Allison Brennan - Killing Fear

“I want her to fry,” Carina said. “I won’t screw it up.”

Will was waiting on two more people-including Diana-when his cell phone rang. It was Officer Diaz, informing him that the couple who were seen driving Theodore Glenn across the border had just arrived home. Damn, he wanted to talk to them, but right now Jim’s murder was the priority. Instead, he sent Dominguez out.

Then Trinity’s number popped up on his caller ID. He almost didn’t answer it, but he’d promised her a scoop.

“Hooper.”

“So I can see why you didn’t call me as soon as you found out Jim Gage had been murdered in his own home. You were busy investigating a crime. And maybe I can overlook the fact that you didn’t give me a heads-up that the Sheriff’s Department was working the crime scene because that’s logical-Gage was in charge of the city’s crime lab. His own people shouldn’t be processing his blood. Got it. But you couldn’t even call me and tell me Theodore Glenn wasn’t a suspect? That he fled to Mexico? You promised me, Will, and it’s barely been twenty-four hours!”

“Trinity, it’s been hell over here. I’m sorry press relations wasn’t at the top of my to-do list. How’d you hear about Glenn?”

“That’s not fair. I helped you, and you don’t even throw me a bone. And I’m not telling you my sources, but the fact that the nice cop outside my town house told me he was leaving because Glenn was in Mexico and he’d been pulled off babysitting duty kind of clued me in.”

Will bit back a retort. He understood why Trinity was mad, but dammit, he was at a critical point in the investigation. “Off-the-record, Trinity.”

“No.”

“Then I’m not saying anything.”

“You’re an ass!”

“I’ll give you something, but you can’t report on it until I give you the okay.”

“Not good enough.”

“It’ll have to be.”

“Dammit, Will! If you think I’ll ever be your messenger to the public again, ha! Never! You’re a liar, Will-”

Will watched Diana walk into the bull pen and Detective Hazelwood approach her with a warm smile.

“Okay, I’ll give it to you.”

Silence. “What?”

“We have a suspect in the Jim Gage homicide.”

“In custody?”

“No.”

“Who?”

“I can’t tell you that until the suspect has been arrested. You know that.”

“Is it the same person who killed Anna Clark?”

“That’s a big jump,” Will said.

“No, it’s not. If Theodore Glenn didn’t kill Dr. Gage, who would? Maybe someone who thought Gage had information that would incriminate them? Maybe your little ploy yesterday didn’t work.”

“Don’t go there.” Will still wasn’t certain he wasn’t partly responsible for what happened to Jim.

“Sorry.” Trinity sounded sincere. “Well?”

“Let’s say that the suspect is also a person of interest in the Anna Clark homicide.”

“Fair enough. And I can run with this?”

“Run.”

“Ciao.”

Will put his finger up to ward off Hazelwood when his fellow detective indicated everyone was ready. He called Causey again and clued him into his conversation with Trinity so the chief wouldn’t be surprised by the media coverage, then walked down the hall to where the seven employees in the crime scene lab who had spoken to Jim yesterday were waiting.

“Thanks for coming in, I appreciate it. This won’t take long, we’re simply retracing Dr. Gage’s steps yesterday and you all spoke to him right before he left the office.”

“I just said good-bye,” one of the clerks, a timid young woman, said, biting her thumbnail.

“Then why don’t you come in first?” He smiled easily and escorted her down the hall.

Carina was already in the room. She’d showered and looked fresh, but dark circles framed her eyes.

Will quickly went through the first five individuals, then called in Stu Hansen. This was getting tricky, because Will knew Stu and Diana were friends and had worked together for years. “Thanks for coming in tonight, Stu.”

“I can’t believe he’s dead. I heard you don’t think it was Theodore Glenn. Why? That doesn’t make sense. Glenn threatened Dr. Gage several times. He-”

“Whoa, slow down, Stu. You spoke to Dr. Gage twice yesterday. On the phone in his office, then again as he was leaving.”

“Yes.”

“What was the phone call about?”

Stu frowned. “Why?”

“We’re trying to figure out what Jim might have been working on.”

“I told him I didn’t like the Feds coming in here and looking at our evidence, like we did something wrong. We didn’t do anything wrong, not on the Anna Clark case. We went by the book. Textbook.”

“We know,” Will said. “Like I told the reporter, we have no reason to believe anyone other than Theodore Glenn killed Anna Clark. This is about Jim, not a seven-year-old murder. Do you know what was in the box Jim was carrying with him when he left?”

“Box?” Stu frowned, glanced to his left as if trying to remember.

Will put a photo in front of him taken from the security camera. It showed Jim talking with Stu and Diana outside the exit leading to the parking garage. “This box.”

“I really didn’t think anything about it.”

“You didn’t notice it at all? It’s large. He’s carrying it with both hands.”

Stu shrugged. “It was a case file box.”

“Did it have anything written on it?”

“Not that I noticed-wait. Yeah, there was. The boxes are marked with the case number. Jim’s arm was covering the number, but it was an older case-the first two numbers tell the year and it was ‘01,’ and I guess I thought why was he working an old case, especially since that’s the same year the strippers were killed.”

“You automatically equated a case file from 2001 as being related to the Theodore Glenn murders?” Will questioned.

Stu shook his head. “I don’t know, it was on my mind. After Glenn told that reporter he didn’t kill the Clark woman, and then the press conference and the Feds getting involved-yeah, it was on my mind.” His eyes widened as he made a connection. “You don’t think Jim’s murder had anything to do with that case?”

“We simply want to know what work he took home with him,” Will said.

“It was Glenn. It had to be. No one else had a reason to kill him.”

Will switched gears. “Do you own a personal firearm?”

“No,” Stu replied, eyeing Will suspiciously. “Why?”

“I’m just asking.”

“No, you’re fishing. I’ve worked in the lab for a dozen years and I know how interviews are done. Do you think one of us killed him?” Stu looked disgusted. “What’s with you? I think it was Glenn, we all do, and you’re not even considering that possibility?”

“We have strong evidence that suggests Glenn did not-could not-have killed Jim.”

“What?”

“I can’t discuss that with you.”

“Am I a suspect?”

“Should you be?”

“Do I need a lawyer?”

“Do you?”

Stu stood up. “I don’t have to be here.”

“No, you don’t. But you’re an employee of the San Diego Police Department and Chief Causey has given me the authority to interview anyone under his command who may have information about the Jim Gage murder. If you refuse, you will be put on administrative leave pending an investigation. You may have your union representative in here with you, if you do not want to answer our questions without him present.”

“I-” Stu looked flustered.

Will asked, before Stu requested anyone, “What did Jim say when you and Diana spoke to him for two-and-a-half minutes when he left work yesterday?”

“I really don’t remember.” He closed his eyes. “I told him I was worried someone would be fired. He said he was out of the loop, that the Feds looked at the case and didn’t think it should be reopened.”