Emmer’s brow knitted. “Murders and abductions? What does any of that have to do with me?”
“Two of those women are Detective Turner’s wife and daughter,” Noah answered. “Have you ever met them?”
Emmer recoiled. “What the hell are you implying?”
“How many years has it been since you saw Zara?” Josie asked. When he didn’t answer, she pressed on. “You must be awfully angry with Detective Turner to still be contacting him all these years later. As I understand it, you want to speak with Zara, but Turner won’t give you her contact information.”
No response.
“Dr. Emmer,” Noah said, using the honorific he’d insisted on when they first knocked on his door. “I know that you were a client of Zara’s through the escort service.”
Emmer’s mouth fell open but Noah cut off his protest. Josie could already tell by the way her husband’s facial expression changed from serious investigator to just a guy talking toanother guy that he was about to trot out his relatable misogynist persona. She’d seen him do it before. He was masterful. A chameleon. If she didn’t know his heart and the truly decent man he was, the way he slipped in and out of the role would have been deeply disturbing. But it was all part of their job.
“No judgment,” Noah said, stepping forward as if to leave Josie out of the conversation. The advantage of not having changed her name when they got married was that suspects and interviewees didn’t know they were husband and wife. It made it far easier to play off one another. Assholes like Emmer loved to watch sexism unfold in real time right before their eyes. Made them feel a real kinship with relatable misogynist Noah.
“Let’s face it,” her husband continued, “dating is tedious, isn’t it? You can waste a lot of time getting to know a woman, putting your best foot forward, doing all the things society expects of you, only to find out that when the masks come off, the real her is uptight and maybe a bitch. Then you have to start all over again. It doesn’t mean dating is out of the question but if you can get what you want—what you need—from someone who is willing to give it to you with no questions asked, why not go for it? Even if you have to pay?”
Emmer watched Noah the way prey watched a predator—eyes narrowed and wary, body stock-still but on full alert.
“Who the hell cares if what you’re into is a little out of the norm. That just makes it hotter, right?” Noah lowered his voice and again, Josie marveled at how the things that came out of his mouth were so far from his true character and yet delivered so convincingly. “What guy hasn’t had the sexy librarian fantasy? I’ll tell you, I never went to the library for the books, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I still think about that brunette librarian from when I was in college. Legs for days. Never couldbring myself to act on that particular fantasy. At least you had the balls to make it happen.”
Josie made a noise of disgust because she knew that’s what Noah needed in the moment to add to this whole little misogynistic scene he was acting out with Emmer. She didn’t need to see Noah’s face to know he was rolling his eyes. He gave a subtle wave in her direction, dismissing her, before taking another step toward Emmer.
“It was hot as hell, wasn’t it?” Noah whispered.
Emmer’s fingers relaxed enough that Josie could see the indents they’d left on the top of the chair. Still, he didn’t engage.
“Most women don’t even want to change positions, let alone role-play,” Noah said. “Am I right? They’re always just waiting for it to be over.”
Josie saw the impact of Noah’s words in the way that Emmer’s shoulders slumped forward. It didn’t surprise her that the women Emmer had been with in the past had been less than impressed with the experience.
“Doc,” said Noah. “The only thing I can figure is that Zara was different. Even though you were paying, she wasn’t a bitch. She didn’t judge. She was cool. You two had a connection, right?”
Emmer’s nod was almost imperceptible.
“Otherwise, why would you waste your time trying to get her back?”
“She’s not like anyone else,” Emmer said, throat bobbing as he swallowed. “Turner didn’t understand that.”
“Turner doesn’t understand a lot of things,” Noah said.
“It must be infuriating,” Josie interjected, feeling it was okay to rejoin the conversation. She kept her voice devoid of emotion. “He’s the only one who knows where she is and he won’t tell you.”
“It’s selfish,” Emmer said.
“I can see that,” Josie agreed, as if she’d been just as affected by Noah’s speech. “I know if I found someone who really got me, I wouldn’t want anyone standing between us.”
Emmer’s nod was more emphatic this time.
“You ever feel like you wanted to get revenge on Turner?” Noah asked.
“Revenge?” Emmer asked. “You think I did something to those women? To Turner’s…what did you say? Wife and daughter?”
“Hey, Doc,” Noah said. “We’ve got to ask.”
“Like I mentioned,” Josie said. “When we reviewed Turner’s call records, your number came up a lot. There’s clearly an issue between the two of you.”
“We know you’ve called him a lot,” Noah said. “Do you know where Detective Turner lives?”
