Killing Fear pb-1

by Allison Brennan

  “I was right across the street! Why didn’t she call me?”

  “We don’t know, we’re only speculating…”

  “Or Glenn called Will,” Robin said, grasping at straws. “You said the killer may have called him. To scare him. Didn’t you say that he wanted to scare me by making me think he was after Will, and scare Will to make him think he was after me?”

  “If the time line proved that, I’d say it was a damn good guess,” Hans said. “I do believe that Glenn was after you that night. Then Will came into the bar. He wasn’t expecting him. Maybe he wasn’t prepared.”

  “So who killed Anna? Who would want her dead? She was harmless. Sweet.”

  Hans was about to say something, but Will interrupted. “We don’t know, but we will find out. In the meantime, we have a more important problem. Glenn is still out there and he is playing with you. And me.” He looked at Mario. “Sit on her tight. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “What about you?” Robin asked, her voice wavering.

  “I’m a cop. I’m surrounded by cops. I’ll be okay.”

  She didn’t look convinced.

  “Glenn killed Anna,” Robin said emphatically. She didn’t look at either of them.

  Pickles jumped in her lap. Will stared at him, looked at Hans. “This is Anna’s cat,” Will told him, awestruck.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Robin said, scratching the cat’s ears.

  “If Theodore killed Anna, he would have wanted to torment her first,” Hans said.

  “Remember his sister’s testimony?” Will said softly. “About how he tormented her by killing her cat? And no one believed her?”

  She nodded.

  “It’s part of his M.O.,” Will said. “He plays with his victims. Cutting them. Pouring bleach over them. Killing their pets in front of them. But Anna’s cat lived.”

  “Maybe Pickles hid from him,” Robin said, her voice almost a whimper.

  “This is the friendliest cat on the planet,” Will said. “The cat proves it.”

  “Proves what?” Robin demanded.

  Hans answered. “Theodore Glenn didn’t kill your roommate.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Will walked outside with Hans. He instructed the patrol to be on alert, then pulled Hans away from the other cops.

  “She’s going to be okay,” Hans told him.

  “We laid a bomb on her tonight,” Will said, frustrated. While last night he’d been only half convinced that Glenn hadn’t killed Anna, tonight he was certain. “I never thought about that phone call coming from Robin’s apartment,” he admitted. “It just didn’t enter my mind. Shit, I could have saved Anna.”

  “You don’t know that. She could have been already dead. You could be dead now. You can’t second-guess yourself in this business. It’ll eat you up. We make difficult decisions instantly and then spend years thinking about every fraction of a second. What if we did this, what if we did that. I’ve worked hostage negotiations, and I’ve worked with hostage negotiators who were on the edge because they began to question themselves after an assignment went bad.” Hans stared Will in the eyes. “Don’t do it. You can’t afford to lose your judgment now. You’re going to have to make those difficult decisions, and you can’t doubt your instincts and experience.”

  Will let out a pent-up breath. “Who? Who wanted to kill Anna?”

  “Or, who wanted to kill Robin?”

  Hearing it out loud unnerved Will. “Other than Glenn,” he added.

  “It’s nearly two in the morning.” Hans Vigo glanced at his watch. “She’s worn out and on edge right now. We’re going to have to talk to her in the morning about her life back then. But first we have to bring in Jim Gage.”

  “Because of the evidence on scene.”

  Hans said, “I’ve played with every scenario I could think of, but the only thing that makes sense-if we agree that Glenn didn’t kill Anna Clark-is that someone involved in the case killed her and framed Glenn by planting the evidence.”

  Will nodded. “Hair would be easy forensic evidence to plant. It doesn’t need special storage, like blood, and it doesn’t degrade.”

  “The follicles would degrade after a short period of time,” Hans said, “and I need a more detailed report as to exactly how the hair was tested and what they found.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “We do this quietly,” Will said, rubbing his face. “I’ll talk to Trinity again tomorrow, make sure she keeps it off the air. If Anna’s killer thinks we’re looking into the case again, he may get scared and do something rash.”

  “And we have to consider that the killer may already know. Trinity’s report wasn’t all that secret.”

  “They wouldn’t know we took Glenn’s comments seriously. Hell, I pretty much called Trinity a fool for even considering the possibility.”

  “Which gives us a break. Everyone knows how you feel about Glenn, you’re running the investigation, and if you don’t give credence to Glenn’s claims, then no one else will.”

  “What if we asked Trinity to play along with us?” Will suggested, an idea popping into his head.

  “How so?”

  “We do an interview. Say only what we want Anna’s killer to hear. Trinity can go public with the fact that Glenn contacted her, ask us about his statement, and we put it to rest.”

  “There’s only one problem with that,” Hans said.

  “It’ll piss Glenn off.”

  “Exactly.”

  “We’ll keep watch on Trinity 24/7. And give her an out. Let her say no. We issue a formal statement through Chief Causey, get the information out there either way.”

  “But Trinity Lange is respected and known,” Hans said. “It would give credence to our statement.” He gave a quick nod. “If both she and your chief go for it, I think it’ll work. It’ll buy us time to find Glenn. Once he’s behind bars we’ll all rest easier. But until then, you’re one hundred percent confident in Jim Gage?”

  “Yes. No doubts.”

  “Then we need to meet with him out of his office tomorrow. Away from any police hangouts.”

  “What about here, at Robin’s place?”

  Hans agreed.

  “Let me set it up with Gage and smooth the way,” Will said. “He’s not going to like what we have to say.”

  “He doesn’t have to like it. He just has to keep his mouth shut.”

  Robin relished her privacy. Running a popular club, always having her social face on, was draining. Having people in her home was equally draining.

  She couldn’t consider anyone but Theodore Glenn killing Anna. Not tonight. Her head was pounding and all she wanted to do was go to sleep.

  But she feared the nightmares.

  She contemplated drinking herself to sleep, but didn’t want to use alcohol as a crutch. More important, what if Glenn came around? Tonight, tomorrow, the next day? She needed to be on full alert.

  She walked over to her art corner, looked at the project she hadn’t touched since Saturday. It was going to be a gaslamp scene, an expression of her love for this area and the people who lived and worked here. The view was of storefronts on the same street as the Sin. She’d taken a series of photographs from two corners, and had designed the piece to reflect both sides of the street, focusing on perspective and color.

  She loved working with color.

  Her first art show was Sunday. She didn’t want to cancel, but she didn’t see that she had a choice. If Glenn wasn’t in jail by then, how could she put all those people in jeopardy?

  She had to make the decision about opening the club tomorrow as well. They would normally open at five in the evening. They had a large after-work crowd who mostly came to drink, listen to music, and socialize. They blended into the evening dance crowd that really came on scene around nine.

  She didn’t want to close. Her business would suffer. Her employees counted on their wages. Could she afford to pay
them without bringing in income? Not for long. Maybe for this weekend. But it wasn’t just wages, they received more in tips than they did in their paychecks.

  She turned away from her art, which usually brought her joy. There was no joy left tonight.

  A loud rap sounded on the door. She crossed over and looked out the peephole, expecting Mario.

  Will stood there again. Staring right back at her, though Robin knew he couldn’t see her.

  Her heart jumped. Her emotions were on overload, but she admitted she was relieved-happy-to see him.

  She turned off the alarm, unbolted the door, and let him in. “I thought you’d left.”

  “I walked Hans out. Can I come in?”

  Robin stood aside, let Will in, then rebolted the door and reset the alarm. She put her forehead against the door. “Will, he’s going to kill you.” She couldn’t believe that was the first thing she said, but it was her greatest fear.

  “No, he’s not.”

  Will was right behind her. His hands were on her shoulders and he squeezed. She stifled a cry. She’d wanted him to touch her. Stay with her. Protect her from her fears and doubts. Reconnect with him, rediscover what they’d lost seven years ago. If only she had forgiven him back then, would her life have been different? Maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone.

  She said in a whisper, “Do you really believe that someone else killed Anna?”

  “Yes,” Will said, his voice tight.

  She began to shake. The more she tried to control it, the worse the shaking became.

  “First things first,” Will said, turning her to face him. His eyes explored her, his arms wrapping around her, keeping her close, rubbing her shoulders. “We’ll recapture Theodore Glenn. He’s the immediate threat. Don’t forget that. Whoever killed Anna thinks they got away with it. Hans and I are going to do everything we can to make them think just that. So if you hear on the news tomorrow that we don’t give any credence to Glenn’s statement, don’t believe it.”

  “I–I can’t think about Anna right now. It’s hard for me to accept. I just-” She swallowed, unable to get her thoughts to come out right.

  Will was so close, his face inches from Robin’s. “I understand,” he whispered. “I hate it. That I might have made mistakes in the investigation, that I didn’t think anything of that page from your home number, that I might have been able to save Anna-”

  “Or be killed.”

  He kissed her lightly. “I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you. God, Robin, I-”

  He dropped to his knees, his mouth skimming her clothing. He looked down at the floor, then up at her.

  “Will-”

  “I need you to forgive me, Robin.” His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her stomach. “I was so wrong, I made a mistake, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize every day for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes to get you back-”

  “No-” she whispered.

  He cut her off. “I’ve missed you. I think about you every night. I’ve lived with this deep regret for too long. I threw you away, I didn’t know what a precious gem I had in my hands.”

  “Oh, Will, don’t-”

  “I have to make you understand. I need you to understand.”

  Robin fell to her knees so that they were face-to-face. She kissed him. She didn’t want to hear him say I love you. Not now, not like this. Not when she didn’t know if she could believe him, if the words would be spoken out of guilt or regret.

  She’d never stopped loving him, but forgiveness was so hard for her. The pain twisted in her heart, the love and the hurt entwined.

  Robin wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him close to her, at first taste remembering the passion and discovery they’d enjoyed when they first met. She’d missed him, missed the intimacy and intensity that she’d never had with any other man. She didn’t need to lead or follow, she didn’t need to direct or act. With Will she was herself, giving fully, receiving fully, her glorious potential exposed, bringing the best out of Will and he drawing the best out of her.

  He moaned into her mouth and she swallowed his desire. Her hands worked on his buttons, frantic now. Not wanting to wait to remember everything they’d had. She pushed off his shirt, pulling his undershirt out of his Dockers, his chest hot to the touch. Her mouth moved from his lips to his chest, her tongue swirling around his nipples as she pushed him back to the floor.

  This was how she remembered Will. The heat and excitement and heavy desire. No waiting, no holding back. All of him, right now. His hands were under her shirt, his fingers unsnapping her bra with a flick of his wrist. Then his hands on her breasts, kneading, pulling, pushing, making every cell in her body throb for more.

  She licked him, all the way down his chest, to his navel. Her fingers popped open his button fly and freed him, but she didn’t stop. She pulled his slacks off, jerking his shoes off at the same time.

  “Come here, Robin.” Will’s voice was thick and deep.

  As she trailed wet kisses up his body, his hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up so she lay on top of him. When he kissed her this time, her breath disappeared. Will rolled over, covered her body with his, his kisses going deeper, harder, more fierce as they tried to get even closer. His hands gripped her hair as their bodies moved together; her hands couldn’t stop. It had been so long, too long, since they’d touched, kissed, held each other skin to skin.

  “Take. Off. My shirt.” Robin could barely catch her breath, Will had intoxicated her.

  He leaned up just enough to pull her T-shirt over her head and she tossed her bra across the room. Then their chests touched and she moaned, grabbed Will and brought him back down to her, her long jean-clad legs wrapped around his waist, her mouth finding his, the roughness of his nighttime stubble arousing her as much as his tongue dueling with hers. His mouth moved to her neck and suckled, biting her lightly, then to her shoulder, down to her breast where he took as much into his mouth as possible, the suction causing her to gasp and arch her back. His hand found the other breast where he massaged, until he switched sides, the exquisite pleasure with a touch of pain, just enough to make it real, to make her regret walking out seven years ago. To make her yearn for the past and crave the future.

  “Will.” She said his name on a wisp of a breath, all her feelings and energy focused on the intensity of attention he paid to her chest. Only Will could turn her on so quickly, make her abandon all thought of patience and drawn-out lovemaking. She wanted him all, right now, and later. “God, Will.”

  She used all her muscles to push him off and over, rolling on top of him, moving her pelvis into his hard erection. She sat on him, his hands on her butt, squeezing, massaging her, as her hands rubbed his hard chest, trying and failing to slow her racing heart. Will’s heart raced with her, she felt it under his skin, thump thump thump, pounding against her hand. She kissed it, drawing his nipple into her mouth and biting lightly until he groaned. His hands fumbled with her jeans and she moved to the other nipple, not being gentle anymore, his rough hands pushing down her jeans, kneading her, pulling her toward him before she could pull the jeans off. They tangled around her ankles.

  “I need you, Will. Right now. Take me away. Like the first time. Like the last time.”

  Will rolled back on top, unmindful that they had moved halfway across the living room in their urgency. He jerked off Robin’s jeans, her long dancer’s legs smooth and soft under his hands. She was the most beautiful woman in the world with the finest body. He remembered every inch of her peaches and cream skin, the light covering of freckles on her shoulders, the mole on the inside of her left thigh. He kissed it and she spread her legs, writhing beneath him, needing him as much as he craved her.

  “I’ve missed you, Robin.” He kissed the inside of her right thigh, then licked all the way to her lush, round breasts, red from his earlier assault. She held his head to them and he took each into his mouth in turn. Her hands found his erect cock and he groaned as she squeezed.<
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  “Now,” she said. “I’m serious.”

  Without giving him time to position himself, she rolled him again. He loved how physical Robin was, how hard she pushed him, how hard she pushed herself. She straddled him and in one thrust slid onto him, hot and wet and ready.

  She gasped, and he felt her tightness.

  “Robin,” he began, then she moved her hips and he couldn’t speak.

  He pulled her to him, chest to chest, to kiss her, their tongues mimicking their lovemaking. Fast and frantic, in and out, no waiting to catch a breath. Their desire and urgency created a thick layer of sweat, bodies hot and slick, sliding together, a perfect fit.

  Will rolled her back and they slammed against the couch. Her strong legs wrapped around his waist, giving him deeper access. She gasped beneath him, the slender muscles straining in her neck as her orgasm bubbled to the surface.

  One look at Robin’s face and he couldn’t hold back. He pushed into her and released, feeling her muscles tighten around him as they came together. He collapsed onto her, kissing her neck, her ears, tasting the salty slickness of her skin.

  Before she could pull away, Will gathered her into his arms, picked her up, and carried her to bed.

  “Now we’re going to do this right,” he said.

  “That was pretty all right to me,” Robin said, kissing him.

  “Slower, Robin. I’m going to kiss every inch of your flesh. I’m going to taste every part of your body.” He stared into her eyes, greener and darker in their lust. “I’m hungry for you, Robin. I’ve been starving for you for seven years.”

  Before she could protest, or argue, or remember why she’d been angry with him-rightful or not-his lips found hers.

  Will kissed her with the intimacy of a lifelong lover, slow, exquisite, full of passion and love. Robin melted into his body as if they were one body, one soul. And in their exploration, past transgressions washed away.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Will hated leaving Robin while she slept, but she was resting so peacefully he didn’t want to wake her. He left her a note and slipped out at seven, found one of Mario’s men outside the door, and made sure security knew he would return at ten but not to leave Robin alone.