Quinn still wasn’t quite sure how she found herself sitting across from Linc in one of the few low top booths available. With it being a Friday night, the place was pretty lively with the music turned up a couple notches compared to lunch during the day. Rhonda was behind the bar as usual, Paul was the manager this evening, and Bright was nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Benjamin Henry in here before,” Quinn said, not liking the silence that was hanging over the table. Linc had been watching her closely, almost as if he was waiting for her to complain about the fact that they’d practically abandoned their discovery with Agent Malone and the others. There could only be one reason for that, and he’d already stated that fact. “You really don’t believe that Benjamin is The Widow Taker.”
There was that slight wince he always showed when she used the moniker. Maybe that was the reason she said it so much in his presence. Not a lot rattled him, and she could admit that she didn’t like him to constantly have the upper hand in every situation.
“My role on this task force is as a profiler,” Linc explained, reaching for his beer. “I draw the broad strokes of the landscape, and the others fill it in with details. Sometimes, they need me to adjust the details and how that particular puzzle piece might fit, but I maintain a focus on the big picture. It’s not that I don’t enjoy going in the field or being part of the investigation, but I know when to hand vital intelligence off to those whose responsibility it is to chase down leads. A team functions if everyone knows their part in the mechanism.”
Quinn caught the scent of barbeque as Marcie walked past the table with a tray full of food for one of the tables behind them toward the front of the pub. Linc had chosen the side of the booth that faced the front door, while Quinn had a clear view of the bar and some of the back where the new dart boards had been set up.
There must have been a private party in one of the back rooms. There was abrupt roar of multiple conversations carried through the doorway every time someone opened the door.
“It’s going to be hard to convince anyone watching that we’re in the beginning stages of a relationship if you’re looking everywhere else but me,” Linc said quietly, somehow his rich tone not carrying farther than their private little area. “Rhonda has glanced this way quite a few times. She’s definitely curious.”
Quinn frowned, finally focusing her attention on him.
She didn’t need a shrink to tell her the reason this façade was going to be a bit difficult. He wasn’t just handsome. He was downright sexy, and the exact type of man she would have invited home for drinks. Granted, it was rare that she indulged in such company, and she always politely asked for them to leave once she had gotten what she wanted from them. She wasn’t looking for anything long-term, which was why she also had a radar for those men who might not see things her way. She wasn’t too sure which category that Linc fell into, and she wasn’t willing to muddy the waters to find out. He was much too intelligent to pick apart at a pub on a Friday night over a couple of beers.
“How do you know if Rhonda has been looking over here? She’s not even in your line of sight.”
Linc flashed that charming smile of his until she ended up shaking her head at the impossibility of him being able to notice anything of the sort. He hadn’t once glanced toward the bar.
“Rhonda’s assistant is having a hard time keeping up with the orders, the man wearing a grey suit is getting irritated by the long wait, and a group of ladies on the far side of the bar are hoping that a table opens up soon.” Linc turned the bottle of his beer so that the label was facing toward her, never taking his gaze off her. “The couple on the other side of the room are having a heated argument about money, the private room is hosting a late holiday party that a local company didn’t get to host last month, and Brandon Harper was fired this afternoon. Oh, and Brighton is in his office.”
Quinn would have bet money that Linc hadn’t been able to catch all of that information in the short amount of time since they’d been at the pub. She would have lost her shirt, too. She spent the next few minutes verifying as much of his observations as she could, but she needed a little bit of help in some areas that were less obvious.
“Marcie,” Quinn called out as the waitress walked by with an empty tray. “You don’t happen to know who rented the back room tonight, do you? I thought I saw a friend of mine go in there.”
“Glass & More,” Marcie answered, tucking the tray underneath her arm. “They didn’t get to have their Christmas party last month. Better late than never, though. I heard the employees received a rather nice bonus this year. Can I get you another round?”
Quinn hadn’t even taken a sip of her beer.
“We’re okay right now,” Linc replied, his eyes appearing darker in the dim lighting than they actually were. “Thank you, Marcie.”
“How do you know that Bright is in his office?” Quinn asked, finally lifting her drink. The first taste of cold beer was always the best. She let it slide down her throat, hoping that the alcohol would take away some of the tension that had set up residence in her shoulders. She was also chafing at not following up on the Todd Acker angle. It was rubbing her ass raw. “Did you see him walk back there?”
“No.” Linc tilted his bottle toward the end of the bar. “Evans is sitting right over there tonight. He indicated that Brighton was in the back when we arrived.”
Quinn recalled it being mentioned that someone was watching the comings and goings of the pub. Deputy Evans wasn’t in uniform tonight, but he did seem to blend in with the crowd better than the two of them. As a matter of fact, he was currently talking with two of the women who were hoping to snag a table.
Once again, silence fell over the booth.
She couldn’t quite bring herself to relax in Linc’s presence. There was so much they could be doing instead of eating dinner and hoping that their appearance as a couple caused The Widow Taker to do a double take. He needed to reconsider her as a less than optimal target.
Was that even the right call, given the circumstances?
The Widow Taker hadn’t reached out to her after the podcast. The incoming text earlier today had been from Roger, who had been waiting for her submission. He needed to set the type, as they say. There were no longer typesets, per se. The pages were set and designed with a computer and printed with high-tech machines. The days of ink and rollers were long gone. She’d sent her article to him before she and Linc had even left the house.
“My priority right now is to work the profile and keep you safe,” Linc replied without a trace of regret. “It’s not my intention to upset your daily routine, Quinn.”
She shifted in her seat, wishing there was a bit of padding on the wooden structures. They’d removed their jackets and hung them up on the pegs that were reserved for each seat. Bright had renovated the place, and he’d done an exceptional job of giving the place more of an Irish pub feel.
“Let’s make the playing field a bit more even then,” Linc suggested, holding up his bottle to see if she’d play. “I know more about you than you’re comfortable with, so ask me anything you want.”
Quinn observed him for a moment before making up her mind. Getting to know him hadn’t been part of the deal, and something told her that it was actually a bad idea. Even so, her curiosity got the best of her.
She tapped the neck of her bottle against his in agreement.
“You’ve already told me about your parents, and I already guessed that you were valedictorian.” Quinn purposefully skimmed her gaze down his chest, taking stock of his casual clothes. “You like to be comfortable when you work, you don’t feel the need to be in the spotlight, and you’re more of a team player.”
“Right on all accounts.”
“You’re not married, but it’s not because you’re afraid of commitment,” Quinn guessed, too late to second guess the path she’d chosen for this conversation. “You want what your parents have, and you won’t settle for less.”
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br /> Surprisingly, Linc shifted his beer into his left hand and laid his forearm on the table with his palm facing upward. She stilled her movements, wondering if he’d taken her assumption the wrong direction.
“Rhonda is looking this way again,” Linc replied softly, still offering his hand. “We might as well start letting them know that we’re together. If the unsub isn’t already here, he’ll hear about our date soon enough from the pulse of the street.”
Quinn hesitantly laid her left hand in his, doing her best to ignore the heat that immediately soaked into her skin. Goosebumps trailed up her arm as if to warn her that she was in dangerous territory, but she pushed the warning sensation away in her mind. That wasn’t an easy thing to do when he brushed his thumb across the back of her hand, lighting up a million electrical impulses along her nerve endings.
“Do you have eyes on the side of your head?” Quinn asked, not having to fake a smile this time. He really was a phenomenon. “No wonder you’re considered one of the best profilers in the bureau.”
Quinn shrugged when Linc seemed taken aback by her compliment.
“I might have overheard Deputy Dwight talking to the sheriff today.”
“Dwight is young and impressionable,” Linc dismissed, though he didn’t negate what the man had said earlier. No one could say that Linc didn’t have confidence. “You’re right about the reason I haven’t married yet, but it has more to do with how many hours this job entails than anything else. I’m usually not gone from home this long, but the time I need to dedicate to my job has been the downfall of my few serious relationships. By the way, Brighton is heading our way.”
Quinn happened to be watching Linc closely while talking, which was the only reason she’d caught the movement in his gaze. There was a picture hanging on the wall with glass laid over the field of wheat blowing in the wind. The rich earth tone colors made the reflection in the glass easier to make out, and it just so happened to be of the bar.
No wonder he’d been able to tell when Rhonda’s attention had landed on them or the fact that Bright was a mere foot away from their table. It wasn’t surprising to see him veer off when he caught sight of Linc sitting across from her.
“You can’t blame him,” Quinn said, although she seized the opportunity to bring the discussion back around to the case. “Are you absolutely positive your profile doesn’t indicate that there could be two killers?”
“I thought you were friends with Brighton,” Linc pointed out, still caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.
“We know each other, but I wouldn’t call ourselves friends. Bright was on the football team with Nick, so I would see him around Aaron’s house all the time. After…well, after everything that happened, Bright had already left town. I never saw him again until he moved back and bought the pub.”
“Did you used to come here for lunch when Connor Pryor owned the place, or just when Bright reopened it after the renovations were complete?”
“Let’s just say that my lunch used to be on the house,” Quinn said, smiling in fondness over the old fool. “Mr. Pryor is one of my biggest fans, and he loved having me work here every weekday through lunch. The place back then was more for the local crowd, so it wasn’t busy like this until Bright started advertising the new drink and food menu, plus he added the rental rooms in the back.”
“Which is when the unsub began his killing spree,” Linc murmured, more to himself than her. He even paused mid-stroke on the back of her hand. “We ran background checks on all the employees who Brighton had initially hired, but nothing came back questionable.”
“So, it has to be a new regular who started to—”
“Here you go,” Marcie said as she appeared with a full tray of food. It was hard to miss her smile at their hand holding, which Quinn broke off so that the waitress could serve their meals. “A double basket of barbeque wings, double fries, and a side of extra sauce.”
“Thank you,” Linc said, leaning back so that Marcie could also set down a plate in front of him. She did the same with Quinn before glancing over their table to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Alright. I’ll be back with a fresh set of beers. Do you guys need anything else?”
“I think that will do it,” Quinn said, reaching for her napkin. She hadn’t really eaten much of lunch today, so for once she was actually hungry. “Could you change my beer to an iced tea, please?”
“Sure thing.”
Linc motioned for Quinn to dig in first, which she did wholeheartedly. She’d noticed immediately upon driving to the station with Linc that her tension over the new plan had replaced a deep-seated fear she hadn’t really acknowledged before. It was nice not to have to constantly look over her shoulder for a danger she still wasn’t sure was directed at her. She filled her plate before glancing up at Linc, whose features had practically turned to stone.
Quinn’s heart rate spiked, and she quickly turned to look over her shoulder at what could possibly have altered his easygoing mood so fast. Nothing ever got to him, so she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
It certainly hadn’t been Todd Acker walking toward them on his way to the bar.
“Quinn, now isn’t the time to—”
She was out of the booth before Linc could say another word. They technically hadn’t had a moment to talk about the fact that Nick had spilled his guts to Todd about what truly happened that night.
The bottom line was that she, Nick, and Lisa had made a pact.
Todd was never supposed to have been a part of it.
Never in a million years would she have thought that Nick would betray their trust like that, nor so quickly after they had sealed their promise.
“I want to talk to you in private.” Quinn had confronted Todd before he could take another step forward. The look that crossed his face was unreadable. “In the back. Now.”
Quinn turned and would have led the way had Linc not reached out and caught her arm. She had no choice but to stop and hear what he had to say if she didn’t want to cause a scene.
“No good will come of this, Quinn,” Linc warned softly so that she was the only one to hear him. “You’re the one who suggested you didn’t want the Rockwells to find out the truth.”
“Exactly,” Quinn confirmed, resting her hand over top of his so that they stayed in character. She was in complete control of her emotions, and it wasn’t her intention to bring unwanted attention their way. “All I want to do is make sure it stays that way.”
Linc studied her for a moment before nodding his understanding and slowly releasing his hold on her. He made eye contact with Todd, as if to convey a warning that he should do as Quinn requested. A rush of gratitude shot through her at the thought that someone actually had her back for once. She was used to doing things on her own, so the reinforcement was a nice change of pace.
“Just remember, he may be watching,” Linc replied as he finally settled back in place. He then smiled as if everything was perfect, raising his voice for anyone listening. “Hurry back before the wings get cold.”
Quinn realized that Linc believed The Widow Taker was still watching her every move.
Was the killer watching her from somewhere inside the pub?
More importantly, would Linc’s plan as acting like a couple actually discourage him?
Quinn put faith in Linc’s profiling, plus he had been nothing but open and honest with her from the very beginning. He was now giving her a chance to gain some closure while offering her a moment of privacy.
She trusted him.
More importantly, he trusted her.
Chapter Sixteen
It had taken every ounce of internal fortitude Linc had not to follow Quinn and Todd toward the back of the pub. If the unsub was in attendance tonight, he would be watching her like a hawk. It was imperative for Linc and Quinn to pull off this ruse for her safety. She was risking making herself more of a target of opportunity. Her walking off with another man might very well give off the wrong signal
to an unstable personality.
He lifted his bottle of beer and took a swig, ensuring that his actions spoke of his content demeanor in regard to Quinn’s absence. It wouldn’t do to send the wrong signals. He still wasn’t sure what it was about the woman that had him wanting to buy her a plane ticket for Washington D.C. At least she’d be out of danger there, and there were people he knew in the area who could protect her until this case was solved.
Linc used the time given to him to survey the patrons.
No one stood out as someone who didn’t belong.
That was the nature of this type of beast. Back in medieval days, the common folk always suspected the revelation of a murderer among them must come in the form of a beast that could lay in wait, changing forms before striking. Thus, the myth of the vampire or werewolf was born of these suspicions.
A beast proficient at blending in, acting as if they belonged in the village, was easier to accept than the knowledge that one of their own could be capable of such brutality. The modern sciences had dispelled the notion of a mythical beast, though. It had been proven that man was capable of such horrendous deeds, yet it had not taken the beast out of the mind of the killer.
It was from this same cold scientific analysis that Linc had been able to determine that Benjamin Henry wouldn’t have been able to utilize this place as his hunting ground. He wasn’t the average patron. The man wasn’t comfortable in his own shoes. He was socially awkward, unable to go unnoticed in a crowd.
“Agent Roche?”
Linc had noticed and recognized the man walking towards the booth. He’d also noticed that Evans had somehow managed to join the ladies and snag them a large table at the same time. He appeared to be very immersed into what the pretty blonde was saying, but Linc caught the sweep of the deputy’s gaze over the bar every so often.
“Mr. Chambers,” Linc greeted, having seen Dean speaking with the victim’s brother a couple of times in the past month. Gerald Chambers had been out of town at the time of his sister’s murder, and he hadn’t been able to add any additional information that hadn’t already been acquired from their parents. “How are you this evening?”
The Isolated Widow (The Widow Taker Book 2) Page 14