Allison Brennan - Killing Fear

“You saw the scene. Frank was drunk. Likely passed out. And Glenn walked in and shot him in the face.”

“You don’t know-” Carina began.

“Hell yes I do! It was Glenn. You know it, I know it.”

The cocky bastard was sly as a fox, slippery as a snake. And Theodore Glenn wanted Robin. He’d always wanted Robin. Because she had refused him. Had said no, not interested.

A man like Theodore Glenn would never tolerate rejection.

Yet Will had doubted Robin after Anna was killed. Doubted her because he knew the M.O. The facts. The damn evidence. Glenn had relationships with all the victims. Anna wasn’t supposed to be in the apartment that night-she was supposed to be at her mother’s house in Big Bear. According to Robin, Anna hadn’t told anyone else that she was gay. She feared she’d be fired if anyone knew. So that night, Robin would have been home, alone, if she and Will hadn’t been having sex in the bar.

“Fuck.”

Carina stared at him. “You don’t swear.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Screw that,” she said, angry. “We’re partners. What’s mine is yours and all that crap. At least how it relates to the job. Got it?”

Carina was right. Will had been letting the past get to him. Remembering not only the success of Glenn’s conviction, but their failures-including Frank’s drinking during the stakeout and especially seeing Robin again. When he wasn’t working specifically on Glenn’s escape, he was thinking about her.

“Got it. I’m sorry.”

“You haven’t slept much, I can cut you a little slack. But not forever, pal.”

He pulled into a parallel parking place in front of The Eighth Sin. Robin would automatically have been at the top of Glenn’s target list: She was instrumental in his conviction, and credible to the jury even after his odd cross-examination. Will’s greatest fear was that Glenn would finally kill Robin. Why had she called? It had to be serious if she wanted to talk to him.

“You had something going on with her?” Carina said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been partners for over two years, but I’ve known you it seems forever. You’re worried about this Robin McKenna, over and above what you would normally feel for a potential victim.”

“She’s not a victim.”

Carina stared at him without comment.

Will’s body tensed. He couldn’t flat-out lie to Carina, not after everything they’d been through together, the trust they’d built. He reluctantly said, “We were involved for a while. During the investigation. It didn’t work out. That’s my M.O., right?”

“Right,” Carina said, making no move to get out.

“What? You know now, leave it alone.”

“Thing is, I do know you. You’re hung up on her. You don’t act like this. The only time you ever get all funky about a woman is when Wendy comes to town and you agree to go to dinner with her.”

“She’s my ex-wife.”

“Yeah, but you loved her, didn’t you?”

Will shrugged, but it was the truth. Of course he’d loved Wendy. He wouldn’t have married her otherwise. But love wasn’t enough. Not then, with Wendy and wedding vows, and certainly not seven years ago with Robin and their insatiable lust.

“Let’s go inside,” Carina said, getting out of the car.

Damn. Her anger was gone and somehow that made Will even more uncomfortable. His partner was half Cuban, she didn’t just drop things.

Carina was ringing the bell before Will closed his door. “Swanky place. I remember walking the beat down here when I was first a cop, before redevelopment. I’m glad the city cleaned it up.”

Will was proud of what Robin had accomplished. Even though they’d only been together for a few weeks, he knew she’d wanted to own her own business. And she’d done it, in style.

No thanks to him, and without him at her side, but what could he do about that now?

The intercom buzzed. “May I help you?”

“Detectives Kincaid and Hooper, San Diego Police Department, to speak with Robin McKenna, please,” Carina said.

“Please come in.” The door buzzed.

Will frowned, thinking anyone could lie and be admitted, then he saw a discreet security camera angled above the door. Of course Robin would have security. She was a smart woman.

An attractive, petite blonde woman met them in the entrance. “I’m Gina Clover, assistant manager. Robin is in a meeting, but she’ll be done momentarily. Please follow me.”

She led them through the club-metal and hollow in its emptiness-to the Back Room which was far more welcoming and comfortable with rich, earthy tones, plush dark green carpet, and a warm atmosphere.

“Can I get either of you something to drink? We have soft drinks as well as bottled water, flavored water, or perhaps some Tazo tea? It’s fresh-brewed.”

“We’re fine,” Will said, answering for both of them.

“Water would be great,” Carina said, frowning at Will. “Thank you.”

Gina nodded with a smile and motioned for them to sit wherever they liked.

The Eighth Sin was much larger than the former RJ’s, and Will realized that Robin had bought the adjoining business and expanded. He couldn’t remember what had been in this space, but Robin must have been doing much better than he thought to be able to afford this. Maybe she had an investor. Maybe she had a lover…

What was it to him? He’d tossed her aside, told her that he didn’t believe her. Worse, she hadn’t defended herself.

Yet had he been in her shoes, would he have denied the accusations, pleaded his case? Hell no. He would have walked, furious and upset that the person he loved had no faith in him.

If he couldn’t forgive himself, how could he expect Robin to forgive him?

After the assistant manager delivered Carina’s water, Carina said, “First Sherry, then Frank. Connor has good reason to be worried about Julia, and I’m glad he took her out of town. Maybe you should be watching your back as well.”

“He’ll kill me last,” Will replied.

“What?”

“He wants me to see everyone else die before he comes for me,” Will said with certainty.

“I thought Robin McKenna was his primary target.”

“You have to understand how his mind works. He plays off people’s fears. I’m a cop. I protect people, or like to think I can. With every person he kills, he’s showing me I’m a failure-I can’t even protect the innocent. It’s Glenn’s way of twisting the screws. But with Robin-”

“Does Glenn know about your relationship with Robin?” Carina asked quietly.

Will almost said no. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I didn’t think so, but-he said some things during the interview after Brandi was murdered that made me think he’d been following Robin.”

“Stalking her?”

“Yes, but not in the traditional way we think of stalkers. I think he wanted to see how she reacted to the other girls being killed.”

“Then why wouldn’t Glenn want to see Robin’s reaction to you being killed?”

“Because Robin doesn’t care about what happens to me,” Will said. “We haven’t been involved in seven years.”

“He doesn’t know that.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” But that gave Will something more to chew on. What, exactly, did Theodore Glenn know about his life? Or Robin’s? Had he found a way to track her while in prison? Did he have help? Will couldn’t imagine Glenn confiding in anyone, but he was charismatic and manipulative. Maybe he did have someone working with him. A subservient.

He said as much to Carina.

“You’re beginning to sound like Dillon,” Carina said, talking about her brother.

“I’m sure Dillon would agree with me. I arrested Glenn. He’s smart, shrewd. For example, he knew Frank was a drunk. I remember that first interrogation, Frank playing bad cop, me playing good cop.”