Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) (12 page)

“So, you’re taking her to a spa?”

Finn was confused. Mandy had been adamant when she called that morning. So now, inside the stairwell at Hardy Brothers Security, he was still unsure. He was also resigned to the fact that Mandy was going to get her way. Again.

“We’re all going to the spa,” Mandy replied. “Sophie, me, Ally, and Emma. It’s going to be a whole girl’s day. It will be fun. I promise.”

“James is letting you go out on a girl’s day,” Finn asked. “Forgive me if I find that unlikely. He’s glued to you these days, honey. I don’t think he’s ready to let you out of his sight.”

“Ah, see, that’s where you’re wrong,” Mandy said, smiling playfully. “I brought up the idea to him last night and we came to an agreement.”

“Was he strapped to the bed without any chance of escape when this happened?”

“That’s neither here nor there,” Mandy said, pushing her lips out into a pout. “He ultimately agreed. That’s the important thing. That’s all that matters.”

“And what is the agreement?” Finn pressed. He couldn’t wait to hear this.

“He gets to drop us off and pick us up,” Mandy said.

“That’s it?”

“And I have to text him once an hour to let him know we’re all safe,” Mandy added.

“Hmm, I’m surprised he agreed to that,” Finn said. “He’s been a little
needy
lately.”

“I don’t look at it as needy,” Mandy said. “He’s just trying to regain his footing. Cut him some slack.”

“Hey, I understand what he’s going through,” Finn said. “I feel the same way, quite frankly. I’m scared to let Emma out of my sight.”

“The spa is perfectly safe,” Mandy said. “The only thing she’s in danger of there is feeling like a pampered princess.”

Finn shifted. “You know, when you called and invited her this morning, she told me she’s never been to a spa,” Finn said. “She was really excited. I mean
really
excited. I don’t suppose … I mean … could you make sure she has a good time?”

“Everyone is going to have a good time,” Mandy said, her voice firm. “Do you really think I would take her to a spa and not make sure she has a good time? Does that even sound remotely like me?”

“I know she’s worried about money,” Finn said, reaching into his back pocket so he could retrieve his wallet. “If there’s anything she wants that she can’t afford … if there’s anything you think she should try … .”

Mandy smiled, patting Finn reassuringly on the arm. “That’s already taken care of.”

Finn cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. “How?”

“I negotiated your brother’s credit card last night, too.”

“He’s paying for this whole extravaganza?”

“He’s excited about it.”

“You must be a witch or something,” Finn said, smiling at Mandy and shaking his head. He glanced up the staircase when he heard a noise on the second floor, catching sight of his brother descending. “You’re paying for all this?”

James looked happy, even relaxed, like the thought of spending hundreds of dollars so four women could drink cucumber water and get rubbed by other men didn’t bother him in the slightest. “It’s a gift.”

“For what?” Finn pressed.

James smacked Mandy’s rear playfully as he slipped by. “Being the best boss ever.”

All of the color drained from Finn’s face. “Seriously. You guys need help.”

EMMA’S
absence for the entire day gave Finn options. Unfortunately, the option he decided to seek was one he wasn’t sure he should follow.

Finn parked his Escalade at Jackson State Prison an hour after he said goodbye to Emma – admonishing her to have a good time and try to relax. He’d known – even then – what he was going to do. He couldn’t find the words to tell her, though.

Finn showed his identification to the secretary in the bubble at the prison. She made a few calls – muttering words Finn couldn’t make out – and then motioned for him to come forward.

“Even though it’s short notice, the warden says that he’s willing to let you in,” she said. “He understands the nature of what’s going on, and he agrees that it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you go down that hallway and turn to the right, there’s a security station to go through. Once you’re done, Lance Pritchard will be waiting for you in one of the interview rooms.”

Finn thanked the woman and started moving down the hallway. He was about to come face-to-face with a notorious child molester – although that wasn’t what he wanted to talk to the man about. Not really. No, he wanted to talk to him about his daughter – and the broken heart and crushed spirit he’d left in his terrible wake.

Once he got through security, Finn waited on one side of the metal table in the small interview room. The security guards had warned him that, while Pritchard had never been violent toward other inmates or prison personnel, Finn was to keep his hands on the table at all times and not get close enough to give Pritchard any leverage.

This wasn’t his first time visiting a prison, so Finn was familiar with the rules. Still, when he heard the door open, his body stiffened in anticipation.

Lance Pritchard wasn’t what Finn expected. He wasn’t a big, beefy guy with malicious eyes and an evil sneer. He was just a regular, ordinary guy. He was in his mid-fifties – although prison life seemed to make him appear older. He was clad in a black-and-white striped jumper, his thinning gray hair slicked away from his face. His shoes were simple, rubber clogs, no laces, nothing that could be misconstrued as a weapon. And his hands? They were shackled in front of him, with chains leading to locking mechanisms at the edges of his waist.

The guard secured Pritchard in his seat, unlocking the chains from his waist and fastening them to the loops on top of the table, and then left.

Once it was just the two of them, Pritchard fixed Finn with a predatory look. “Let me guess, you’re someone who believes I’ve somehow wronged him and you want to come and tell me off?”

Finn frowned. Pritchard obviously believed he was one of his victims. “Not quite.”

“Really? You look like my type.”

If Pritchard was trying to knock Finn off his game – it wasn’t going to work. Finn was antsy, slightly nervous, but it wasn’t because of Pritchard. It was because he was going behind Emma’s back.

“Thankfully, I’ve never met you before,” Finn said, leaning back in his chair.

“Then why are you here? Are you a reporter? I’ve been waiting for a reporter to come and talk to me so I can be on one of those
Dateline
things. I think I would be awesome in one of those. I want to get the
real
story out there.”

“I’m not a reporter,” Finn said. “Although, I do happen to know one. I’ll pass along your request.”

“If you’re not one of my boys, and you’re not a reporter, who are you?” Pritchard asked, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Are you a cop? Are you here to try and pin another crime on me?”

“I’m not a cop,” Finn said. “I do happen to work with a security company, though.”

“Huh. And what does that have to do with me?”

“Well, about two weeks ago, I was at the boat show in St. Clair Shores,” Finn said. “I happened to intervene when a man tried to throw acid on a young model.”

Pritchard was listening – but just barely. “I can’t figure out how this has anything to do with me.”

“The model who was attacked was local,” Finn said, keeping his tone even. “Her name was Emma Pritchard.”

When he had decided on this plan of action, Finn thought the best way to get answers out of Pritchard was to pretend he wasn’t emotionally involved with his daughter. That’s why Finn was purposely playing it cool, like he was just an investigator trying to get insight on a case, and not the man who was fighting tooth and nail to make Emma feel safe.

Pritchard’s eyes brightened. “Emma? My Emma?”

Not your Emma, Finn growled internally.
She’s my Emma.
“Emma Pritchard is your daughter, is she not?”

“She is,” Pritchard said. “Not that you’d know it now, of course. Once I got arrested she pretended she didn’t know me, that I was some sort of monster. That’s not the girl I raised. I figure the cops got to her and intimidated her. They’re all a bunch of jackasses.”

“She’s never been to visit you?”

“Not once.”

“What about your wife?”

“Ex-wife,” Pritchard stressed. “I have no idea where that bitch is. Good riddance to her.”

“I was under the impression that Mrs. Pritchard just took off one day after your arrest but before you went to trial,” Finn said. “How did you manage to secure a divorce from inside?”

“She sent the paperwork,” Pritchard said. “She agreed to put a hundred bucks in my commissary account if I agreed to sign the papers. It’s not like I wanted to stay married to the bitch. She never did anything for me.”

“And your son? Has he ever visited you?”

“Last time I heard, that little punk was doing a nickel out in Lenox Township,” Pritchard said. “He got low security, the lucky bastard. It’s too bad. I would have liked to spend some
quality
time with my boy again in here.”

Finn fought the urge to roll his eyes. “And your daughter hasn’t been out here to see you? Not even once.”

“I already told you no.”

“Has she ever written you?”

“No,” Pritchard said, shaking his head. “What is this about?”

“Well, sir, the working theory on the current case is that the man who attacked Ms. Pritchard was one of your victims,” Finn explained.

“Alleged victims,” Pritchard said.

“You’ve been convicted, sir,” Finn said. “There’s nothing alleged about it.”

“Except that I was innocent,” Pritchard countered. “I was railroaded by the cops.”

“I’m sure you were,” Finn said, keeping his voice stiff. “I don’t suppose you can remember if any of your
alleged
victims also dabbled in chemistry, can you?”

Pritchard balked. “Chemistry? Like mixing chemicals and stuff?”

“That would be chemistry, yes.”

Pritchard was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “I honestly can’t. What makes you so sure that whoever is attacking Emma has something to do with me?”

“You have another idea?” Finn asked.

“Maybe she just pissed someone off,” Pritchard suggested. “She always was a crafty little minx. She had all the boys in the neighborhood sniffing around after her – and she pulled all their strings whenever she could, like they were marionettes.”

Finn knew that was a lie, but he didn’t reach across the table and punch Pritchard in the mouth for uttering it. That would give him a way.

“So, you think it could have been one of these high-school boys?” Finn asked.

Pritchard shrugged. “Who knows? She’s had a way of affecting men ever since she grew boobs.” He was quiet for a second. “Have you seen her? My Emma, I mean. Have you seen her?”

“We had a brief interview when she retained our services,” Finn lied.

“How does she look?”

“She looked healthy, sir.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Pritchard scoffed. “I mean, how does she look? Is she still hot?”

Finn’s skin started to crawl. “She’s an attractive woman, sir.”

Pritchard’s eyebrows ratcheted up. “Attractive? Son, that girl is pure sexual nirvana. If you haven’t had a chance to see her naked, I totally suggest you give her a shot. You’ll never see a better set of boobs in your life. I can guarantee you that. They’re all natural, too, you can give them a hard squeeze and there’s no silicone in there fighting you.”

Finn’s blood ran cold.

“She’ll put up a fight at first,” Pritchard continued. “She always acted like she didn’t want it. After a few minutes, though, she’ll stop fighting you and just lay there. You can pretty much get her to do anything you want when she gives up. That’s how I liked her – dead inside.”

Finn was going to be sick.

“Make sure you give her hair a good yank,” Prichard added. “If you hurt her enough, she’ll cry. It’s a lot more fun when she cries. It’s even better if you can get her to scream. She’s got quite the set of lungs on her”

Finn’s hands were clenched at his sides, and it was taking everything he had not to beat Pritchard to within an inch of his life. “I thought all of your victims were males.”

“It’s true, I am fonder of the male … form,” Pritchard said, an evil smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I made a special exception for my daughter, though. Someone had to teach her the basics of fulfilling a man. Lord knows no one ever taught her mother, and I was the one who had to suffer through her ineptitude. It’s really her fault all of this happened. I decided that Emma had to know from an early age, and I trained her to meet my needs, you know, to make sure she knew what she was doing.”

Finn’s heart was hammering so loudly all he could hear was blood rushing past his ears.

Pritchard, on the other hand, was clearly relishing his walk down memory lane. “You’ve got to get them when they’re young, son,” he said. “That’s when you can break them in and mold them to what you want. I bet Emma is molded really well now. I’m just sorry I don’t get a chance to break that mold.”