Found With Murder (6 page)

His eyes settled back on Lori and he nodded.

“Did he find her?” he asked.  “Did he take Kim?”

“We don't know,” she replied honestly, relieved that he already knew.  “We're looking into the possibility, though.  Actually, Harper might be able to help us if you'll allow it.”

He kept his gaze on Lori for several long seconds before turning back to Rilynne.  “I'll call my mom and have her bring him back.  What is it you’ll need him to do?”

“Just look at some pictures,” she said.  “If we manage to track Maloy down before Harper gets back to town, we'll set up a line up for him to look at.  He won’t have any direct contact with him, though.”

“Even if he isn't the man who took Kim-” he said.

Rilynne nodded.  “I will do everything I can to keep him away from her,” she finished.  “I'm sure I can find something to arrest him on.  Maybe if he's harassed enough by the department, he'll give up and move on.”

“Don't tell her,” he said shortly.  “Not right now.  She can't handle it right now.”

She reached over the tiled island and placed her hand gently on his before nodding.

As she walked back into the living room, she became convinced that if the department wasn't able to keep Maloy away from Lori, Joe would take it upon himself.  Knowing Ben, he would probably want a piece of the action, as well.  She was struck with the sudden realization that it was quite possible that both men might end up arrested before the year was out.

Lori looked like she hadn't moved a muscle since she left her.  She appeared almost like a statue, staring blankly out the window.  It didn't last long, though.  The moment Rilynne made to sit down, the phone across the room rang.  Lori spun around and crossed the room before anyone else.  Her shaking hand hovered over it impatiently until Jerkins nodded.

“Hello?” she said timidly.

Jerkins pushed a button seconds later that sent the conversation echoing through the room.

“If you want to see Kim again, you will deliver three million dollars to the bench at the north side of the park at nine o'clock tonight.  If I see police or anyone following me,
you won't ever see her again.  When I'm confident I'm safe, you will receive instructions that will take you to where she's being held.”

The voice was distorted.  His tone was harsh, though, which left her with an uneasy feeling.  The look on Wilcome's face as he stood against the back wall said he felt the same.

“Let me talk to my baby,” Lori stated.  She was fighting back tears.  “You won't get anything until I know she's all right.”

They sat in silence for close to thirty seconds before another voice came through the line.  Unlike the first, this one sent a spark of hope through everyone in the room.

“Mommy?” Kim said.  She sounded scared.

Tears flooded down Lori's face.  “Baby, are you all right?”

“Yes.  I miss you, Mommy,” she said.  “I want to go home.  I want to see you and my daddy.”

Before Lori could say anything else, the man came back on.

“Nine o'clock tonight, not a minute later.”

When the line went dead, Rilynne turned back toward Wilcome.  His brow was furrowed as he stared at the phone.  She knew without asking that he noticed the same thing she had.  The abductor's tone was different at the end of the call.  He was angry.

If Lori had noticed it, she wasn't reacting.  The only thing showing on her face was relief.  After the initial joy of hearing her daughter's voice, though, worry settled back in as she seemed to absorb the rest of it.

Without a word, she stood up and walked quietly back to the living room, everyone else following close behind.

“I'm going to get the location from the trace,” Jerkins said, reaching for his phone.  Wilcome nodded and he walked out of the room.

“Three million dollars?”
Lori asked.  She sat down on the large couch, Wilcome and Joe sitting on either side.  Rilynne lowered down on the other sofa and dug her fingers into the back of her neck.  Ben looked pensive as he sat down next to her, his knuckles dragging across his chin.

Rilynne glanced up at him curiously for a moment.  She knew him well enough to know when he was simply worried or if he was battling with something.  This was the
latter.  She wondered about it for a few seconds before pushing it aside and turning back toward Lori.

“I don’t know how we can pull together that much before the deadline,” Lori said.  “I don’t even have a fraction of that.”

“We can get it together,” Wilcome said.  “It will take too long to get all of it from the department, but we'll be able to get some.  As for the rest, Sherri and I have two hundred thousand dollars in savings.”

Rilynne looked over at Wilcome,
both shocked and impressed with his offer, then looked back at Lori.  “I have a little over three hundred thousand dollars.  I'll be able to get a couple thousand back on my dress,” she said, remembering the dream she'd had.  “I can also…”

Ben stood up and let out a deep breath, sending the room into silence. 

“I’ll pay it.”

“
I
can have the full amount here within six hours, less if I can get access to a helicopter to get me to San Antonio and back,” he said.  “If that's possible, I can have it here in about three.”

All eyes shifted to Ben, including Rilynne’s.  She stared at him, not understanding exactly what was going on.  He was shifting his eyes between Lori and Wilcome, both looking just as confused as Rilynne felt.  He seemed to be avoiding her gaze completely.

“Jared Lewis has a helicopter,” Rilynne said after a few moments.  “He owes me a favor.”

Wilcome stood up and started pacing around the room.  His eyes shifted between Ben and the floor beneath him several times.  She wasn’t sure she had ever seen him so confused.  If the situation were different, she might actually be amused by it.

“Okay,” he said after a few moments.  “Let’s get this done.”

Rilynne’s eyes were on Ben when she pulled her phone out of her pocket.  He did the same, but still refused to look at her.  Instead, he put the phone against his ear and walked out of the room.

It took just minutes for her to get his ride arranged.  Jared didn’t hesitate for a moment before offering his helicopter and even agreed to fly it himself.  After making the arrangements, she walked to the kitchen and found Ben with an apprehensive expression.  He was already off the phone and appeared to have been waiting for her.

“So is that what you’ve been hiding from me?” she asked, leaning against the counter next to him.  “You were too afraid to tell me you have money?”

He hesitated for a moment, knuckles dragging roughly along his chin.  He seemed to be trying to find his words.

Rilynne moved in front of him.  She reached up and grabbed his hand, carefully sliding hers between it and his chin.  He leaned into it and kissed it softly before finally meeting her eye.

“Were you afraid I wouldn’t like you having money, or I would?” she asked.  Though she wished he had told her, she wasn’t upset.  She couldn’t be.  She knew all too well about secrets and the reasons to keep them.

Taking a step closer, she looked him deep in the eyes.  “We were supposed to be married
yesterday,” she said.  A look of guilt passed over his face with her words.  She brushed her hand gently over his cheek and smiled.  “For richer or poorer,” she continued.  “They’re not just words.  I love you.  It doesn’t matter to me if you have a few million in the bank, or you’re down to your last dollar.  There isn’t anything that will change the way I feel about you.”

His eyes moved around her face, as if trying to gauge her sincerity.  After a few seconds, he reached out and pulled her in, kissing her hard, harder than he ever had before.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips before they drew apart.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.  I…”

Before he could continue, Rilynne stopped him.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said.  “If anyone understands secrets, it’s me.”

“You ready?” Wilcome asked, sticking his head in the room.

Ben nodded, his eyes still on Rilynne.  After stealing one last peck, he followed Wilcome toward the front door.

As they left, Rilynne took a deep breath to compose herself before walking back to the living room and sitting down next to Lori.  Not knowing what to say, she just reached out and took her hand.

Rilynne watched as Ben and Wilcome climbed into Wilcome's car.  Her mind was blank.  She didn't know what to think about the situation.  It wasn't until she heard Lori speak again that she realized the car was already gone and she had been staring off at nothing more than the empty street.

“Thank you,” Lori said.  “I really can't even begin to think of what to say to express how thankful I am.”

She turned to find Lori looking at her.  Her focus was clearer than it had been in days.  Though her face was still swollen and wet from tears, she seemed more alert and almost like her old self.

“Don't thank me,” Rilynne said.  “It's all Ben.”

She must have still looked as flabbergasted as she felt because Lori slowly grinned as her eyes swept across Rilynne's face.  “You didn't know,” she said finally.

Rilynne shook her head quickly.  “I had no idea,” she said.  “We've never really talked about money.  I think the only conversation we ever had about it was when it came to whether or not I should accept the payout for Christopher's life insurance.”

“It makes sense, though,” Lori said.  The topic must have been distracting her, because she seemed almost enthralled by it.  “Do you remember how strange he was when we were talking about what we would do if we won the lottery?  He didn't really want to give an answer and quickly tried to change the subject after he did.”

“That's right,” Rilynne said, thinking back to the conversation they'd had earlier in the year.  “He started to talk about how many people go bankrupt after winning large sums of money.”

“Do you think that's why he didn't tell you?” Lori asked.  “Do you think he was afraid you would go crazy and spend it all?  Or was he afraid you would only want him because he had money?”

Rilynne shrugged.  She was glad the conversation was distracting Lori, even if only temporarily.  Joe seemed to be thinking the same, because he just sat back on the other couch and watched them with a pleased sort of smile.  “I have no idea.  I can't really be angry with him for holding back, though.  That's not really something that would come up easily in a conversation.  'So you like to run?  That's great.  I have a few million in my saving account.'  Not really something that just rolls off the tongue.”

“Well not when you first start dating, but you would think he would have said something after you got engaged,” she said.  “Although…”

Rilynne waited for her to continue, but she didn't.  Instead, she seemed to be thinking something over for a moment before she looked back over to Rilynne.

“What?” Rilynne asked when she still didn't say anything.

Lori shook her head.  “Nothing, I just lost my train of thought.”

She was lying; Rilynne could see it in her eyes.  Lori may have been one of the smartest people she had ever met, but she was never good at lying.  She opened her mouth to call her out on it, as she always did, but decided just to let her have it. 

*     *     *

It took just under three hours for Ben and Wilcome to return.  Ben was carrying a large duffle bag in his hand.  Rilynne couldn't help herself, her eyes instantly shifted to the bag.  With how quiet the room was, she imagined everyone was thinking about the same thing.  It was unlikely that any of them ever thought they would see three million dollars, and it was now just a few feet away.  Rilynne had to fight off the urge to ask him to open the bag, because she knew it would have been highly inappropriate in the moment.

“All right,” Wilcome said, taking the bag from Ben and setting it down on the table.  “We have just
under four hours until the ransom is to be delivered.  I'm going to have some undercover officers set up in buildings around the area so they can get eyes on it without being seen.  Were you able to trace the call?”

Rilynne
nodded, her eyes back on Ben.  Like before, he was hesitant to meet her gaze.  “The call came in from a payphone on the edge of town.  There aren't any cameras in the area and the abductor was already gone when a car was sent out.  The phone had been wiped clean but we had all of the change inside collected and they're checking for prints now.”

“Clever,” Wilcome said with an impressed grin.  “I want to know as soon as the results come back.”

She nodded again before crossing the room to Ben, who was still lingering just inside the door.  “How was your flight?” she asked casually.  She could see he was expecting their earlier conversation to continue, but she decided not to pursue it at the moment.

He was taken aback by her question, but quickly answered.  “It was pretty good.  Jared flew me out there himself.  He said he's been looking for a reason to take her out and was thankful you gave him such a valiant one.  He mentioned he had been planning on dumping a few hundred pounds of bread crumbs over downtown, so I think the people of Addison Valley will be pleased, as well.”

“So I take it he knows that you know he isn't crazy like everyone still believes?” she asked.  She had been shocked when she learned Jared Lewis' antics were actually carefully planned and thought through rather than the eccentric episodes of an unstable man.  After his wife was arrested and he was able to pursue the divorce he had been longing for, she had thought that the stunts might stop.  She was wrong.  As far as she knew, there were only a handful of people who were aware that Lewis was, in fact, quite sane.

“Of course he does,” he said.  He walked with her into the kitchen and away from the crowd.  “I guess he assumed that since I'm your fiancé, you would have told me.  He didn't even try to pretend otherwise.”

“I almost don't feel as special now,” she said.  He looked at her quizzically so she continued.  “I liked the fact that he confided in me while still allowing everyone else to believe he was nuts.”

Ben grinned and slowly shook his head.  “Well, don't take it too personally.  I'm sure he felt the situation surrounding our time together warranted a more serious attitude.  Would you really rather he had put on his little charade in the middle of all of this?”

“No,” she mumbled.  “Did Wilcome make the trip with you, too?”

“Like he would pass up the chance to take a ride in Jared's private helicopter,” he chuckled.  “He did seem a little nervous when he found out that Jared would be flying us, but he quickly relaxed.”

“Meaning he put all of the pieces together?”

Ben leaned against the bar and glanced over to Wilcome.  He was sitting in the living room with Lori, presumably explaining how the night was going to proceed.  “You know him,” he said.  “He just sat there quietly and took in everything happening around him.  It didn't take him long to figure it out.  Of course after that, he seemed to be just as interested in the lack of surprise I had with the discovery.”

Rilynne walked around the island to stand next to him.  His body was more ridged than normal.  He was still uneasy about the revelation, though there was too much going on around them for her to try to guess why.  Whether to ease his mind for the moment or show him everything was fine, she didn't know which herself, she reached out and slid her arm around his waist.

“I'm sure it will make for an interesting conversation when this is all said and done,” she said casually.  “At least now that he's seen Lewis himself, he won't think I'm crazy like you did.”

“You're not crazy,” he said, looking down at her.  The gold flecks in his chocolate eyes sparkled as the light hit them.  “Maybe a little nuts at times, but I wouldn't go so far as to say you're crazy.”

“Watch it, mister.  Do you really want to be pushing my buttons right now?”

Ben grinned and shrugged.  “It's one of my favorite things to do.”

Rilynne shot him a baleful look before gently sliding her hand down his arm and lacing her fingers in with his.  He looked down at her, a look of pure love in his eyes, and let out a soft sigh.

“You’re perfect,” he said.

She didn’t know how to respond.  Her heart was racing in her chest as she felt her face start to burn.  Ben’s eyes shifted from hers to her pinkening cheeks and grinned.  He always took pleasure in making her blush.

Luckily, Wilcome called them over, so she didn’t have to try to come up with a response.

“I want the number of undercover police cars in the blocks surrounding the park increased,” he said when Rilynne and Ben walked over to join them.  “Have them start two blocks from the drop site and span out.  I want the plates run on every car going in and out.  I don’t want anyone pulled over until after the ransom is picked up, though.  We can’t risk our
guy getting spooked.  After we get eyes on him, he’s to be followed unless it’s confirmed that Kim is in the car with him.”

“I’ll call it in,” Rilynne said.

Rilynne walked back into the kitchen to make the call.  When she finished, she turned around to see Ben walking cautiously toward her.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked. 
“Or maybe a run?  You haven’t gone on one since this all happened.”

“I could go for a walk,” she said.  His offer was actually surprising.  Though the tension had lessened, she wouldn’t have thought for a moment that he would go out of his way to have a little alone time with her. 
At least not yet.

He smiled without uttering another word and took her by the hand.  After telling Wilcome they were going out, he led her through the front door.

The day was nicer than she thought.  It had been cold when they walked over that morning, but the temperature had risen significantly.  She might have even been hot in her sweater had it not been from the gently breeze sweeping over them.

Ben was expecting the conversation to turn to his big reveal as soon as they stepped out onto the walkway.  It was obvious by the tenseness of his body.  Rilynne really wanted to talk more about it, but she was taking more pleasure in watching him squirm every time they spoke.  She wondered quietly to herself how long she could draw it out before he grew comfortable enough that he no longer reacted.