead set against this,” he muttered as he pushed open the door and held it for me.

I cautiously stepped inside. Michaels and Garrett were deep in conversation. They looked as unhappy as Seth did.

“Um, hi?” I said and stepped closer to Seth as I felt the vibe. He squeezed my hand. “Oh.” I sucked in a breath when I saw the man I assumed was Hank Wallace at a steel table on the other side of a window. His face looked badly bruised. He sported a few bandages and a small stitch was laid over his left eye and his nose. My fingers hooked over the lip of the windowsill as I pushed my shaky legs into the wall to steady myself. “He looks so…normal.”

Michaels’s refection came into the window behind me. “They usually do.” He sighed. “He only wants to talk to you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” I felt the ground shift beneath me.

“It’s really our only way of knowing how much he knows about Lasko. I know this is a lot to ask, but—”

“I’ll do it.” The words shot off my tongue so fast I barely thought I said them.

“We need to go over a few things first.”

“No, we do it now or not at all.” I couldn’t allow myself to think about what I was about to do, or I wouldn’t be able to do it.

“Fine,” Michaels agreed. “Just don’t divulge any personal information, don’t let him be in arm’s reach of you, and try not to show you’re scared. He will play on your weakness.”

I turned to Garrett as Michaels slipped out of the room. “I need some ice.”

“Ice?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay.” He looked at me funny but reappeared a moment later holding a Ziploc bag full of crushed ice. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I turned to Seth, reached for his swollen hand, and handed him the ice. “Thanks for being there. I’ll be all right.” I smiled at him. “I need to do this.”

“I know.” He shook his head, and I knew he was nervous. “But I’m not happy about it.”

Michaels returned. “Okay, he’s ready.”

“We’re right here, baby,” Seth said quietly as he opened the door for me.

“Okay.” As I followed Michaels out of the room, I felt like I had slipped into a robotic state.

Michaels stopped outside the room. I could tell he was uncomfortable with this too. “Remember, no weakness, he can’t hurt you, and head up.” He gave me a confident look. “I’ll be right here with you the whole time. Ready whenever you are.”

I sighed as I pushed the anxiety aside. I wanted to prove to myself I could do this, stare fear in the face. It wasn’t like it was Lasko on the other side of this door. He opened the door, and I followed.

“Wallace.” Michaels’s tone caught me off guard. It was tight and sharp. “You wanted to see Ms. McPhee. Well, here she is.” I stepped out from behind Michaels to meet a set of cold, sharp eyes.

“Hello, Emily.” His voice was formal. “Please, join me.” He motioned at the chair across the table. I reached for the seat and pulled it back. “Forgive my manners. I’d stand, but...” He shook the ankle chains that Michaels must have applied earlier. “I’m a little tied up.” I stared blankly at him. I didn’t want to humor his pathetic attempt at a joke. I was thankful they had chained his ankles and wrists to the table.

He tilted his head a little. “My, you really are a pretty little thing, aren’t you?” He smiled. “I can see why he chose you.” My adrenaline felt like it was corroding my insides. “Your skin is flawless. I bet it feels like cool silk on a hot summer night.”

Yuck.

He squinted at me, studying my face. “Tell me, Emily, what are you thinking right now?”

I held his gaze and hoped my voice would come out strong. “I’m thinking this is all a bit ‘it rubs the lotion on its skin, or it gets the hose again.’”

He burst out in a belly laugh. “Oh my, you are a funny one.” I didn’t move, just stayed perfectly still. Once he contained his laughter, he slipped back into his somber look. “I like you.”

“Wish I could say the same.”

“Pity, I think we could have had a lot of fun together.”

We’re not friends, here.

“Why did you want to see me, Wallace?”

“I wanted to see what Jimmy sees in you.”

I raised a brow and waited for him to continue. His face twisted into a wicked smile. My subconscious ran screaming out of the room, but I held his gaze. I needed to do this.

“If I had to guess, aside from the beauty, it would be your personality. You lost your father when you were young, and your mother is always away.”

My stomach slammed into my lap. How the hell did he know that? It made my scalp crawl to listen to him talk about me like he knew me. “This in turn has made you strong, made you into a fighter. Jimmy loves a challenge, and you have been his greatest one yet.” He stared at me and tried to read me again.

“What’s your part in all of this?”

He shrugged. “Let’s just say Jimmy and I have been friends for a long time.”

“Friends?” I practically laughed. “Interesting choice of friends you have.”

His nose scrunched up, and I heard the chains clink together. I must have struck a nerve.Interesting.I decided to push a little. “I’m guessing you must have been a loner. The one everyone takes pity on.” His jaw twitched slightly. I continued, as I felt bold. “You were the geek who wore the bottle-thick glasses, braces with the head gear.”

“Enough!” He pounded his fists into the table. I somehow stopped the flinch that shot up my spine. My braver side high-fived me. I had gotten to him. “You don’t know me!”

“Perhaps not, but I do know you work for a monster who stalks me for some twisted game.” I leaned forward on the table; I felt much braver now. “I want to know why. I want to know how I can stop him.”

A mask fell over his face. He rested his elbows on the table and entwined all but two of his fingers. He pushed his index fingers together and rested them on his lips while he studied me. His cold eyes held mine for a long time. I managed not to squirm. Then the smirk came.

“What’s in it for me?” He tilted his head. “If I give up this crucial part of the story, what do I get?”

Oh God, I knew what he wanted from me, and I felt bile creep into my throat. I took a moment to glance at the two-way mirror and let Seth know it was all right. “You’re the one with the info. You tell me what you want.”

“Let me touch your skin.” His words came out like a snake flicking its tongue, testing out the air to see if there was a possibility of lunch.

I could practically hear Seth as he clawed through the mirror. I imagined Garrett would have to restrain him. I mustered up all of my willpower. “Okay.” I swallowed loudly. “Information for a five second touch on my arm.”

“Five second touch,thenthe information.”

I waited for a second. “Fine.” There was no way to trust him, but what choice did I have? A small hiss came from Michaels, but I shook my head at him.

“Stand, over here,” he commanded. I obeyed in hope he’d grant me some extra information. My knees shook and my hands went cold. His eyes lit up as he leaned over carefully, taking his time to savor the moment. His cold, clammy fingers started at the base of my wrist and crawled upward.

“One…two…three…” I spat the words out, as I was having an out-of-body experience. His eyes shut as his body went stiff. I could almost hear him shiver with excitement. His hand reached just above my shoulder as I finished the count, “…four…five.”

I quickly stepped back out of his reach. Wallace put his hand to his nose and sniffed dramatically. His tongue darted out and licked his fingers one by one.

“Mmmmm,” he moaned. “Better than I imagined, just like your panties.”

I stopped mid-step. Holy shit, this man had been in my room! I gave myself a mental pep talk so as not to show how much that shocked me. I sat back down and folded my arms, this time mostly to stop the shakes. “Info now.”

“Of course, Emily, a deal is a deal.” He sat up straight. “You’ll never catch Lasko. He’s too clever. You’re not the first woman he’s fallen for or stalked. I think you’ll be number three.” I shot a look at Michaels, who kept his expressionless demeanor. “But you’re different.” He rubbed his chin. “There’s something about you that is bigger than the rest. The way he talks about you, the way he follows you around, makes me think you may be his last. He may just keep you all to himself.”

“What did he do to them?” I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to know my potential fate.

“Hmm.” A smirk ran along his battered lips. “He plays with them, re-enacts weird scenarios. I’m not exactly sure why.” He shrugged. “But when he’s bored, he disposes of them. I don’t think he’ll kill you, though. I think he’ll keep you. Make you his forever.”

“I’ll never be his,” I snapped. “Where does he live?”

“A small place just outside of Oceanside.”

“Could you be a little more specific?”

Then something strange happened, a sudden change in expression, like a lightbulb went off in his head. He seemed almost excited. His head jerked back. “You look rather like her!”

“What? Who?” I needed to know what was going on in his crazy, fucked-up head.

“We’re done now.” He dismissed me with a flick of his hand.

“The hell we are.”

“Yes. We are.” His tone was ice.

I stood; I knew we were done. As I walked toward the door, I noticed his handcuffs had slipped down, giving me a good look at his wrist. I saw the snake tattoo wrapped around it. I sucked in a deep breath as the memory came flooding back to me. “You son of a bitch,” I snarled, clenching my fists together. “You were there that night at the campus bar. You gave me your number.” My words lashed out at him in disbelief. “How long have you been following me?”

His eyes shifted to mine. The corners of his mouth raised. Then his expression changed tooffmode. Wallace wasn’t there anymore.

Michaels basically had to drag me out of there. Seth waited on the other side of the door. The moment he saw me, he crushed me into him. “Are you okay?” I nodded as I buried my face in his neck. “You shouldn’t have gone in there. I’m sorry.”

I pulled away momentarily. “No, I’m glad I did it. I’m proud of myself. We know a little more now. Seth, there’ve been two other girls. Maybe we can find out who they are…were…and give closure to their families.”

“That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” I could tell he was baffled.

“No—well, yes, but my point is that we know a little more about Lasko. Did you see his face at the end? Something clicked for him. He remembered something. Who’s ‘her?’ Who do I look like?

“Hold on there, babe, take a breather.” He led me back into Detective Michaels’s office, then sat me down on the couch and took a seat on the table to face me.

“Look, you did great, I couldn’t be more proud of you. But when you sit back and think about what you just did, it might hit you hard.”

I went to say something, but I stopped myself. He was right. I was on a pretty good adrenaline high.

“Right now, you need to go home. I’m going to get Riggs to stay with you until I get there.”

“Yeah, okay.” I saw there was no reason to fight it. Exhaustion slowly creeped in. Plus I wanted to check on Vince.

He stood as he offered me a hand. “Come on, baby.”

 

***

 

Seth

 

I rewound the tape and leaned back in the chair with my legs propped up on the desk. I rubbed my eyes and checked the time with blurred vision. Tired didn’t describe how I felt. My shift had ended an hour ago. Riggs had texted me twice to let me know Emily was fine. I was worried about her, but right now I needed to focus on the interview tapes.

“Crazy to think he was at the bar when you all were there.” Michaels took a seat next to me. “Makes you wonder how long he and Lasko have been walking in and out of her life.” I stayed quiet. The idea of it was unnerving to me as well. “Anyway,” Michaels must have sensed my mood, “you got anything?”

“I come with coffee,” Garrett stated as he held up two trays of black coffee. He tossed some creamers and sugars next to Matthews, who had joined us.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I ripped open the small square packet of sugar. “Okay, well.” I stirred my coffee and pressed a button on the keyboard. The camera was zoomed in on Wallace’s face. “See here, when Emily says the quote fromSilence of the Lambs. Watch his face.” The corners of Wallace’s mouth rose slightly and his cheeks pushed up. “When you lie, you leak out a micro-expression at a fifth of a second. He’s happy about her reference to Buffalo Bill.”

“Sick son of a bitch,” Garrett hissed.

“My thoughts exactly.” I sighed. “Okay, then here.” I fast forwarded a little to where Emily had nearly laughed about his choice of friends. “See, he scorns her.” Wallace’s face scrunched. “He’s mad, it’s a scorn micro-expression.”

I started the tape again and hoped they followed. “Then here, when he says Lasko has a place outside of Oceanside, watch.” Garrett moved in for a better look. “He’s lying,” I proclaimed.

“But he doesn’t break eye contact,” Garrett said, confused.

“That’s a myth,” Michaels chimed in.

“That’s right,” I agreed and took a quick sip of my coffee. “People tend to look off to the side when they’re trying to remember something. But here, his eyes don’t shift. He’s lying. I don’t believe Lasko has a place just outside of Oceanside.”

I fast forwarded some more. “Then this…look. You see that? His eyebrows come together and his neck muscles flex.” I tapped the screen with my finger. “Sadness.”

“So you’re saying that Wallace possibly remembered something about Lasko’s past? Something sad?” Garrett asked.

“Yes.” I leaned forward. “I think Wallace knows a lot more than he’s letting on. I think Emily triggered a memory for him, and it’s vital that we know what it is.”

An hour later I slipped my laptop into my bag and chucked my drained coffee cup into the trash.

“Connors,” Johnnie called out as he came up to me. “Heard you just dissected Wallace’s interview. Nice job, man.”

“Thanks.” I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to relieve the tension.

“How did you learn how to do that?”

I set my bag down on top of my desk. “I took a course in body language and found out I was pretty good at it.” I shrugged. “Drives Emily nuts.”

“I’d say.” Johnnie laughed. “Well, look, I know it’s short notice, but me and the guys have decided on an impromptu trip to my uncle’s campground in Big Bear. You, McPhee, and O’Brian should come. We leave tomorrow night and plan to come back Sunday afternoon. Just to get a break from all of this shit.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Okay, run it by the missus and let me know. I’ll text you the address.” Johnnie grabbed his bag off a nearby table. “See you tomorrow.”