Fear

27- New Haven

"So what's with the attitude?"

"I don't know what you mean?" Mira was lying.

"The she's been playing me comment you made,  followed by the aggressive tone in the interview."

The detective gulped. "She's obviously dating her lawyer, did you not see them holding hands?"

"No."

"Yeah and all along she has been flirting with me."

"Well at least you're acknowledging that she is flirting now."

"Yeah well. I wish she hadn't. You know what I said the other week. Well I don't want to feel like this. I wish I hadn't listened to any of you, do you know that. I was perfectly happy going through life thinking that I wouldn't have anyone again."

"Mira, mate, it's crap I get..."

"Do you?  There I am worrying about how anything could happen now after we haul her in for questioning and it turns out she has someone. I feel like an idiot."

"Yeah. You also don't know that mate. I didn't get those vibes and I am pretty good at reading folks. If it's worth anything. I'm pretty convinced Collins has nothing to do with this but someone is trying pretty hard to make the links to her. She was shocked as I read through that list. I say we should go back and be a little friendlier and see if there is anything she can tell us about those women that might help us find that link."

Mira gulped and nodded.

"Miller." A young officer caught her attention. "Stobbs wants you and Andersson upstairs now."

The two women looked at each other confused. What was so important that it was worth disrupting an interview for?

"Thanks Phil, can you let Annabelle Collins and her lawyer know that we are going to be a little longer before we get back to them, and get them coffee or something." Mira shouted back as she moved to catch up with the FBI agent who was already striding towards the staircase.

———-

"Good. You're both l here." Stobbs beckoned them to her office. "Mullens" she shouted across the office to the coffee station where he was grabbing a drink.

He set his stirrer down and lifted another cream and headed to the office, fixing the rest of his beverage while he walked.

"Okay" everyone was in the room and Stobbs closed the door. "Who knew that we were picking up Collins?" Stobbs sat at her desk.

"Just us. We waited until her class was away, before we asked her to come in." Andersson answered. "What's this about?"

"This came in." Stobbs turned her screen. "It's a newsfeed staying the Professor Collins was arrested. It has video of you two accompanying her to the car- looks like drone footage."

"Just press stuff."

"You think it's a coincidence they were there at the exact time?" Mullens shook his head. "Someone had to have tipped them off."

"Who else did you speak to?" Stobbs asked the pair.

"No one stopped by her office and her assistant told us she was teaching. We never mentioned why we were there." Andersson concluded with a shrug.

"That's not all, it didn't come from the media, it came directly to my inbox along with this." Stobbs opened her email.

Getting warmer. But there will be others, many, many others. Maybe it's time to up the game of cat and mouse. Are you ready for all of your worst fears to become a reality,