Into the Dark Read Online Free PDF Page B

her.
    “The partner said he’d come for you. Did you have any idea he was stalking you?”
    “No. But this morning, I got flowers. I thought they were a mistake. Casablanca lilies with a William Blake poem attached. Blake is my favorite poet. Creepy told me he sent them.”
    “How many people knew you liked Blake’s poetry?”
    “No one.”
    “Did you ever get a good look at the man who tried to kidnap you?”
    “No.” Emilie shoved her damp hair off her face, cringing as her fingers grazed her sore cheek. “He kept his mask on. I just saw a few glimpses of skin.”
    “Any idea of his ethnicity?”
    “Maybe Mediterranean.”
    “Surveillance wasn’t able to get a good visual. Can you describe him?”
    “Tall and lanky. Clothes were dark and looked new, not like Joe. That guy looked and smelled filthy, but the partner smelled clean, like fabric softener.”
    “What about his voice? Anything unique?”
    “Pretty sure he was disguising it. Sounded too controlled.” Adrenaline rushed through Emilie. “That’s right. When he first spoke, I could have sworn I recognized his voice.”
    Avery scribbled in his notebook. “What happened in the basement?”
    “I fought to get away. We struggled. He…uh…” She surveyed Avery’s pristine appearance and refined mannerisms. He looked more like an accountant than a cop. “He was excited.”
    “Did he tell you that?”
    “He didn’t have to.”
    “Oh. Good to know. Let’s get back to the basement itself. What’s the first thing you noticed aside from the…err… excitement?”
    “The smell. I figured the cardboard boxes stored down there must have gotten wet and moldy. I tried to get away and then I heard noise from upstairs. Was someone shot?”
    “A SWAT officer was taken to the hospital.” Avery squinted as sweat ran down into his eye. He dabbed his face with a delicate, white handkerchief. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Continue, please.”
    “I kept fighting.” Emilie closed her eyes. Her skin burned as she remembered the feel of Creepy Guy’s hands, his body pressing her to the floor, his erection rigid against her back. “He didn’t understand, like he expected me to go willingly. Kept saying we were meant to be. I finally nailed him in the crotch. He said something about having it my way, for now. Next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor alone.”
    “Can you think of anyone who would want to harm you? Ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, someone with a grudge?”
    “No.” Emilie’s upper lip curled at the reminder of Evan. As if that good-for-nothing bastard had any reason to hold a grudge. “My ex-husband moved to California with his girlfriend two years ago.”
    “What about your family? Are they well-off?”
    “What?” A new kind of fear shot through her.
    “A kidnapping is usually motivated by money. If your family—”
    “I haven’t had any contact with my family since I was eighteen. They are well-off, but that doesn’t matter. They wouldn’t be interested in a ransom.”
    “Sixteen years? We’ll need their names and addresses.”
    Emilie had no idea where her parents lived any more. Knowing Claire, she’d managed to wrangle an even bigger home out of her husband in a more elite neighborhood.
    “Claire Davis is my mother.” Saying the words made her already-tight chest ache even more. “She’s married to Sam Davis. He’s a criminal attorney. They live in Portland. At least they did when I left.”
    “He’s your stepfather?”
    “Yes.”
    “What about your biological father?”
    “Never a factor in my life.”
    “I’ll still need his name,” Avery said.
    “Why? There’s no way—”
    “We have to eliminate suspects, Ms. Davis. Your father’s name?”
    “Mark Chambers. No idea where he lives.”
    “We’ll interview all of them as soon as possible.”
    Like hell they would. Emilie heaved herself to her feet, clutching the chair for support. Her right heel had snapped during the struggle down the stairs, and the