Delusions With Murder: A Rilynne Evans Mystery (13 page)

“Wow, how did you catch them?”

“I… heard her talking to herself about it when she was grading papers.  She had kind of cracked there at the end; seeing any girl he even said hello to as a threat.”

“That sounds intense,” said Ben, wide-eyed with intrigue.  “I don’t imagine that went over well with the guy, though, you know, being busted and having to end things.”

“Actually, he was pretty relieved.  He had apparently been trying to end things himself, but was afraid of what might happen if he did.  I think he was just waiting until the school year was out, so she couldn’t wreak havoc on his grades.”

“Even in high school you were a little detective, huh?” He looked amused.  “No wonder you chose it as your path in life.  Did you ever consider doing anything else?”

“You know, I did actually.  Up until I was six, I wanted more than anything to be a princess.”  She took a quick sip of her beer, but almost spit it out from laughing.

He cocked his head sideways, and examined her face.  “Yep, I can see it,” he said.  “A nice, shiny crown, and people worshiping you everywhere you went.  Every girls dream, isn’t it?”

“Oh, shut up.”  She tossed the throw pillow in her arms at him, hitting him square in the face.  The stunned look he gave almost made her fall over with laughter.

“Your majesty,” he bowed his head.  “I am but your humble servant.  Might I fetch you another bottle of ail?”

Her side started to hurt from all the laughter.  It had been far too long since she had laughed so much, and it felt good.   “Stop,” she called out, throwing the other pillow at him as he walked away.  “So, what made you want to be a surgeon before you changed to forensics?”

“The money and women of course,” he said.  After taking in the disbelieving look from Rilynne, he continued.  “I got stuck with community service when I was in high school, and my brother pulled some strings and got me a job at the hospital.  It was nothing special, just cleaning out bedpans and changing sheets.  But on my breaks I would sit in the observation room and watch the surgeries.  I had always liked taking things apart and fixing them, and that’s exactly what they were doing.  I found it fascinating.”

“Do you ever wonder what life would be like now if you had stuck to that path?”

“Sometimes.  But I’m glad I made the choice I did.  For one thing, I would just now be finishing school.  And my days would be even longer than they are now.”

“Yeah, but think of all the money and women.”

He grinned, playing with the label on his bottle.  “I don’t know; I do alright where I’m.”

Rilynne started to feel her chest tighten again, so quickly changed the subject.  “I couldn’t imagine still being in college.  Don’t get me wrong, it was fun and all, but four years was enough for me.”

“What, you weren’t a sorority girl, spending your college days drinking and going to frat parties?  I find that shocking.”  He wasn’t even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

“Hey!  I did my share of partying,” she stated defensively.  “I even dated a frat guy.  I just didn’t lose myself in the parties like a lot of people do.  I knew how to have fun but still focus on my priorities.”

“I wish I could stay the same.  I spent most of my first year getting drunk and blowing off my classes.  I’m lucky I didn’t screw up my grade point average, actually. I probably would have if…” he trailed of, pulling his beer back up to mouth.

Rilynne did not say anything.  She knew if he wanted to finish his thought he would, but it wouldn’t be right to ask him to.  After several seconds of tense silence, he finally spoke again.

“The day I moved in with my brother after my parents died, this cute little blonde girl walked up and introduced herself.  She lived next door, and had been watching me unload my stuff.  It was right as school was getting out for the year, so we spent the entire summer together, and we were soon inseparable.  She really helped me work through my parents’ death, and stuck by my side even when I started acting out and getting in trouble.  The truth is, she was one of the main things that pulled me back.  Shortly after that, we started dating and everything was perfect.  She got me motivated to go to college, and we even got accepted together.  On our third anniversary, I decided to take the big step and proposed to her.

“For the first time in a long time, I was at the top of the world, and it didn’t seem like anything could go wrong.  Then…” Rilynne noticed the catch in his throat, but waited for him to continue.  “We went to Florida for spring break, and I admittedly got too drunk our first night there.  To this day I still don’t remember anything that happened after dinner, but when I woke up the next morning she wasn’t there. 

“I tried to call her, but my phone wasn’t anywhere to be found, and she had just gotten a new number which I hadn’t memorized yet.  At first I didn’t think much of it, but after an hour when she didn’t return I started to get worried.  I was on my way out the door to look for her when I was met by the police.”  Rilynne could tell he wanted to stop there, but he didn’t.

“They, uh… found her body in the dumpster behind our hotel.”  His eyes seemed to be glued to the empty bottle in his hand.  “They found my phone and wallet with her.  Telling the detectives you don’t remember anything that happened isn’t a great line of defense, so by the end of the day, I was their prime suspect.  If it hadn’t been for some skin that was under her fingernails, I would have been charged with her murder.  It turns out that a guy in one of her classes had had a thing for her and had become obsessed.  After putting me in bed, she went out to get some ice and he cornered her to confess his love.  When she turned him down he snapped and strangled her.  He then went back to our room and took my phone and wallet to try and frame me for it.  Forensics saved my life, and helped me get justice for Laney.”

Rilynne said the only thing she could think of.  “I’m so sorry.”

“I was lucky to have her for the time I did.  She truly was my best friend, and I owe her more than she ever knew.  I just wish she could have seen the man I turned into.”

“She would have been proud of you,” Rilynne said confidently.  “Not only are you amazing at what you do, but you are a genuinely great guy.”

Ben looked up from the bottle, and stared Rilynne in the eyes.  “Why detective,” he said with a grin, “you’re going to make me blush.”

Rilynne opened her mouth to respond, but quickly decided against it, and just grinned back.  He seemed to sense what she was about to say, and his ears did start to redden.  Rilynne glanced over at Nicole, and pretended she hadn’t noticed.

Nicole had started snoring softly, and there was even a little stream of drool running down her chin.

“I should probably get her back to her apartment,” Ben said, standing up.  “Or she will end up spending the entire night on your couch.”

“Do you want me to help you get her down?”  Rilynne asked, knowing very well that Ben would not step foot in Nicole’s bedroom.

“No,” he said, picking her up.  “She can just sleep on her couch instead of yours.  I’m thinking she will be a little confused when she wakes up in the morning.  I’m actually a little sorry I will miss it.”

Rilynne followed him as he carried Nicole to the door.  She was actually impressed at how easily he was able to do so.  He seemed to carry her as if she weighed nothing more than a sleeping toddler.

“Thanks for coming over tonight,” she said as she pulled the door open.  “I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

Ben was halfway down the hall before she closed the door.  After taking all of the empty bottles to the buildings recycling bin, she decided to call it a night and climbed in bed.  She knew that, in addition to hoping for a call from the public with information that could lead them to the suspect, there was also going to be a reverse effect.  The public, as helpful as they were hoping to be, would inevitably inundate the lines with calls about every shadow that struck them wrong.

Chapter Eleven

R
ilynne found herself in a large, stone room.  Everything in sight was some shade of gray, leaving no color to be seen.  If she hadn’t looked down to see her hands their normal color, she would have thought the world had changed to black and white.

She walked the walls of the room, looking for a door, but there wasn’t one.  The only windows in the room were set at the top of the ten-foot walls.  Even if she had been able to reach them, there were bars that would have prevented her from getting through. 

Just as panic was starting to set in, she turned to find a door standing freely in the middle of the room.

When she crossed the room and pulled it open, a gentle mist sprayed her face.  She could smell the salt in the air as she stepped through the door, and felt her toes sink in the warm sand.

The sand itself was almost white, and softly slid over her feet as she walked.  She heard crashing from ahead, and looked up to see an ocean that was just a shade lighter than the vibrant blue, cloud-free sky. 

She slowly walked down the beach until she came upon a group of large rocks in the shadow of magnificent palm trees, and began to climb.  She reached the top of the larger one and sat down to take in the view.  She honestly had never seen anything as beautiful.

The colors all around her seemed to be so deep, and almost alive.  Even the patch of dense vegetation growing around the base of the palm trees was a shade of green she would not have thought existed in nature.

So this is paradise, she said to herself.

Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out to her.  She looked out to see a figure standing at the other end of the beach.  She tried to make out who it was, but they were too far away.  With one last look at the waves
rolling against the base of the rocks, she climbed down and started towards the mysterious person.

As she drew closer to the unknown figure, the scene around her started to darken.  She looked up to see thick black clouds rolling in from above the stranger.

They better take cover before they get caught in the storm, she thought to herself.  The figure did not seem to share her concern, though, as they did not move at all.  As the sounds of thunder filled the air, Rilynne began to run.  Are they crazy, she asked herself?   They are going to get struck by lightning standing out in the open like that.

No sooner had she thought it, than a bright blue blot struck no more than two feet to the left of the person.  Still, they made no motion towards moving.

Rilynne was now running as fast as she could, though it seemed she was moving at a pace no more than a brisk walk.

It felt like an hour passed before she finally reached the end of the beach.  The storm clouds yelling violently above left the area in almost complete darkness, but she could still make out Nicole standing in front of her.

“Hurry up.  It’s time to start getting ready,” she expressed excitedly.

Rilynne looked around, but could not see anything that would explain what she was talking about.  “Ready for what?” she finally asked.

“The wedding of course!  We can’t be late,” she stated as she turned and walked towards the trees.

Nicole had already vanished through the tree line when Rilynne finally started to follow.  As soon as she stepped through herself, the sounds of the beach vanished and were replaced by shouts, dinks, and loud music.  After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward and found herself on a crowded fair ground.

“I never really liked carnivals,” a voice came from just over her right shoulder.  Ben was standing behind her, holding a dozen red balloons in his hand.  “I think it’s the clowns.  They always kind of freaked me out.”

“I would have to agree with you there,” she said as two clowns walked past them.  “If you don’t like carnivals, what are you doing here?” But when she turned back around, Ben wasn’t anywhere to be found.

She started to push her way through the swarm of people when again she heard a familiar voice.  This one left her shocked, as the voice she heard was her own. 

She followed it to a crowded booth set up at the end.  As she grew closer, she could just make out what the group of people walking towards her were saying.  “I can’t believe they let anyone like that on our police force.  It is completely outrageous.  Something should be done.”

The two men just behind them were having a similar conversation.  “Doesn’t that violate our rights?”

She forced her way to the front, and almost cried out at what she saw.

On top of a platform was her desk from the station, with her seated behind it.  Just then, the chief of police walked up and took the microphone.

“Citizens of Addison Valley.  I want to reassure all of you that your concerns have not gone unheard.

“The mayor contacted me as soon as it was revealed that Ms. Evans had this so called gift.  I want to guarantee you that this department does not support this kind of behavior.  Ms. Evans will be immediately removed from duty, and transferred to the state hospital for the help that she needs.

“Furthermore, all of the cases Ms. Evans has been involved are being overturned, and those charged will be released shortly.

“I want to apologize to all of you personally for the gross negligence on my part in hiring such an unstable individual.  Our officers are handing out eggs and rotten fruit, and we encourage you to throw them at Ms. Evans.  If we are lucky, we can knock this nonsense out of her.”