Page 21 of The Dark Side

Fearful that Adrik was nearby and Mally might run into him, Jolie widened the door, gesturing her inside. Mally sidestepped and stayed by the entrance, looking around.

Jolie interrupted her search. "I don't appreciate you bugging my house."

"And your car. And your classroom," Mally added. She waved a carefree hand. "I'll take it down tomorrow. Pointless now, anyway. I got to say, I'm surprised. I didn't think you would lie."

"I didn't lie."

Mally twisted her face in skepticism. "You're still lying."

"I don't know them. That's not a lie."

"What was he doing here? Offering a bit of generosity?" Mally glanced at the bed. It was made up nicely, with stuffed animals perfectly placed. No way that was used. But this generation didn't always rely on the bed for lovemaking. "Or something a bit more frisky?"

Jolie sneered at the insinuation. "I answered all your questions. I know my rights."

"I'm sure you do." Mally turned to the kitchen, noticing the bag of chips and the glass in the sink. There's a chance there might be fingerprints on it, but how to look for them without Jolie staring at her? Adrik wasn't careless either. Chances were he had already wiped everything he touched. But there was the moment before all the listening devices were removed when someone put on music. If she could finally get a hold of Adrik's fingerprints, she could go through all the recent murders and see if those match. Or perhaps even plant them if push came to shove.

"Do you have a bottle of water I can have?"

Jolie rolled her eyes but turned for the fridge.

Mally already had gloves on; she didn't come to a scene without them. She picked up the remote, slipping it into her jacket.

Jolie tossed her the water, and Mally took her time opening it, taking a nice long swig as if she were dying of thirst. She was trying to think of anything else Adrik might have touched, but she knew he had already cleaned up after himself, with one cup on the table and the other in the drying rack.

Mally sighed. "That's good."

"Are you waiting for something?" Jolie questioned. "You're being pretty obvious."

"Here's obvious," Mally replied, approaching Jolie. "Adrik is very good-looking, and girls are dumb when it comes to those pretty blue eyes," she mocked bitterly. "He doesn't keep girlfriends. He's not allowed them. But he's into one-night stands, usually with women he's met at a club. The fact that he came here is out of his character. It means he might slip up, and I can finally arrest him. And you should be doing everything you can to help me."

"Why?"

"Why?" She cackled in disbelief. "Because he's evil. A Hitler kind of evil. I can give you a book of everything that he's done, everything his father has done."

"Why can't you arrest them?" Jolie asked, bewildered. "If you know it all—"

"Proof, Jolie. Come on, I know you watch those 'Snapped' documentaries. I need someone to turn on him or have him admit to mass murder. If he's interested in you, it's your law-abiding obligation to use it and get him taken off the streets before he kills someone. All those kids in your school? Thirty percent are gonna end up working for him. Fifteen percent are gonna be dead because of him. Those little girls? Twenty percent will be working the streets by the time they are fifteen and paying money to a pimp. And who does the pimp pay for protection and rights to have a corner?" Mally waited, but she could tell Jolie was finally understanding.

"To him."

"To Adrik and his fucked-up family." Mally approached. "You're a good girl, Jolie. I know it. So, tell me, is he interested in you?"

Jolie didn't know how to answer because she wasn't sure what the answer was. They had just met. Any interest was physical. Maybe Adrik was looking for something different after bedding the same kind of girl. But then he asked her to move in and tutor his daughter. He hadn't hit on her. He hadn't made any indication he wanted to touch her. Maybe he was coming to her as a father desperate for the best for his child and not as a man searching for a bed warmer.

Jolie could hate the kind of man that just wanted to use her.

She couldn't hate the kind that wanted hope for his daughter's future.

"I don't know," Jolie finally managed to get out.

Mally was unhappy with the answer, her brown eyes rolling with aggravation. "Good girls love the bad boys," she murmured. Mally took a pen out of her pocket, holding it up. "This has a listening device inside it. All you have to do is"—she pressed the top—"press that, and it will activate." She pressed it again to shut it off and placed it on the table. "Carry it around with you. It might save your life one day, because—let me assure you—from now on, your life, your parents' lives are in danger. I'll see myself out."

When the door slammed shut, Jolie reached blindly for the chair as her legs weakened. She sat staring at the pen, contemplating all the ways she was going to die.

When the phone rang, she squealed and then cursed.

"Yep," she muttered to herself, "kickboxing classes."