Jenn Vakey - Rilynne Evans 07 - Revenge with Murder (14 page)

“This way,” he replied, pointing to the left.  “It’s going to take us a little while to get back, but it’s a pretty straight shot.  Do you want to swing by the diner for dinner, or should we just put something together back at the house?”

“Cheeseburger,” she said before quickly changing her mind.  “No, steaks!  We have those two marinating in the fridge, don’t we?”

“Oh yeah,” he responded excitedly.  A breeze swept past them and picked up his
hair, making it dance under the glow from the horizon.  “I forgot I put those in this morning.”

“How could you forget steaks?” she joked.  “They’re one of the best things on the planet.  We have everything we need for baked potatoes, right?”

Ben dropped his arm down on her shoulders.  “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“I knew there was a reason I married you.”

R
ilynne was standing in the middle of a long dirt road.  Lining both sides were thick trees that towered high above her.  She looked as far as she could both ahead and behind her, but she couldn’t see anything around.

“Which way do I go?” she asked herself.  Nothing looked familiar.

After spinning several times in place, the yellow sundress she wore spinning out around her, she finally just picked a direction and started walking.

She walked for what felt like hours before finally seeing the first sign of civilization. 

The police station looked empty as she walked up the creaking steps.  The wood was warm beneath her bare feet.  

“Hello?” she called out, pushing the door
open.  It let out a loud screech as light flooded into the dark room.  With it, she saw something move quickly behind a desk.  She took a quick step back, and considered just turning around and continuing down the road.  After taking in a gulp of air to build up her courage, though, she stepped in.  “Who’s there?  I saw you hiding,” she said, her voice shaking with every word.  “Just come out where I can see you.”

After a few moments, she saw a head rise into view.

“Perez?”  For the first time, she was relieved to see him.  “What are you doing in here?  Why are you hiding?”

Sergeant Perez’s face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.  As he stood and rose into view, he seemed to be fighting the urge to erupt into full body laughter.

“I’m not hiding,” he giggled.  “Now move along, nothing to see.”

Rilynne took another step in, causing Perez to shake with excitement. 

“You’re up to something,” she said, growing more curious with every step she took toward him.  “What are you doing back there?”

He shook his head violently, though the large grin didn’t leave him.

“Nope, nope,” he said.  “Nothing to see.  Let’s go somewhere else!  We can go talk to some other people.  I bet they have something to hide.  We can talk to them and I bet one of them has something big to tell us.  Secrets; everyone has secrets.”

Rilynne kept her eyes on Perez as she walked around the desk to see what he was up
to.  When she rounded the corner, he pushed himself against the drawers to block her.

“Let me see,” she insisted.  Again, Perez shook his head vigorously, his body jittering with excitement.  “Come on.  You want to show me, don’t you?  It’s too exciting to keep all to yourself.”

Perez giggled again, sounding more and more like a small child.  “But that’s important!  I can’t let anyone know.  There would be so much trouble if anyone found out.”

Rilynne tried to push him aside, but he wouldn’t budge.  “It’s alright,” she assured him.  “You can trust me.  I won’t tell anyone.  I promise.”

He shook his head again and pushed his body back even harder against the desk drawer.  She was getting annoyed.

“Just let me see what’s in the drawer.  You don’t want me to call the mayor, do you?  Then she would make you get out of the way and she would see what’s in there, too.”

“That bag can’t do anything to me,” he said, slightly more serious than before, though not by much. 

Rilynne was losing her patience.

“She didn’t seem to have any trouble making you work with us,” she stated firmly.  “I bet whatever you have in there is even bigger than that.  And then she would probably tell everyone all about your secret.  I don’t think you want it to get out like that, do you?  If you show me, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t know,” he said, like a nervous child trying to decide whether lie or tell the truth.  “I don’t know if I can trust you.  I think you’ll turn me in.  I can’t let that happen!”  He shot his arms up in the air like he was trying to take flight.  “No one will stop me!”

Rilynne had enough.  She took hold of Perez with both hands and forcefully moved him out of the way.  Before he could stop her, she reached out and pulled the drawer open.

“No!” he yelled.  He shoved her with such force that she toppled forward, falling into the open drawer.

Darkness surrounded her as she fell deeper and deeper into the drawer.  Soon, the light from the opening was almost impossible to see.

She could feel her stomach twisting, but the scream building within her wouldn’t leave her lips.  She was sure the ground was going to hit her, but it didn’t come.  She just fell.

Just when she was thinking she would never stop falling, she saw a blue glimmer coming toward her.  Rilynne didn’t have time to consider what it could be before it was upon her.  She crashed into the dark blue water below, but it didn’t stop her.  She sank deeper and deeper before she finally saw the bottom below.  When her feet touched the wet sand, she felt the panic setting in.  The surface was far; it was too far for her to swim without needing a breath.  She jumped up and tried to kick up, but it felt like weights were tied to her ankles and dragging her back down.

She tried again and again, but she couldn’t get off the ground.  Her lungs started to burn and her vision began to blur. 

She was drowning.  She couldn’t stop it.

Rilynne shot up in bed, gasping for air.  Her heart was drumming in her ears as she looked quickly around the dark room.  Aside from her husband snoring gently beside her, she was alone.

W
hen Rilynne opened her eyes, she saw Ben sitting on the bed next to her.

“Good morning,” she groaned, reaching for the clock.  It was just before eight.  “What are you doing up so early?  You’re almost never up before me.”

“I had a bad dream that woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep.  I thought I would get up and get some breakfast ready.  Why don’t you go back to sleep and I’ll bring you some when it’s ready,” he said, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead.

She let out a soft moan and grinned as he got up and walked out of the bedroom.  Though he had offered, Rilynne couldn’t make herself go back to sleep.  She stared up at the ceiling above the bed for several relaxing minutes before she pushed herself up and went searching for her husband.  She found him in the kitchen, standing by the sink wearing only his favorite blue boxers.  When she looked around him to see what he was up to, she saw him sliding a knife into the fresh mangos they had picked on the way back from their walk the night before.

“Those smell great,” she said, leaning against the doorway.  “Aren’t you glad I talked you into picking them?”

Ben looked up and grinned.  “If memory serves, I’m the one who wanted to get the mangos.  I’m pretty sure you were more concerned by getting back here as fast as possible.  I actually thought you were going to leave me at the tree.”

“I drank three glasses of water before we went out for that walk.  I really needed to get to a bathroom,” she said.  “There was no way I was ducking behind a tree like you suggested.  But you definitely made the right call.  I could eat all of those in one sitting.  They smell better than any mango I’ve ever had.”

“I’m cutting you off at one,” he said, eyeing her in a determined way.  “They are large and you will be miserable if you eat too much.  Besides, you can’t live entirely off fruit.  That’s not healthy.”

“But they smell so…” she started, a slight whining tone echoing through her words.

“No,” he interrupted.  “They will be here tonight if you want to binge yourself.  We’re going to be out today, though, and you aren’t going to be happy if you’ve stuffed yourself.”

Rilynne groaned, but she knew he was right.

“Why don’t you grab that throw blanket off the couch and I’ll meet you outside when I’m finished with these,” he said.

Rilynne looked him up and down one more time, thinking to herself that she was an incredibly lucky woman, before pushing off the door frame.  She grabbed the maroon blanket that lay folded on the arm of the chair and headed out the front door.

Ben walked out a few minutes later juggling two glasses of juice and the plate of sliced mangos.

“You didn’t have to put clothes on,” she said, disappointed by the pajamas he now wore.  “I would have liked something nice to look at while I enjoyed my breakfast.”

Ben sat down on the swing next to her and handed her one of the glasses in his hand.  “I don’t know if anyone else would have enjoyed the view, though.”

“Have you looked at yourself?” she chuckled.  “You looked great when we first met, but the department boxing team has put you in even better shape.”

He shrugged.  “What can I say?  I wanted to look good for swimsuit season.”

“It’s not swimsuit season,” Rilynne said, rolling her eyes.

“Well, I’ve found myself in one almost every day since we’ve been here.  I’m pretty sure that qualifies.”

“You know what, I’m alright with you thinking it’s swimsuit season all year round if it’s going to leave you looking like that,” she said, looking up and winking at him.  “Not that you don’t always look good.  You could be three hundred pounds and I would still love you.”

“Well, that’s good.  I thought I’d have to keep this lifestyle up for years before you’d be attached enough to stick with me when I reached my desired weight of three hundred pounds,” he joked.  He picked up a juicy slice of mango and held it up for her to take a bite.  It was even sweeter than she had imagined.  She had a feeling she would never enjoy a store bought mango again, or at least not to the same degree.

“What was your dream about?” she asked as she swallowed the large bite.

He let out a soft groan as a look of contempt settled on his face.  “I don’t remember all of the details, but I know there was a clown with a knife chasing me through Addison Valley.  I remember ducking into the station, but when I walked in I was in the station
here.  Perez just laughed and kicked me back out.  By that time, there were at least three clowns coming after me.  I don’t really remember anything after that.”

A quick shudder moved through Rilynne.  She wasn’t unfamiliar with clown dreams herself.  “I hate clowns,” she muttered.

“You and me both.  So what’s on the agenda today?” he asked, though the less than hopeful tone left her with the feeling it wasn’t really a question he needed an answer to.

Rilynne took another bite of mango as she thought it over.  “Unless we have a big breakthrough and solve the case, the only thing we really have to look into is the contractor.  We’re pretty sure he isn’t the man she was having an affair with, so maybe he’ll be able to tell us who it was.  I’m still leaning in that direction for the person who killed her.  She was found fast enough that the only way someone would have had time to cover up the affair would be if they knew about her death before anyone else.  As soon as we find out who killed her, we can turn everything over to Sergeant Perez and get back to our vacation.”

“That would be nice,” he said, leaning over to kiss her on the side of the head.  Rilynne leaned into it and let out a soft moan.  After kissing her three times, he sat back up.

“You can keep doing that,” she said, dropping her head down on his shoulder.  He draped his arm around her shoulder and rested his head against hers.  Rilynne didn’t want to move.  They could have stayed in that position all day and she wouldn’t have regretted it for a second.

“Well, I say we head into the station and see if we can get out of there with enough time to do something tonight.  It’s a beautiful island and I would love to get out and see some of it before it gets dark.”

Rilynne nodded and jumped up with more energy than she expected to have with as little sleep as she had gotten.  “That sounds good.  But first, I say we go take a shower.”

Ben smiled when she reached her hand down and took his, not resisting as she led him into the house.

*     *     *

When they walked into the police station, they found Sergeant Perez in the same spot he always seemed to be.  Rilynne wondered as Ben closed the door behind them if he ever left his desk chair when there weren’t people around to make him.

“What do you know about the contractor, Lucas Palmer?” Rilynne asked, walking over to join him.  “Holly suggested we look into him if we’re looking for the man she was having an affair with.  She said there had definitely been something different between them lately.  She wasn’t positive it was a relationship, but it’s a good place to start.”

Perez laughed.  “You’re joking, right?  Lucas is twenty-four.”

“That doesn’t really say much,” Ben stated.  “Her husband was twenty-six.  He is literally half her age.  I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch for her to start something with another younger man.”

He seemed to want to argue, but Ben had a point.  Whether giving in to the idea or just tired of fighting all together, Perez tossed his hands up in resignation.  “Lucas is a good kid.  He grew up here, went away for school, then came back and took over the family business.  I had him remodel my kitchen last year after a small electrical fire.  He’s pretty talented, which is good because he’s the only contractor on the island.”

“Can you arrange for him to come in and talk to us?” Rilynne asked.  “Holly said he quit a couple days before the victim was killed.”

“I’ve got his number around here somewhere,” he said, shuffling through this card index.  After a few moments, he pulled one out and reached for his phone.  “No answer,” he said a few moments later.  “We can head over to his place in a couple hours.  I have a meeting right now that I’m already late for.  If you want to go out there with me, be back here by two.”

He didn’t wait for them to respond before grabbing the cap off his desk and walking out.

“Lunch?” Ben asked.  He placed his hand in the center of her back and led her toward them door.

“I’ve already got that taken care of,” Rilynne stated when they stepped out into the warm sun.  Ben looked down at her for an explanation, but she responded with only a smirk before starting toward their house.

Ben poked and prodded her several times on their walk to find out what her plan was, but Rilynne didn’t say a word.  Each time he asked, though, she swelled with excitement.  She loved surprising him, even with something as little as lunch.

When they walked up to their front door, Rilynne instructed him to wait on the porch while she ran in to get something.  She was so excited.  After she had awoken from the strange dream, it was nearly morning before she managed to make herself fall back to sleep.  Bored in the few hours in between, she started looking through all of the cabinets and closets in the house.  When they arrived, she pulled every door open just for a quick glance, but she hadn’t actually searched through anything.  After a few minutes, a plan started to form.

Rilynne went through the refrigerator and quickly grabbed the last few items before hurrying back outside.

She just smiled when she stepped out, excitement bubbling within her, and she sat the large picnic basket down on the deck so she could lock the house back up.  After reaching over and dropping the key into his pocket, she picked it back up.  Taking Ben by the arm, she led him to the front of the trail just around the house.

“When did you even have time for this?” Ben asked.  He took the basket from her and followed her down the trail.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied.  “I went snooping and found the basket, so I thought I’d put a few things together.  Since we’ve been working pretty much entirely on Sergeant Perez’s schedule, I knew there was a good chance we’d have some time off for lunch.”

“You were out before I was and sound asleep when I got up.  Did you just wake up for a few hours there in the middle of the night or something?” he asked quizzically.

She nodded. 
“Pretty much.  I had a dream of my own that woke me up around two.  It took me about four hours to fall back asleep after that.  I’m actually surprised I didn’t wake you.  I ended up tripping over that bench that’s at the foot of the bed.  With as loud as I hit the floor, I was sure you were going to wake up.”

“Nope, I was out,” he stated.  He stopped walking and looked her up and down curiously.  “Did you end up hurting yourself?”

She nodded and pulled the leg of her black capris up to reveal a bruise running across her shin.  He looked down at it and slowly shook his head before starting back down the trail.

“It’s a good thing it was me and not someone breaking in then,” she laughed.  She pushed the leg back down and followed.  “With as hard as you were sleeping, we could have been robbed blind and you’d have slept through the entire thing.”

“That’s what I married you for, though.  I don’t need to worry about hearing things in the middle of the night when I have a very sexy, gun-toting woman right next to me,” said Ben.  “I’m pretty sure that’s actually every man’s dream.  If not, it should be.  A good night’s sleep is right up there with marrying a chef who will cook extravagant meals every night.  Of course, if that were the case I might actually reach that goal of three hundred pounds.”

“Well, you definitely missed out on that one,” she chuckled. 
“Unless you consider spaghetti an extravagant meal.  That’s pretty much the extent of what I can make.  Oh, and toast.  I can definitely make some killer toast.  I know just the right amount of butter to put on it.”

“See, I’ve always enjoyed my sleep more, so I came out on top in the end,” he smirked.  He looked around before looking back at her hesitantly.  “You do know where we’re going, don’t you?  I wouldn’t mind getting lost out here, but I’m starting to get a little hungry.”

“We’re not lost,” she insisted.  “And we’re almost there.”

As the words left her lips, they came upon a split in the path.  “This way,” she said, pointing down the narrow trail to the right.  “It’s just around that turn up there.”

Rilynne took him by the hand and she pulled him along the path she had taken days before.  When they rounded the turn, they stepped into a small clearing that overlooked the ocean below.

“This looks like…” Ben started, looking around.

“Your spot at home,” she finished.  “That’s what it reminded me of when I found it.  I thought it would be the perfect place to come for our picnic.”

Ben nodded and placed the basket down.  “You were right,” he said, pulling her into his arms.  He slid a hand up to her neck and tilted her head back.  Without saying a word, he leaned down and softly brushed his lips against hers.  She moved forward to kiss him back, but he pulled back just enough so that their lips never fully met.  With a grin, she rose to her toes and ran her fingers through the back of his hair.  She tried to pull him
closer, wanting to feel the warmth of his lips against hers, but he resisted again.  It was one of his favorite games to play, and it drove her crazy every time.