Page 13 of Vicious Hearts

Hillard gestures at the chair in his office, and I sit, pulling off my scarf. He sits behind his desk and fiddles with his nameplate, as he always does.

"What is it today, Roxanne?" He looks at me, steepling his fingers below his chin. "You want to know what brand of cheese was in Farraday's refrigerator when we arrested him? Do you have a burning desire to check whether we offered him a selection of fine wines during his interrogation?"

I smile. "Wine and cheese haven't yet made it into the Bill of Rights, but I can dream of a better world."

I'm rewarded with a smirk. I caught him on a good day.

"Can I have one of your Lifesavers?" I ask, holding my throat and swallowing hard. "My mouth is dry. I know you keep them in your secret drawer."

He rolls his eyes and reaches for his vest pocket, extracting the key. He unlocks the drawer and takes out the bag, holding it toward me. I peer inside and take a red candy.

"Come on, kid. I need to know what it's gonna take to get you out of my office. I only came by to pick up the show tickets for tonight—if I flake out on my wife again, there will be a domestic homicide in this area tonight."

I lean forward and fix my eyes on Hillard's.

"Detective Hillard," I begin. "Tate. I know for sure that Farraday isn't The Dollmaker, okay?"

He narrows his eyes. He's heard me say this before, but he can see something has changed.

"You know? How can you possibly know?"

I want to hold his gaze, but I can't.

"I got abducted when I left work," I say. The words rush out too quickly, crashing into one another. "The kidnapper chloroformed me, hit me, zip-tied me, the works. I woke up in the trunk of his car, miles away from home, and managed to escape."

Hillard's expression doesn't change.

"Roxanne, Farraday sat opposite me in the interrogation suite and told me things I can never unhear. He had the final victim's fingers in a fuckingjewelrybox. Did you know that?"

I nod my head.

Somehow, I knew this would happen.It's written all over the detective's face—he doesn't believe me.

"Somethinghappened,” Hillard says, “and we'll look into it, but you must drop the idea that The Dollmaker is still at large. Even as a copycat attack, it's laughable. The Dollmaker didn't hit his victims, he didn't drive hours away to dump them, and most importantly, he didn't let them get away. He was too smart for that." Hillard fixes me with a stern look, but then his eyes soften. "Forgive me for saying this, but you're not exactly his type. There's no logical reason for a child murderer to move on to adults."

"What about the work I'm doing with Farraday's review?" I ask. "Farraday can't file his own appeal, but as his chosen representative, I can push for a formal evidence review—there's precedent in law. What if the real killer just wanted me out of the picture so that the case would go nowhere and Farraday would rot in the hospital?"

Hillard doesn't respond. Instead, he pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. I press my lips together to fend off an outburst of profanity.

"Fine," I say, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "I was abducted. What are you going to do about it?"

"We'll make some inquiries as soon as we have a statement from you. Think very hard about what you want to say."

This man thinks I'm a fantasist. That I've invented a kidnapping story to cover up for some mundane street mugging incident.

Why?To drawattentionto myself? To risk prejudicing the entire process by getting the case re-examined under false pretenses?

I start coughing, working up into a bad choking fit. Hillard darts around the desk to my side, slapping my back as I convulse until my breathing begins to calm.

"Can I have a glass of water?" I ask. "I'm sorry. I'm still hazy from it all, and I guess I'm just running my mouth."

Hillard looks at me for a beat too long, and I don't think he believes me. He knows I'm holding back.

Then he stands, heading for the door.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Those Lifesavers sure didn't live up to their name this time. Just sit tight, and I'll be back in a minute." He closes the door behind him.

I know I have to move fast.

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