Page 34 of The Perfect Prey

Haddonfield had spent the last few weeks on trial for multiple murders, and the jury was rumored to return with a verdict as early as today.What could possibly have motivated him to call her on the very morning when the rest of his life would be decided?She had to know.

“Yes,” she said.“I’ll accept the call.”

There was another long pause, after which Haddonfield’s excitable voice came on.

“Thank you for accepting the call, Hannah,” he said.“I was really starting to get worried.”

“We’re not on a first name basis,” she told him coldly.“And I have to be somewhere in three minutes, so that’s how long you have to tell me what you want.”

“That works out well because they only let us make five minute calls and I have to be on the bus for the courthouse in about half an hour,” he said apparently unfazed by her lack of enthusiasm to be chatting with him.

“Then I guess you should get to the point,” she instructed.“Why are you calling me?”

“To help you,” he replied, “or more accurately, your sister.I tried to reach her directly but she’s not answering her phone.At this hour, I doubt she’s sleeping, so she must be in the middle of a case.”

“Or maybe she just blocked this number,” Hannah suggested, before adding, “Is this really how you want to be spending the precious two minutes you have remaining with me?”

“No, sorry,” he said.“I’m a little discombobulated this morning because I think I may be about to be found guilty on several counts of murder today.But let’s set that aside for now.I think Ash Pierce is going to try to escape.”

It took several seconds for her to fully process his words.Pierce had already escaped from custody once, and instead of making a run for the border or something, she’d found a safe house where she’d holed up to plan an attempt on Hannah’s life.If the woman got out again, there was no telling what she’d do.But how would Haddonfield have any clue what Pierce was planning?

“How would you have any clue what Pierce is planning?”she asked him straight out.

“Because she told me,” he said simply.“We’re often on the same prison transport bus to and from the courthouse.On a recent trip she proposed that, in light of us both likely getting convicted, we work together to escape.”

“Have you told anyone about this?”Hannah asked, still somewhat skeptical.

“I’m telling you.”

“Anyone else?”she demanded.“The administrator of the jail?Your defense attorney?”

“I’m ashamed to say I have not,” he said, sounding genuinely embarrassed.“I’ve actually been holding on to this information for a few weeks now.Part of me thought I could use it to my advantage.In fact, that part of me is still very hopeful.But another part of me was worried that if I tattled on her, she’d find out somehow and, you know, end me.And finally, some teeny, weeny little portion of me actually considered teaming up with her.That is until I determined that I almost certainly wouldn’t survive the attempt.”

“So you decided to go to Jessie,” Hannah said.

“Exactly,” he told her.“I figured that if anyone would hear me out, it’d be her.She has the pull to ensure that more security is put on Pierceandmaybe get me some perks for having helped out.But that plan got screwed by her not answering her phone.And since I had your cell phone number memorized, too, I thought you were the next best thing.You know how dangerous Pierce is, and you know that, as a guy who kind of tried to murder you, I wouldn’t ask for your help unless it was a desperate situation.”

Hannah had to concede that it all made logical sense.But she also knew that even though Haddonfield was currently incarcerated and on the verge of being convicted and sent to prison for life, he was a sneaky bastard who couldn’t be trusted.What if this was some ploy to get resources diverted away from him and to Pierce so thathecould escape?

Or what if it was simply an attempt to mess with Jessie’s head one last time?If Hannah passed on this message to her sister, was she playing right into the hands of the man who, only six months ago, tried to murder her while she lay in a hospital bed awaiting brain surgery.

“This call has one minute remaining,” the automated voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

“We’re running out of time,” Haddonfield said unnecessarily, “what are you going to do, Hannah?”

“Again, not on a first name basis,” she reminded him, before asking, “exactly how long ago did she make this offer?”

“Eighteen days ago,” he said quickly.

“And yet she hasn’t acted on it.”

“Not yet,” he conceded, “maybe she’s just waiting for the right time.Hell, that could be today.My jury will probably come back with a verdict before the day is out.After that, the attention will shift exclusively to her.That means more guards watching her.This could be the perfect opportunity to make her move before that happens.”

It was a compelling argument.Of course, it could also be total crap, completely made up in order to get him those perks he mentioned.If this was all an elaborate lie, how could that even be proven?Pierce could deny it, but that would just be the word of one killer against another.How was anyone supposed to choose who was more credible in that situation?

“I’ll think about telling her,” she finally said.“That’s all I can promise you.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, and she sensed his disappointment.Whether it was because she hadn’t taken him as seriously as he wanted or because he hadn’t fully duped her, there was no way to know.

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