Page 3 of Beautiful Prey

“And you still want to interview him?” I didn’t say anything, and as we made it to the top, he turned around. “Sorry, I know it’s none of my business but…” He shook his head. I could tell he was getting real tense just talking about it.

You and I both, buddy.

“I’m aware he’s dangerous.”

The guy let out a nervous laugh. “He is danger personified. He’s pure fucking evil. Sorry, don’t tell anyone I said that.”

I smirked. “Lips are sealed.”

We walked toward the west wing, passed another set of doors and into a glass office that served as another security point.

“They cleared her?” another guard asked as he swiveled in his seat next to a set of monitors.

My big guardsman nodded. “They sure did.”

As he made a call on his walkie to have “Prisoner 0034 sent to Room 5B,” I watched on the monitors beside him as a group of guards in white uniforms walked down a hallway with a row of thick steel doors on both sides. They stopped just short of the end and, as one man stepped toward the door, the others brought out their tasers and batons, gripping them tight, taking a stance as if ready for a fight.

“Are those necessary?” I asked, pointing to the tasers.

The guy looked at me as if I’d grown a third eye. “With this guy? Yes. Hell, we should have something better.”

My brows furrowed. “Like…guns?”

The man shrugged.

“Are tasers even allowed?”

None of them responded. The guard sitting at the monitor nodded behind me, and I turned to see Dr. Langley staring at me.

“Ms. Layne…” Dr. Langley’s gray eyes behind his large bifocals seemed to look past me, but his smile appeared genuine. “Got through the storm alright, I see. They didn’t make you wait too long at the gate, I hope?”

“No, sir, they didn’t.”

“Good, good. And John didn’t scare you away either. A great start.” He patted the big guard on the back.

John fixed me with a sheepish look. “It won’t be me scaring her away.”

Dr. Langley chuckled. “He has a point. How are you feeling, Eve? If this is too much for you…”

“No, I’m good.” He didn’t know, none of them did. They thought I was just another student with a twisted interest in psychopaths and criminal minds. But with a few strings pulled, not only was I able to convince one of my professors to grant me this access, I kept my identity safe in the process. It helped that I changed my last name after the incident to avoid stalkers or attention and had refused to be interviewed, keeping away from the news and public light. Only those from high school knew, but I had avoided them all like a hermit and kept off social media. Only Jamie, my new friend in college, was aware of what I was doing and he promised to keep his mouth shut.

I noticed movement from the monitors at the corner of my eye and squared my shoulders when the men surrounded theopen door where I could see the back of the inmate, his hands being forced into cuffs.

“Eve?”

Heart pounding, I turned back to Dr. Langley. “Yes?”

He stared at me, looking concerned. “Come sit for a moment.” He gestured to an office just outside the security point.

Unable to resist, I turned back to the monitor. They were chaining his feet now. He hardly moved, but I could see the guards were working quickly and aiming their weapons at him as if he might strike at any moment.

Hesitantly, I peeled my gaze from the screen and followed the doctor into the office.

“I know we had our talk over the phone,” he started as I took a seat in the leather green chair beside the desk and he closed the door. “Your professor, Mrs. Conley, gave you all the top marks, a glowing review.” He sat in a chair opposite me. As he did, the small green desk lamp flickered. “I respect her as a friend, but this is more than a favor to her. I mentioned on the phone already, however, I can’t stress how dangerous this man is. Sure, he will be contained, and there will be guards nearby and cameras. Physically, you are safe. But I hope you understand the emotional toll this could bring.”

“I am aware. He isn’t the first I’ve talked to.”

“Yes, she mentioned you joined her for an interview with the East River Strangler. That had to be an interesting one. And I’m sure you learned a lot that day. But Emery is very…unique. He feels no remorse for his actions, but unlike other killers, he doesn’t try to deny it either or play the victim to an unfair system. His mental state, well…he’s said very little in the last few years. I just want to warn you; he isn’t a talker. And when he does, he’s dodgy in his answers at best. You might not get anything out of him. Many of our own psychologists havestruggled to gain traction with him. He’s just not interested in what we have to say.”