“Fake. Photoshopped. Someone is trying to frame me.” He held up a hand to inform security he was ready to go.
“We’re on your side,” Lexi cut in. “We want to expose these women in black wigs and see that they are punished for what they did to you.”
His jaw twitched. As he plopped back down into his chair, he kept his gaze on Lexi. “Go on.”
“I also talked to people who know you,” Lexi said. “A few close friends of yours, including Margo Kensington. She said the two of you once dated. She and others were adamant about you being wrongly accused.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Because it’s true.”
“Margo said you were always thoughtful and kind.”
He drew in a steady breath. “She was a sweet girl.”
Sawyer watched the exchange. Lexi kept her gaze directed at him the entire time.
Lexi angled her head. “The two words that came up the most to describe you were ‘compassionate’ and ‘generous.’”
“That’s right. I once stopped a dog from attacking a neighbor’s kid.” He pulled up the right sleeve of his jumper. “The animal bit me. Twenty-three stitches.” His chest puffed. “But the kid got away.” He laughed. “They called me a hero for months.”
“That’s what I mean,” Lexi said. “You’re smart, good looking, and you care about others, which is why none of this makes sense to me or the people who know you best.”
His eyes widened, and he leaned forward. “It’s refreshing to finally talk to someone who understands what’s happening here. I’ve been wrongly accused and nobody seems to care.”
“You have a lot of followers out there rooting for you,” Lexi told him, her voice soft and soothing. “People who care about you and who want to see you released.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“And that’s why we’re here.” Lexi placed her forearms on the table and leaned closer. “This is your chance to tell us, in your own words, what happened.”
“It was horrible,” he said. “A nightmare.” He raked his fingers over his head. “Imagine being in a room with five aggressive women, all wearing wigs and masks, stripping you naked, then tying you up with rope and duct tape. I was freaked out.”
“Did you recognize a voice, anything at all?”
“No. They all called each other by weird names, like Bug and Psycho.”
“Did they tell you why they were there?”
“That’s a good question, but no. They never did tell me why they came after me. I think they might have had me confused with someone else. They tore my house apart. I still don’t know what they were looking for.”
“Videos,” Sawyer said. Brad Vicente was full of shit, and she couldn’t take it anymore. “They were looking for video content you took of the women you bound and raped. That’s why you’re sitting here now.”
He angled his head back toward Sawyer and gave her a look that shouted psychopath—eyes wide, eyebrows elevated, nostrils flared. But the rest of his face was relaxed. A chill swept up her spine.
Facing Lexi again, he hooked a thumb like a hitchhiker at Sawyer and said, “I don’t think she’s on my side.”
“She’s on the same team,” Lexi said matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument.
“Time to wrap it up,” the guard said.
Lexi nodded at the guard, then returned her attention to Brad. “You said the women wearing wigs used nicknames. Were there any other features that stood out to you?”
The guard approached the table.
Brad stood. His eyes flashed. “Tattoos,” he said. “I couldn’t see much through the blindfold, but every now and then I got a glimpse. One of the women had weird markings on her neck and arms. I thought they were tattoos, but they could have been birthmarks. Or maybe she’d been disfigured in a fire. Who knows?”
“Were all the wigs the same length as far as you could tell?” Sawyer asked.
He gestured to a spot just past his chin.
“Lipstick?”
He shook his head.
Lexi cut in. “If we need to talk to you again, would you be willing?”
His gaze roamed over Lexi. “I might talk to you again,” he said. “But not your friend.”
Sawyer mentally flipped him off as he was ushered out the door.
Lexi slipped her notepad and pen into her bag. As they strolled out of the room and back toward the front of the building, Lexi said, “Overall, I’d say that went well.”
Sawyer wasn’t so sure. Her adrenaline was at max speed. She felt riled up. “That was intense.”
“You did good. Now we just need to find Li on Tinder.”
Sawyer appreciated her kind words. She had interviewed a lot of people over the years. She knew that if she wanted someone to talk that she needed to make her subject feel at home. And yet the dirty, lying bastard had managed to strike a nerve. “When did you talk to Margo Kensington?”
“I called her yesterday. She told me that Brad Vicente was scum and to never call her again.”
“So you made up that whole story about talking to Margo and friends,” Sawyer stated rather than questioned. “And now he’s putty in your hands.”
Lexi smiled.
The sound of their footfalls slapping against the concrete floor was nearly drowned out by the sound of too many men crammed into not enough space. Sawyer and Lexi took turns signing out.
The air outside warmed the back of Sawyer’s neck. Her gaze immediately fixated on the car parked across the street from the prison. It was shiny, mint green, small, and hard to miss—the same car she’d seen at her house after Derek had dropped her off. She was about to mention it when the vehicle merged onto the road and drove off.
“Everything all right?” Lexi asked.
Sawyer didn’t say anything about the car since she didn’t want to come across as paranoid. Instead she said, “I was just thinking about Brad Vicente. He’s a narcissist and a liar,” she said as they walked. “I think I’ll leave the prison visits to you.”
“Perfect. Maybe next time I see him, he’ll propose.”
Sawyer looked at Lexi as if she’d lost her mind.
“That was a joke.”
“Ah. Funny. I guess we’re going to learn a lot about each other.”
“Not if I can help it,” Lexi said.
Sawyer laughed again before noticing the grim expression on Lexi’s face. Something told her the next few weeks were going to be anything but enjoyable.
After she was buckled up and Lexi was back on her phone, talking about a case unrelated to the Black Wigs, Sawyer texted Aria, telling her what Brad Vicente had said about one of the women who held him captive having scars or burns, which reminded Sawyer of Christina Farro. Perhaps it’s time I pay her another visit. She also told Aria about the exotic blonde-haired woman named Li, whom Brad Vicente had been matched with on one of the dating apps.
This Li could be the answer to all their questions. Too bad they didn’t have a surname.
Sawyer’s shoulders slumped. If Li was involved with the Black Wigs, there was no way she would have used her real name on a dating app. But still . . . if they could find the profile, it would be something.