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“Kristen,” the woman replied, her bottom lip trembling with fear as she glanced at Charlotte again and then me and my partner. “My name is Kristen Gallows. I’m twenty-four. Justin and I have been seeing each other for about five months now. We met at the sanctum. I-I knew about Delilah, but he told me they were over. Are you saying she was there last night, with him?”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying,” I nodded.
“But I… I don’t understand…” Kristen looked terrified, like she frankly had no clue what the fuck was going on. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, thankfully. Aside from her attacker, Justin was likely the last one to speak with Delilah last night. We need to talk to him.”
She opened the door then and screamed his name at the top of her lungs, shouting that the police was here to talk to him. He groggily shouted he was coming and would be down in a minute. Kristen waited outside with us.
“Charlotte,” I said, turning and glancing at her again over my shoulder. “Talk more with Kristen here while my partner and I deal with Justin.”
She offered me a tight smile and nodded. “Of course, Detective Hutch.”
five
Charlotte
“Ihad no idea they were still together,” Kristen told me first thing when I guided her away from the detectives and toward the street. “He told me he left her about a month before we got together. I swear I didn’t know she’d been harmed or that she was even there last night. She’s not even old enough to get in.”
“It’s okay, Kristen.” I instructed her to breathe in and out and did the motions with her, trying to calm her.
God, this woman really seemed to be shaken up by this whole thing.
“I believe you. I don’t think you had anything to do with what happened. However, you were there last night. Are you sure you didn’t see Delilah?”
Kristen immediately shook her head. “I swear on my life I didn’t know she was there. The truth is, I’ve never actually met Delilah, so even if I had seen her last night, I honestly wouldn’t have recognized her. You see, the club is very strict on anonymity. All members are required to wear a mask.”
“What time did you arrive at the club last night?”
“Uh…” Kristen paused for a long moment, worrying her bottom lip. “Sometime after 11pm, maybe? I got off work at 10. I left, came home, showered, got ready, and then I texted Justin telling him I was on the way. I’m not exactly sure what time it was, but it couldn’t have been no later than 11:30.”
I fetched my pad and pen out of my pocket and wrote down the notes. “And what time did Justin arrive?”
“About five, maybe ten minutes after I got there. It wasn’t long at all.”
“And you don’t remember seeing anything out of the ordinary? Anyone that may have looked suspicious or like they didn’t belong?”
Kristen slightly lifted her shoulders and frowned. “No. Nothing. Everyone had masks on. The only thing I can think of that could help is to maybe have the detectives check out the sign-in sheet at the club. All members are required to sign themselves in and show their membership cards to the guy at the door upon arrival.”
I cracked a smile at her. I had to give it to the girl—Kristen was smart. She practically read my mind.
“Felix McMann,” she rushed in before I could speak. “He’s the one you should talk to. He’s the owner.”
“Thank you for your time, Kristen.” I reached inside the chest pocket of my shirt and handed her my card. “If you remember anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
Detectives Rhodes and Hutch were still interviewing Justin, so instead of interfering, I just stayed put while Kristen reentered her home and pulled out my phone, checking my call logs.
“Damnit,” I whispered, sighing with regret. It was 11:15 when I’d called Peter and cried to him about my run-in with Karl last night. Assuming Kristen’s timeline was correct, then Delilah was assaulted after I’d left the club. There was nothing I could’ve done to help her or prevent it from happening.
Putting my phone away, I glared across the lawn at Justin Wheatley, whose face was flushed, with a river of bullshit tears pouring down his face. He wasn’t ugly. I’d give the little shit that much. He had a nice body and honestly looked like he could pull off a career being a male underwear model. His pain seemed real and even from my standpoint, it appeared genuine, but it was beyond my control—I couldn’t help but fucking judge him even though he wasn’t Delilah’s rapist.
He was an asshole.
Delilah deserved so much better and so did Kristen.
The detectives shook Justin’s hand, and from across the lawn I could hear Justin telling them he’d be at the precinct soon. I remained in my spot until both detectives were standing in front of me with annoyed sighs slipping past their lips.
“Justin is coming to the precinct to submit a DNA sample,” Detective Hutch spoke first. “He admitted he’s been cheating and lying to both Delilah and Kristen.”
