James admired Peter’s cold demeanor. There was something about the man that awed him at times.
“Fine,” Lupo spat. “What do you want to know?”
Peter glanced at James, encouraging him to take over the questioning.
“How long did the four of you stick together after you escaped?” James asked.
“Two hours.” Lupo was petulant, but resigned.
“Why did you split up?”
“We figured we were too obvious if we stuck together,” Lupo replied. “Plus, well, I hate those dudes. They’re assholes.”
James fought the mad urge to laugh. “How long were you planning your break?”
“We didn’t plan it,” Lupo answered. “DeAngelo jumped the guard before I even realized what was happening. I decided to help because I thought it was my only chance to get out.”
“You know that guard died, right?”
“I don’t care,” Lupo said. “He was an asshole, too.”
James scowled. “How did you get the laundry truck?”
“It was sitting outside of the prison and the keys were in the ignition,” Lupo said. “We had no idea how we were going to get out of there until we saw the truck. We thought we were going to have to jack a guard to get him to take us out. It didn’t work out that way. It was like someone wanted us to escape.”
“Or someone screwed up,” James corrected. “Where did you part ways with your friends?”
“We drove to a field between cities and ditched the truck and took off on foot,” Lupo explained. “We knew they would be looking for the truck first. That’s why we left it. We walked together for a few miles, but we split up before we hit an urban area. In those jumpsuits, we were more likely to be noticed together.”
“During the walk, what did you guys talk about?”
“How happy we were to be free.”
“Tell me about Lance Pritchard,” James prodded. “What was he talking about?”
Lupo knit his dark eyebrows together. “Is that what this about? You want Pritchard? Were you one of his victims?”
“We want Pritchard,” James replied. “You’re either going to help us or we’re going to let these men convince you to help us. I’m not messing around. What did Pritchard talk about?”
“He was raving like a madman,” Lupo said. “All he could talk about was his kids and ex-wife. He wanted to get at all of them. He said it was impossible to go after the wife and son because they were both in prison. That left the daughter.”
Finn muttered something under his breath.
“Did he know where Emma was?”
“Who is Emma?” Lupo asked, confused.
“His daughter,” James hissed. “Did he say if he knew where she was?”
“He said that he was convinced she was with some guy who came to see him in prison,” Lupo said. “He said he wanted to make that guy pay for taking what was his.”
James and Finn exchanged a look, causing Peter to swivel.
“Was that one of you?” Peter asked.
“I saw him in prison,” Finn answered. “It was right after Emma and I met. He’s the one who told me … .”
Peter nodded knowingly. “I understand,” he said before turning back to Lupo. “Did Pritchard mention any locations?”
“No.”
“Be very sure,” Peter ordered.
“He didn’t know where to start looking,” Lupo said. “Escaping was a surprise to everyone. He said something about finding the guy if he wanted to find his daughter. I swear that’s all he said.”
Peter tilted his head in the direction of one of his men. “Get him breakfast and let him eat it. We’ll take care of transportation.” Peter herded James and Finn into another room before speaking again. “Was Pritchard aware of your name?”
Finn shook his head. “I lied.”
“That will only delay him for a short while,” Peter said. “You guys have been all over the news. When Pritchard does a search on Emma, your names will pop up. We must assume he’s already aware of your ties to Emma. That means he’ll be watching the security building.”
“He’s probably already done that,” James said. “He probably already knows about all of us.”
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Peter said.
“I think you should hand Lupo to us and let us take him to the Macomb County Jail,” James said. “I want him closer to us until they transport him back in case we need to question him again.”
“I’m fine with that,” Peter said. “I must be honest, though. I don’t think he knows more than he already told us.”
“I don’t either,” James said. “I want him near just in case, though.”
“Absolutely,” Peter said. “Until then, we’re still searching for the others and Emma is covered at the building. No one will get at her. We’ll make sure of it.”
“We definitely will,” Finn agreed, regaining his fighting spirit. “I won’t let anyone touch my family.”
“None of us will,” James said, grim. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that guy.”
“You’re going to have to get in line,” Finn said.
“The line will be long,” Peter interjected. “We all want a piece of Lance Pritchard.”
Nine
“How are things at home?” Heidi asked Mandy as they left the courtroom for lunch, her expressive face full of concern. “How is Emma? I’ve been worried about her ever since we had to cut her shower short.”
“Emma is … a mess,” Mandy replied, opting for honesty. “She’s terrified her father is coming after her, and she’s convinced he’s going to get her.”
Judge MacIntosh moved in behind the two women as they traversed the narrow hallway that led to their offices and caught the tail end of Mandy’s statement. “We all heard him in court when she testified,” he said, causing Mandy to jump. She hadn’t heard him approach. “I don’t blame Emma for being upset. How is everyone else handling things?”
“Well, James is melting down and getting bossy,” Mandy replied. “Finn is a puddle of goo because his very pregnant fiancée is terrified and there’s not a thing he can do about it. He’s helpless and wallowing. Sophie wants to hunt Lance Pritchard down and kill him. Ally is … Ally. It’s kind of a mess.”
“I feel bad for Finn,” Heidi said. “He looked like his heart was breaking when he had to tell Emma her father escaped.”
“His heart was breaking,” Mandy said. “One second all they could think about was their excitement about the baby. The next second … poof.”
“Nothing has poofed,” Judge MacIntosh chided. “Emma is a strong woman. She’ll be okay. I have faith that all of you will keep her safe. I have a feeling you have help on that front.”
Mandy balked. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t care how Peter Marconi dressed up his henchman,” the judge said, smirking as Mandy uncomfortably shifted. “I know very well that the man sitting in the back row of the courtroom this morning was one of his.”
“I … .”
“Don’t bother lying,” MacIntosh said, cutting her off. “I’m fine with it. If you’re wondering, the county sheriff’s deputies had no idea he wasn’t a lawyer. I’m trained to know things about people and recognized him for what he was right away.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Mandy said sheepishly. “James is insisting that I be constantly watched. I can’t leave the building for lunch. He’s supposed to bring me lunch, but he texted that he and Finn had to go to Detroit, so I think I’m fresh out there.”
“We’ll handle your lunch,” MacIntosh said. “I’m actually relieved knowing someone is watching you. When Pritchard finds out he can’t get to Emma, he’s going to look for someone else close to you. You have terrible luck when it comes to those things.”
Heidi giggled. “You really do.”
“I can’t argue with him when he’s this worried,” Mandy said. “Well, to be fair, we did fight last night. Emma has to be our priority, t
hough. I can’t make this about me.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to make it about you once Pritchard is captured,” MacIntosh teased.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“CAN we talk for a second?” James asked, leaning against the wall of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department’s brick lobby. They’d delivered Lupo ten minutes before and were waiting for clearance to leave.
Finn sighed. “You want to talk about Emma, don’t you?”
“I do,” James said, nodding. “Listen, I’m not telling you how to handle this. I have no idea what I would do if I was in your situation. This whole thing is a nightmare.”
“You think I’m handling Emma wrong, don’t you?”
“I didn’t at first,” James admitted. “Mandy is the one who brought a few things to my attention when we were fighting last night.”
“And what does Mandy think?”
“Mandy thinks Emma needs a kick in the pants,” James said, holding up his hands when Finn scorched him with a look. “Those were her words, not mine.”
“Emma is falling apart,” Finn argued.
“But Emma is also strong,” James said. “She’s stronger than she has any right to be. You can’t let her disappear, and that’s what is going to happen if you don’t confront her about this. Don’t let her be a victim. She has to be proactive.
“I know you want to wrap her in pillows and lay on top of her until this thing passes, but that’s not going to be the right thing for her,” he continued. “You have to call her out about her behavior. Make her realize she needs to be strong for that baby. She’s about to be a mother. She needs to be the kind of mother she wants to be, not the kind of mother she had.”
Finn rolled his neck until it cracked. “I want to argue with you, but I think you’re right,” he said after a moment. “I just don’t know how to look in her eyes and tell her to get it together. I don’t want to hurt her.”
“You’ll be helping her,” James said. “We’re all in this together. Ultimately it has to be your choice. We’ll abide by your wishes. Just … think about it.”
“Emma is all I can think about right now.”
“WHAT is that?” Mandy asked, rising from her desk and cocking her head as an alarm dinged in the hallway.
Heidi, a sandwich clasped in her hand, made a face. “Ugh. Do you think it’s another fire drill? I hate those things.”
“I guess,” Mandy said. “Ever since they had to shut the courthouse down due to flooding and everyone ignored the fire alarm that day they’ve been sneaking them in whenever they can.”
“I guess that means we have to go outside.”
Mandy frowned. “That’s not going to make James happy.”
“It’s not your fault,” Heidi pointed out. “You can’t control the building’s security.”
“I know,” Mandy said. “I hope my security guy figures out what’s going on and follows us downstairs. Peter is going to wreak unholy mayhem if he thinks I’m alone in public for more than thirty seconds.”
“I’m sure he knows what he’s doing,” Heidi said. “Let’s get moving. If we don’t go they threatened to fine us. I’m not sure if they can really do that, but I don’t want to lose money if I don’t have to.”
Mandy left her sandwich half-eaten on her desk. It would be there when she got back. She followed Heidi into the busy hallway, working overtime to stick close to the woman but ultimately losing her in the throng of people lining up to go down the stairwell.
In the event of a fire drill, the elevators were shut down, just like if a real fire broke out. People were supposed to form an orderly line and go down the stairs one step at a time. Mandy was last in line, and she was almost to the door when a hand reached out from the nearby conference room and clamped over her mouth.
Mandy instantly started to struggle, batting the hand away and swiveling as the room’s door slammed shut and Mandy found herself face to face with a nightmare. “You,” Mandy hissed, glaring at Lance Pritchard. “How did you get in this building?”
Pritchard was dressed in simple blue jeans and a flannel shirt, his eyes cloudy as he looked Mandy up and down with a predatory gaze. “You look different than I remember.”
“I’m surprised you even remember me,” Mandy said, licking her lips and taking a step back. The conference room only had one door – and that would be her lone means of escape – but she had a feeling keeping distance between Pritchard and herself was more important than getting to the door. The floor was empty. She had to take care of herself if she wanted to get out of this situation unscathed.
“Of course I remember you,” Pritchard said, leering. “You’re a pretty woman. You’re even prettier now. You have more … confidence … about yourself. It’s attractive.”
“Aren’t I a little old for you?”
“I like all kinds of women.”
“And little boys … and little girls … and random dogs in the neighborhood,” Mandy spat.
“You’ve got a mouth on you,” Pritchard hissed. “Do you want me to shut it permanently for you?”
“I’m not afraid of you,” Mandy shot back. “You’re a sick coward who gets off torturing children, including your own. I’m not a child. You can’t frighten me.”
“You’re dumber than you look,” Pritchard said.
“How did you even get in this building?” Mandy asked, frustrated. “The cops are looking for you. This was a huge risk. Now they’re going to find you because you’re an idiot.”
“I have this worked out, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Pritchard snapped. “I’ll get out of this building the same way I got in. It won’t be a problem and no one is going to capture me. They’re not smart enough to outthink me.”
“What if I scream?”
“Who is going to hear you?” Pritchard challenged. “Everyone is gone but you. I was worried there for a second that you were going to catch up to your fat friend and go down with her. You’re not that smart, though. You hung back and let everyone else go in front of you. That was really stupid given your situation, by the way.”
“And what situation is that?” Mandy asked, her heart rate speeding up.
“I have a message I want you to deliver to Emma,” Pritchard said.
“I don’t really see Emma,” Mandy lied. “I have no idea why you would want me to do anything where she’s concerned.”
“You’re a horrible liar,” Pritchard said, rolling his eyes. “I know all about your family. Don’t bother making stuff up to delay me. I know exactly how much time I have. I also know my Emma is going to marry your husband’s brother. That makes you guys family, right?”
“You stay away from Emma,” Mandy seethed. “You’ve done enough to her.”
“So much for not knowing her,” Pritchard said, smirking.
“You’re never going to be able to get near her,” Mandy charged. “She’s covered from every angle. We have people looking for you.”
“And they’re doing a bang-up job of finding me. I was right under their noses and in the same building as you. How is that working out?”
“My husband will kill you,” Mandy threatened. “We’ll all kill you if you try to touch Emma.”
“I’m going to touch Emma,” Pritchard said. “That’s precisely the message I want you to relay to her. I want you to tell my daughter that I’m coming … and when we’re reunited, I have a special gift for her. She’s going to be thrilled to see it again. I can already hear the screams. You have no idea how much I’ve missed them.”
“You’re sick,” Mandy gritted out. “I’m not telling Emma anything.”
Pritchard lashed out before Mandy could move, grabbing the back of her hair and pulling her closer so he could exhale his stinking breath in her face. “Emma is my property,” he said. “Mine! I’m taking my property back. You make sure and tell her that.”
“You’ll have to kill me first.”
Pritchard jerked on Mandy’s hair
once more for good measure and then tossed her into the wall with as much force as he could muster. Mandy hit it hard, her shoulder aching at the impact, but she refused to give Pritchard the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her.
“You tell my Emma that we’ll be together soon,” Pritchard said, reaching for the door. “You tell her that I’m going to kill every member of your stupid family until she’s mine again.”
“I’ll kill you myself if you even think of going near her.”
“Yes. You’re frightening,” Pritchard said, offering a sly wink before walking out of the office as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Mandy took a moment to collect herself, rubbing her shoulder before bolting toward the door. The hallway was empty when she scanned it, Pritchard already disappearing into whatever hole he crawled out of to get inside the building.
“James is going to be so pissed,” Mandy muttered to herself.
“THAT should be everything,” the sheriff’s deputy said, handing James and Finn a copy of the paperwork. “The sheriff appreciates your diligence and says he’ll call you later. He wanted to talk to you himself, but we have an emergency down at the courthouse and he had to rush over there.”
James stilled. “Which courthouse?”
“The circuit court building,” the man replied. “Apparently the fire alarm went off and forced the evacuation of the building. The sheriff has to go there himself because the media will show up and make a big deal about it.”
“Is there a fire?” Finn asked, exchanging a worried look with James.
“Not that we’ve heard about. Apparently they just evacuated everyone to the street to make sure, though.”
“Son of a … .” James broke off, shaking his head as he moved toward the exit.
“Did I say something wrong?” the deputy asked, concerned.
“I have no idea,” Finn said, chasing after James. “I just … this is going to be bad.”
Ten
“Where is she?”
James found Heidi and Judge MacIntosh standing in front of the courthouse ten minutes later, their heads bent together. Heidi jolted at the sound of James’ voice, but the judge was calm.
“We’re not sure,” MacIntosh replied.
Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) Page 7
