Chapter 7: Brynn's Boyfriend Appears

Ignoring James's cries, Sophia hung up the phone without a second thought and grabbed a cab with Robert back to the Stellarnova Police Department.

Inside the station, Kellan Hawthorne sat slumped in the interrogation room. When he saw Sophia walk in, he jumped up and blurted out, "Officer Brown, I swear I didn't kill Brynn. We broke up ages ago."

Kellan's eagerness to reveal his identity was a bit off.

Sophia calmly pulled out a chair, sat down across from him, and kept a serious face.

"Whether you did or didn't, we'll find out," she said. "First off, why did you bolt when I came to you for an abortion? How'd you know I was a cop?"

Kellan shrank back, trembling. "At first, I didn't know. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed wrong. Your voice was too calm. Most people who come to my illegal clinic are nervous, shaky even. I got scared you'd find out about my operation, so I ran."

Sophia felt a twinge of regret; she'd slipped up on such a small detail. But she kept her serious and cold demeanor.

"You've got quite the anti-surveillance skills. Were you in the military?" she asked.

Kellan sighed, "Nope, never was. From day one, I knew you guys would catch me eventually, so I practiced avoiding cameras. But it didn't matter; you still got me."

His head drooped even lower.

Sophia remembered Kellan's behavior on the surveillance footage; it didn't look like he had formal training. If he had, they probably wouldn't have caught him so fast.

"Tell me how you met Brynn and how you two got together. When was the last time you saw her?" she continued.

Kellan's eyes filled with anger, and his voice got louder. "Brynn must've been killed by that bastard!"

Their meeting was pretty absurd; a year ago, Brynn went to Kellan for an abortion, and he fell for her at first sight.

"Most women who come to me for abortions are prostitutes. They're not good people. No matter how much it hurts or the aftereffects, they deserve it. But Brynn was different. I could tell she was forced."

"She said her boss raped her. Her parents were biased against her, making her feel small and worthless. They were very traditional. If they found out she was raped, they'd blame her for not protecting herself. So she didn't dare tell them or go to a hospital, fearing her parents who worked there would find out."

"She said I was the only one who listened to her story and didn't judge her. I thought maybe it was fate."

"Later, she often came to me for medication, and that's how we started dating."

Robert asked, "Didn't you ever think Brynn might be lying to you?"

Kellan shook his head. "Brynn wasn't that kind of person."

Sophia frowned. Kellan was really naive. Not to mention that Stanley and Jessa didn't work at a hospital, and they were not biased parents. Brynn was their only child.

Kellan seemed like Brynn's loyal "backup plan," and even after her death, he still believed they were true love.

Sophia didn't want to ruin Kellan's image of Brynn, so she asked, "How did you two break up?"

Kellan's face fell even more, and regret flashed across his eyes.

"I accidentally got Brynn pregnant. She thought I was trying to trap her with the baby. She was a college student, and I was just a guy running an illegal clinic. She was really disappointed in me. She thought I was deceiving her too. After the abortion, she vanished completely."

Sophia asked, "So the blood at Barry's place was from Brynn's abortion?"

"Yeah, Brynn needed to replenish her nutrients after the abortion, so I sold the blood and gave the money to her."

Robert found it odd and pressed, "Why would you even sell Brynn's blood?"

Kellan's face turned red, "Because I didn't have much savings..."

Robert got it. Given Kellan's obsession with Brynn, he probably got swindled out of everything he had.

"Officer Brown, I've told you everything. You have to bring Brynn's killer to justice."

Sophia asked, "Who was the bastard you mentioned earlier?"

Kellan got really agitated. "The bastard who raped Brynn, Cillian, the general manager of Urban Harvest Eatery."

Cillian?

Sophia remembered what Lily had said about Brynn having a big fight with Cillian. Maybe Brynn wanted to break free from Cillian's control, and Cillian, not willing to let her go, killed her?

Just then, info about Urban Harvest Eatery came through. Sophia opened it and immediately frowned.

Robert quickly asked, "Any leads?"

Sophia closed her phone and said, "Not here."

In the conference room, Sophia handed the info to Robert. "Brynn was likely working as a prostitute at Urban Harvest Eatery, and Cillian was her pimp. The rumors at school about Brynn hanging out with people outside were probably about her clients."

Sophia paused, "Ronan said Brynn was so scared when she saw him at Urban Harvest Eatery that she paid him to leave, indicating she was very afraid of being found out. This job had to be kept secret, not just because of her pride and not wanting people to know she was working as a waitress, but more importantly, because it was illegal."

Robert added, "The waitstaff at Urban Harvest Eatery are paid well, but it couldn't justify Brynn owning a handbag worth over ten thousand dollars. She never brought luxury items home, always keeping them in her dorm, claiming they were gifts from her boyfriend. The only job that could support such a lavish lifestyle would be an illegal one."

Sophia and Robert exchanged a knowing smile, both pleased with their mutual understanding.

"One more question," Robert asked, "How did you figure out Urban Harvest Eatery was a brothel just from a list of waitstaff?"

Sophia pointed to the column of high-paid staff and said, "All the high-end service staff trained under Cillian have stage names that are the names of famous prostitutes. Even the male waitstaff have names of famous male prostitutes from history."

Malèna, from the film "Malèna," a poor widow forced into the sex trade after losing her husband. Marguerite, the tragic and beautiful courtesan from "The Lady of the Camellias."

These two characters were well-known prostitute protagonists from films.