“Sure thing. I’ll inform him now.” The officer picked up a phone and dialed.
Worry twisted through Willa. What if they didn’t believe her? She’d gone to the police about Robert before, and they wouldn’t help her. Maybe this was different. That had been in San Francisco, not San Diego.
“Hello, I’m Detective Riser.”
Willa smiled nervously as she studied the man. He wore a suit, like most detectives, and he was clean shaven. The man wastall and had an air of authority, but not cruelty. His hair had some gray in it, so he must be at least forty, maybe older.
“I’m Bree, and this is Willa.”
The detective shook their hands and then led them back to a conference room. The room was nice, with swivel chairs and a huge window looking out over the city.
“Nice view. I thought police interview rooms were dank and dingy,” Bree said.
Riser snorted. “This room is a nice one. We don’t bring people we’re interviewing in here. We just want to make sure Miss Cagney is comfortable while we talk. We want to make you aware.”
Willa feared what Riser would say to her question. “What do I need to be aware of?”
Riser motioned to the chairs. “We should take a seat.”
Bree took her hand after they sat. She was glad Bree had come with her. There was no way she could face this detective on her own. Her stomach was already in knots, and she was having trouble breathing evenly.
“So this guy, Robert, you used to date him?”
“Yes. We broke up months ago. I don’t know why he followed me here.”
“You were living in San Francisco. Is that why you moved to San Diego, to get away from him?”
“Yes.”
“I called the San Francisco PD, and they have a record of you going in. But it sounds like they didn’t listen to you. I wasn’t happy with what the detective I spoke to said.”
“Oh, what did they say?”
Riser frowned and shook his head. “They called Robert. He told them a different story from what you said. The detective up there didn’t take your concerns seriously. But based on what we saw in the trunk of his car, he is in a load of trouble.”
“He’s still locked up in jail, right?” She had to know if he was out.
“He is still locked up.”
“Do you think he will get bailed out?” Bree asked.
“Maybe. But he has done some very bad things, and I don’t think he will escape a prison sentence. If he’s released, he’ll be placed on house arrest. The main issue is that he is here in San Diego, and his residence is in San Francisco.”
“How many people stay at home when they’re under house arrest?” Bree asked.
Riser made a sound like a grunt. “The numbers are not what we like.”
“So, how can you keep my friend safe? Robert seems unhinged, and I don’t want him coming after Willa again.”
Riser nodded. “We’ll make sure to increase patrols. If Robert gets bail, we’ll keep an eye on him. He won’t have the freedom to just run around. I know it’s a scary prospect, but we can help to keep you safe.”
Bree sat forward, resting her forearms on the table. “What was in Robert’s possession that made you all think he was dangerous?”
Riser cleared his throat. “They were very disturbing images. We’re not sure if they were all real, but we’re certain that a few of them are real. There is a woman who was reported missing a few months ago. Robert had photos of her. When we saw photos of you in the back of his car, we just had to make sure you were okay. He told us you were inside the restaurant and made us check on you because we honestly thought, based on the images he had, that he’d already done something bad to you.”
Willa leaned forward. “He wanted me dead?”
Riser straightened in his seat and frowned. “Wanted may not be the right word. He certainly fantasized about it and hadmanipulated photos of you. Like I said. It was enough to arrest him.”
