Page 6 of Beautiful Prey

“Okay…” I knew what I wanted it to be. I wanted to ask why he had done what he did the night of my birthday. But we had only just met, and he might lie. Dr. Langley said his answer could be dodgy, after all. So I went with something simple.

“What’s your favorite movie?”

He looked at me as if I was crazy. He bent forward and laughed quietly for several seconds. When he recovered, he said, “Currently…Elephant Man.”

“David Lynch’sElephant Man?” He nodded, and I wrote it down on my pad. “A classic. I’m shocked. I thought you’d be more of aJohn WickorFunny Gamessort of guy.”

He shrugged. “Wick was fun if not a little too on the nose for the male driven fantasy.Funny Gamesis entertaining if I want a trip down memory lane.”

My throat tightened, my hand shaking a little as I wrote a few comments for myself. For a moment, he almost made me forget who he was. Now, I was reminded again. But I needed to remain professional and keep my emotions contained. In time, I would get my revenge. I’d let him in, make him think I cared, then I would confess everything and leave him in the dust.

“Yours?”

I looked up at him. He really wanted to know?

I couldn’t tell if he was actually curious or just pretending to be, but I indulged him anyway, “I've got two actually.Let the Right One In, the original Swedish version, not the lame American one and recently…Nightcrawler.”

“A thriller fan.”

“Depends. But I like movies likePretty in Pinktoo.”

“As you should, but I preferSixteen Candles.”

I smiled even if I wanted to scream.

“So, is that all you do here then? Watch movies? No fun group activities or outdoor sports?”

He shifted in his seat, the chains clinking. “Movies only on Sundays. Once a day, I’m allowed outside.”

“You have a lot of time on your hands. A lot of time to think.”

Some emotion flashed in his gaze. “I read too if you're curious. And I work out, if you couldn’t tell.”

I eyed him up and down before making another note. “Oh, I can.”

“I like listening to music, drawing, and taking nice walks even if only at night. I’m really a stand-up guy.”

“Oh, yes, if I look past the bloodshed and the violent massacring of innocent people, right?” I knew I was on thin ice, but I couldn’t help it.

“Innocent is a strong word,” he replied.

That took me off guard.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He clicked his tongue, lifting his hand to wag his finger. “That’sone of the real questions.”

I gripped my notepad, white-knuckling it. “Are you saying those people deserved what you did to them?”

He turned his head again. In the doorway, John stood. “We're gonna have to call it, Ms. Layne. Curfew is coming.”

“I just need a few more minutes.”

“No can do, shift change is upon us. He needs to be back in his room before then.”

I wanted to protest, but John disappeared into the hallway. I turned back to Emery and found him watching me intently.

“Do you really want to know?” he asked in a guttural voice.

---