Footsteps in the Dark

by Josh Lanyon

  I sat across from her, and my gaze fell on a bright yellow plaque on the wall over the stove that read: Destination Happiness. Ouch. “Did Tim seem depressed when you left to go to the store?”

  “No. He seemed a little agitated after your visit, but not depressed.” She started sobbing again.

  “Had Tim ever suffered from suicidal thoughts?”

  “No.” She wiped at her eyes, giving little hiccups. “We were going to go to Hawaii as soon as his back was better.” She sniffed. “I can’t understand why he’d do this.”

  “Was he in a lot of pain?”

  “Not horrible. I mean, he was taking Vicodin, and it seemed to work just fine.”

  “Did you maybe have a fight?”

  “N-No.” She leaned her elbows on the table. “We were getting along great. I mean, he was kind of crabby after the surgery. But we were doing great.”

  “Any visitors today?”

  “Just you.” She wiped at her face with the paper towel. “That I know of.”

  “How long were you at the store?” I got up and grabbed her a dry paper towel.

  She took the towel gratefully, smiling weakly. “Thanks.” She dabbed at her eyes. “I was gone about an hour and a half. I hadn’t shopped in a while, so the list was kind of long.” She started crying again. “Now I have all this food, and it’s just me.”

  I noticed two bags of canned goods and other grocery items spilled on the kitchen floor. I assumed Tammy had dropped them when she came in the house and found Tim dead. She seemed truly distraught, but this was Hollywood.

  Andy came into the kitchen, holding an evidence bag with a cell phone. “Found it. It was under the couch.”

  I took the bag from him. “I’d love to know who Tim talked to last.”

  Tammy looked up, her tearstained face pale. “I just remembered something.” She sniffed and pointed to the house phone on the wall. “Somebody called and left a threatening message today.”

  “Threatening to whom?”

  “Tim.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “I can’t be sure, but the guy sounded just like Paul Hernandez.”

  “Robin’s husband?” I moved to the wall phone. “Is the message still on here?”

  “No. Tim made me erase it. He was pissed.”

  Crap.

  I glanced at the cell phone Andy held. “If we’re lucky, Paul also called Tim’s cell. Maybe forensics can recover the message.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Andy nodded, examining the cell through the plastic.

  “We’ll need to dump that phone ASAP.”

  “I’ll see to it.”

  Tammy clenched her jaw. “I don’t know why Paul would be mad at Tim. Robin was the one always circling my husband, not the other way around.” She scowled. “Why couldn’t she just leave Tim and me in peace?”

  “Is it possible they were having an affair?” I asked softly.

  She shook her head vigorously, her eyes filling with tears again. “No way. I don’t believe Tim would do that to me.”

  Hopefully Tim’s cell phone would give us some clarity about what he’d been up to. “Now, Tammy, I don’t want you to overreact, but I’m going to have one of my officers take you to the station while we sort out what happened to Tim.

  Her eyes bugged out. “What?”

  “It’s just so you can answer some more questions.”

  “You mean so you can check out my story.” Her face was red.

  “If it were just my call, I wouldn’t put you through this. But we don’t know exactly how Tim died, and I have to bring you in while we figure that out.” I leaned toward her. “I don’t think you’d hurt Tim. I want you to know that. But I have an obligation to fulfill.”

  She sniffed. “Fine. But you’ll see I was at the store just like I said.”

  I patted her hand. “I’m sure that’s true.” I turned to a female officer hovering near the door. “Officer Thomas will escort you to the station.”

  Officer Thomas approached and smiled at Tammy.

  Tammy stood, looking lost. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She followed Officer Thomas out of the house.

  Once outside, Andy turned to me. “Do you think she could have done it?”

  “I don’t think so. But we’ll see what the GSR evidence says. I could be wrong.”

  “She seems a bit meek to cold-bloodedly blow her husband’s brains out. Plus, it’s a little suspicious that Paul left a threatening phone message and then Tim suddenly turns up dead the same day. Maybe we should pay Paul a little visit?” Andy asked.

  “You read my mind.”

  We got the address from my notes and drove to Robin and Paul’s house. They lived on a quiet palm-tree-lined street with a view of the Hollywood sign. The house was a rustic Spanish Revival-style bungalow with a whitewashed exterior and a red-tile roof. There was only one car in the driveway, and I hoped it was Paul’s.

  When Paul answered the door, he looked like we’d woken him from an evening nap. He was shirtless, wearing only jean shorts.

  “Well, this is a surprise.” He ran a hand over his dark curls. “Robin’s not home right now.”

  “We came to talk to you,” Andy said in an agreeable tone.

  “Me?” He frowned. “Okay. Well, let’s sit, I guess.” He led the way inside, gestured to a brown suede couch.

  Once we were seated, I said, “How’s your job hunting going?”

  He shrugged. “Not great.”

  “That must mean you have a lot of free time on your hands,” Andy said.

  “Yes and no. I spend a lot of time driving to interviews.”

  “Maybe you don’t really want to find a job.” Andy laughed. “Must be nice to stay home during the day.”

  Paul shook his head. “No way. I definitely want a job. Robin has been riding me hard about that.”

  “Is that right?” I lifted one brow.

  “Yep. She wants to buy a bigger house, and her income won’t quite cut it. Not around this area.” He hesitated. “But something tells me you didn’t come here to talk about my job-hunting woes.”

  “Nope. Not really. We wanted to know why you left a threatening message for Tim Sloan.” I watched as color rose from his neck to his face.

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “His wife did.”

  He squirmed. “Well, why did she think it was me?”

  “Didn’t you leave your name?”

  “No, I— It wasn’t me.” He avoided my gaze.

  I leaned toward him. “You don’t want to lie to us, Paul.”

  His jaw had a stubborn jut to it. “I have the right to protect what’s mine.”

  “Meaning what?” Andy asked.

  “Meaning that asshole has been calling Robin for months. I’m tired of it. She’s my wife, and he’s not weaseling his way back into her life. Not if I can help it.”

  “So then you did leave a threatening message?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Yeah, I left the guy a few messages. So what?”

  “It’s not nice to threaten people,” Andy said softly.

  Paul’s laugh was spiteful. “I hope that little pussy peed his pants when he heard it.”

  “Leaving menacing messages is harassment, Paul. It’s against the law.” I watched him closely.

  He frowned. “Seriously?”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. I can’t believe that wimp complained to the cops.” He shook his head. “What a dick.”

  Right. He’s the dick.

  “Did you threaten his life?” Andy asked.

  “What? No. Is that what he said? He’s a liar. I said I’d kick his ass if he didn’t stop sniffing around my wife.”

  “That’s it?” I watched for tells indicating he was lying.

  He pushed his face toward me belligerently. “Yeah. That’s it. He’s full of shit if he said anything different.”

  I met Andy’s astute gaze, and he shrugge
d as if he believed Paul. I was getting the same feeling. Paul struck me as a bully, not a murderer.

  “We have a little problem Paul,” I said quietly.

  “What kind of problem?”

  “Well, it tends to catch our attention when someone threatens another person, and then that person ends up dead.”

  “What?” Paul’s brows drew together as if he was confused.

  “Tim is dead,” I said.

  He went perfectly still. “Wh… What?”

  “He died of a gunshot wound to the head this afternoon,” Andy said.

  Paul’s mouth fell open. “No.” He shook his head. “No way.”

  “Judging by how angry you were toward him, we can’t help but wonder if maybe you had something to do with his death.”

  He stood, his face white. “No way. I… I just left a few messages.” He licked his lips. “I swear to God. It was all just talk.”

  “Considering the circumstances, we can’t just take your word for it.” Andy stood.

  Paul looked horrified. “Guys, you have this all wrong.”

  “Have you been alone all evening, Paul? Is there anyone who can vouch for your whereabouts?” I rose and moved toward him.

  He held out his hands. “This is nuts. I’m not a murderer.”

  “We’re not saying you are. But it would be helpful if you’d come down to the station.”

  He raked a hand through his hair, mumbling, “I’m not taking the fall for this. No fucking way.” He looked toward the door.

  “Don’t try to run, Paul. That will only make things worse,” I growled, bracing myself in case he bolted.

  His eyes were wild. “Do you swear to God Tim is dead?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Jesus fucking Christ. She’s lost it. She must be off the rails.”

  I frowned. “Who?”

  He licked his lips and didn’t answer.

  “What do you know, Paul?” My voice was hard. “If you don’t start talking, you’re going to be the one in trouble.”

  “That’s not fair.” He looked nauseated. “I didn’t have anything to do with any of them. It’s all her.”

  “Who do you mean?” Andy rasped.

  “Are you talking about Robin?” I asked, uneasiness creeping through me.

  He met my gaze and swallowed hard.

  “Did Robin hurt Tim?” I inched toward him.

  He didn’t say yes, but his expression was telling.

  “If you know something you need to tell us,” I urged.

  Paul gritted his teeth. “I kept hoping she’d calm down, but she’s getting worse. I mean, am I next? Jesus, is she going to kill me because I know too much?”

  My heart started pounding. “What exactly do you know?”

  “Everything. I know everything she’s done.”

  A feeling of dread rippled through me. “Where’s Robin now?”

  His eyes bugged out. “How the hell would I know? I had no idea she was going to hurt Tim.”

  “Why would she go after Tim?” Andy asked, looking puzzled. “I thought she liked Tim.”

  “She did! But she’s so fucking paranoid.” He blew out a shaky breath. “She was scared he’d tell you guys that he showed her how to reprogram the keypad remotely. I kept telling her Tim wouldn’t rat her out, but if he’s dead, obviously she didn’t listen.”

  “So she’s the one trying to hurt Jax?” I found it hard to believe that Robin could be behind the attacks. She’d seemed pretty normal. Tense, but not homicidal.

  He gave me a wary glance. “I can’t just throw her under the bus. She’s my wife.”

  “She’s a lunatic,” Andy said, looking disgusted. “Why would you protect her? Two seconds ago you were freaking out about her coming after you.”

  He blinked at us. “I… I don’t think she’d really hurt me.”

  “I’ll bet Tim thought that too,” I muttered. “Look where that got him.”

  “Maybe it was an accident.” Paul didn’t even look like he believed his own words.

  “Do you really buy that?” I asked.

  He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Look, if you cooperate, there’s a chance you won’t spend the rest of your life in prison for something Robin did.”

  His mouth gaped. “Wait, why would I go to prison? I didn’t kill anybody. I was just trying to keep my marriage together.”

  “That’s not how the law sees it, buddy,” Andy hissed. “You’re an accessory to murder.”

  He looked shocked. “No. I’m innocent. I didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I was trying to help.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “The fire. When Robin set the fire, I texted you so you could come and help Jax.” He licked his lips. “That must count for something, right?”

  “You texted me?” I frowned.

  “Yes. I figured Jax had a better chance if you were trapped with him. It worked too. You both got out alive.”

  “Yeah, no thanks to you,” Andy grumbled.

  “Tell us everything you know, and maybe we can put in a good word for you with the DA.” I was trying to stay calm, but I was now certain that Robin had murdered Tim. If she’d gone after someone she liked, I had a horrible feeling she’d snapped. That meant she might be even more desperate, and hell bent on getting to Jax.

  “I knew she hated Jax, but I had no idea what she was going to do to Dale. You have to believe me.”

  “I find it hard to believe you didn’t have an inkling,” Andy said.

  “You’re wrong.” He started pacing back and forth. “When I found out what she’d done to Dale, I thought about leaving her. But she begged me to stay. She fucking begged me.” He groaned and covered his face. “Why did I go along with that crazy bitch? Why?”

  “Why did she go after Dale in the first place?” I asked.

  He slumped. “She wanted Jax to be disgraced. She thought if his show blew up in his face, he’d be ruined.”

  I squinted at him. “She murdered a man just to destroy Jax’s career?”

  “She hates him.”

  “Why? Because of her brother?”

  “She blames him for Trevor’s stalled career. She thinks he’s tried to keep Trevor under his thumb all these years.”

  “How would Jax manage that? Trevor’s a grown man.” Andy chuffed.

  “She thinks Jax toys with Trevor. I guess he was almost suicidal after Jax broke up with him. She’s crazy protective of Trevor.”

  “Emphasis on crazy,” mumbled Andy.

  “Is Trevor in on this?” I pinned Paul with my angry gaze.

  “No. He has no idea about any of this.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Robin really thought she could destroy Jax by killing Dale.” Paul groaned. “But Dale’s death didn’t ruin Jax. Jesus, if anything, he got even more popular. That sent her into a frenzy. I kept telling her to just let it go, but she wouldn’t.” He moved toward me, looking desperate. “I’m not a murderer. You have to believe me.”

  “If you know where she is, you need to tell us immediately.” I had a really bad feeling in my gut.

  “She went to tan. At least, that’s what she said.” He looked uneasy.

  “Shit.” I grabbed my cell, and my fingers shook as I dialed Jax’s number. “Andy call the tanning salon and verify she’s actually there.”

  “Okay.” He pulled out his phone.

  Since Don’t Die wasn’t currently filming, there was a good chance Jax was at the hotel right now. I gave Paul a searching look. “Does Robin know where Jax is staying?”

  He looked sheepish. “Yes. She knows he’s at the Jeremy. She followed him home one night.”

  I grunted, frustrated I hadn’t warned Jax to be more careful about that. But Harry should have known to watch for a tail.

  Andy hung up, his expression grim. “The receptionist said Robin wasn’t in the tanning bed when she checked just now.”

  I scowled when my call went straight to Jax’s voice ma
il. “Andy, call for a black-and-white to pick up Paul, and stay with him until they arrive. I’m heading over to Jax’s hotel.”

  “No problem.” Andy’s expression was tense. “I’ll meet you there after.”

  I redialed Jax’s number and bolted out of the house. Jax is fine. He has Harry with him. Harry had seemed competent enough, although he had screwed up on the tail thing. My biggest worry was that Robin wouldn’t seem threatening to Harry, and that Jax’s instinct would be to trust her. If Jax trusted Robin, there was a good chance Harry would too. Even though I’d warned Jax not to trust anyone, he would. By his own admission, Robin and Trevor were like family to him.

  As I raced across town toward Jax’s hotel, adrenaline pumped through my body like a tsunami. I kept telling myself that odds were Jax was perfectly safe. But I couldn’t shake the foreboding that something was wrong.

  The hotel was only about ten minutes away on La Cienega and West Sunset Blvd, but the drive felt endless. When I finally screeched up in front of the hotel, I jumped out of my car, flashed my badge to the alarmed-looking valet, and bolted through the front doors. Ignoring startled looks from guests and the front desk, I took the elevator to Jax’s floor.

  I trotted down the hallway, and when I reached Jax’s room my stomach clenched. The door was ajar, and there was a smear of blood on the doorjamb. I pulled my SIG P228 and took a deep breath. Peering through the cracked door, I saw someone on the ground near the door. All I could see were boots and jeans. Leaning in, I heard voices. Relief washed through me when I recognized Jax’s voice, but it was short-lived because Robin started yelling.

  From the hysterical timbre of her voice, it didn’t seem like waiting for backup would have a happy ending for anyone in that room. I slowly pushed the door open…and cringed when it squeaked. Shit. I was positive Robin heard the squeak, so I pushed through fast and raised my weapon.

  I found Robin standing with a gun against Jax’s temple, Harry lying on the ground by the door, and Trevor looking distraught. I trained my gun on Robin, and her frantic gaze met mine. She looked like something out of a horror movie, with dark streaks of mascara running down her cheeks.

  “Don’t come any closer or I’ll kill him,” she shrieked.

  “Robin, Jesus, please stop.” Trevor’s voice wobbled.

  I did my best to speak calmly. “Robin, put your gun down. Let’s talk.”