Suspicions with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Four) (11 page)

Knowing that Matthews was bound to have started worrying by now, she dropped the caddy off and made her way back to her room. Since she had sped through the majority of her afternoon chores, she knew that it would be a while before anyone missed her.

When she reached her room, she checked up and down the hall to make sure no one had seen her before walking in and closing the door. She lay back on her bed and pulled out her phone. After fighting off the urge to call Ben, she dialed the number in the phone labeled ‘mom’.

“You were supposed to call in hours ago,” Matthews said in his familiar surly tone.

“Sorry, Mom,” Rilynne joked. “I got caught up catching a purple dog and playing detective.”

“Purple dog?” he asked, caught off guard by her statement. To her delight, it accomplished its job and his demeanor instantly lighted. “Do I even want to know?”

“Not much to tell there, actually. It was literally a purple dog. Now as far as playing detective goes, I have a few things for you to check out,” she stated. “That is if you’re done scolding me for my late checkin.”

“Well, what do you have?” To her surprise, he sounded more excited over the prospect of having a break in the case than annoyed by her sarcasm.

“Check into Nancy Santos and see if you can find the name of her boyfriend… well, ex-boyfriend. You should be able to find them on a social networking site,” she explained.

Matthews mumbled, as if writing everything she was saying. “What do you want to know?”

“When they broke up,” she said. “She said it was last week, so I want to know if it was before or after the victim’s body was discovered. You should also try to get a hold of her ex-husband and see if he ever encountered any aggressive behavior from her when it came to jealousy. I think I saw his contact information in the file.” She paused and thought over the rest of the conversations from the day. “Also, check with Brittney Price’s family and see if she ever talked about being in a relationship with Danny Jones. From what I was told, everything with them ended amicably, but it’s worth looking into.”

“Is there anything else?” he asked.

Rilynne had almost completely forgotten the main reason she called him. “I believe I may have found where she was killed. Jared Lewis informed me that he saw her shortly before she died, and she still had several things she needed for do around the manor. He also stated that his wife was furious the next morning when she found that only part of the east wing banisters had been cleaned,” she explained. “I haven’t made it over there yet, but I will tonight. We know that she fell down a flight of stairs, so it’s reasonable to think that she was in the process of cleaning the east wing stairs when she was killed.”

“Good,” he said excitedly. “If we can find evidence of a crime taking place, we should be able to get a warrant to search the grounds. Do you have any idea about who could have been involved?”

She thought back over everything she had learned. “Not yet,” she stated several moments later. “So far I haven’t been able to eliminate anyone as a suspect. Hopefully there will be some trace on the stairs.”

“I’ll update Tylers and Steele. Call me as soon as you’re able to examine the suspected crime scene,” Matthews said firmly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be having dinner with Katy tonight?” she asked. “She’ll be furious if it’s interrupted.”

“You’re right,” he stated. “Well then, call me if you find anything of importance on the stairs. She’ll only be angry if it’s a call to report the lack of something.”

“Will do,” she chuckled before hanging up.

The sun was starting to sink below the tree line as she made her way to the east wing. It was just before dinner, so the house around her was silent. Her shoes didn’t make a sound as she took the polished steps one at a time. When she reached the top step, she placed her caddy down and reached out for the banister. The moment her fingers brushed against it, a fog overcame her and the room around her darkened.

She was standing at the top of the stairs, wiping the mahogany banisters. As she hummed to herself, she could hear a muffled sound coming from behind her. Suddenly a sharp pain stuck her across the lower back.

Panic spread through her as she felt herself leaning forward. She reached over for the rail, but it was too late. She was falling. The stairs were suddenly moving toward her face, and everything went dark.

Then she was standing at the base of the stairs, looking at the lifeless body on the floor. She reached for the rag Brittney still clutched in her hand, and made her way cautiously up the steps, wiping every spot of blood as she went.

The scene changed again as she pulled the doors to the gardening shed open. The anxiety built as she rushed to the back. She pulled the wheel barrel back, and found what she was looking for: large bags of cement. She struggled to move them aside until she found the one at the bottom. It had gotten wet during the last big storm, and was now a solid block. She heaved it up and dropped it into the wheel barrel, along with a rope sitting on the shelf to her right.

When the room came back into focus, she turned around and began examining her surroundings. The area around the top of the staircase was empty aside from the console table against the back wall with a large vase of colorful flowers. She looked around, but didn’t see anything that could have been used to strike the victim. Whoever hit her must have brought the item with them. Though it was disheartening, it told her one thing: the murder was most likely premeditated.

She made her way carefully down the stairs, examining every step as she went. When she was about half way down, a small spot caught her eye. It was just under the lip of the step, impossible to see if she hadn’t been searching for it. She looked around, making sure no one was around, before pulling a small swab out of her apron pocket. She peeled the paper away from it before reaching back in and retrieving a small bottle of solution. Rilynne squeezing a single drop onto the tip of the swab. After tucking the solution back into her pocket, she crouched back down and ran the wet swab across the small stain.

She glanced around again before pulling out two more small bottles. She placed a drop from the first bottle on the tip, then after a few seconds added one from the second bottle. She hadn’t even screwed the top back on before the swab turned dark pink.

“Bingo,” she said as a wave of satisfaction spread through her.

After searching the remaining steps, Rilynne quickly worked through the list of chores to be done in the room. When she was done, she tossed her caddy in the first supply closet she passed and made her way to the north wing. She peered into the kitchen as she passed to make sure everyone had already arrived for dinner, before sneaking out the back door.

The gardening shed was on the back of the grounds, behind the pool house.

With the sun now below the horizon, she was left with only the light from the house to guide her. The door to the gardening shed was locked, so she pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. Ben was highly skilled at picking locks and had been teaching her to do the same. She had only practiced on locks she had laying around the house and was excited to have an opportunity to test out her new skill. It would have been easier if she had the kit Ben had gotten her, but she felt it was too big of a risk to take with her on the assignment. After a few seconds, though, the lock snapped open.

The shed was very organized; everything had its place on the shelves lining the walls. She glanced around, but with the limited light, she couldn’t see anything that could identify who had removed the bag of cement. With one last look, she stepped back out and replaced the lock.

As she walked back through the empty yard, she pulled out her phone and sent a text.

“I’ve got blood.”

R
ilynne lay in bed until she was absolutely sure she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. It had been two weeks since her last day off, but even though she wasn’t responsible for any housework, she was still working.

After going for a quick run and showering, Rilynne caught a ride with Nancy into town. She had Nancy drop her off at the mall, making sure she was gone before she walked in.

Addison Valley Mall wasn’t so much a mall as a large shopping center. Taking up an entire block, every storefront held either a shop or a restaurant. It had been designated a mall after a covered walkway was built through the middle of the block, which allowed customers to pass from one store to another via the alley instead of having to walk all the way around.

When Nancy pulled around the corner, Rilynne walked to the closest store and immediately exited through the back. Taking the covered walkway to the diner at the end of the block, Rilynne stepped in and took the corner booth.

“You’re late,” a voice came from the table a few feet away.

“When you rely on a girl who appears to be more concerned with her looks than anything else, you operate on her time. I’m lucky I made it out of there before noon,” she explained as she glanced over to see Matthews and his wife enjoying a plate of scones. “It’s good to see you, Katy. Any new gossip for me?”

“Well, I heard-” she started, but was interrupted by Matthews grunting.

Rilynne chuckled as she turned her attention back to her partner. “What do you have for me?” he asked.

Rilynne pulled a file out of her purse and casually handed it to him as the waitress arrived to take her order.

“These are all of the items I haven’t been able to rule out as the object used,” she said as he flipped through the photos she had removed from the binders. “The memory card has pictures I’ve taken of everything not in the binders I’ve come across.”

“I’ll give these to Ben and see if they can compare them to the photographs from the autopsy,” he said as he tucked them back into the file. “Steele and Tylers were able to get a search warrant based on Jared Lewis’ statement about the stairs and the blood you found. They’ll be serving it later today. Is there anywhere specifically they should look?”

Rilynne sat back and thought about it for a moment. “Yesterday morning I saw Rick Olsen, the head of security, in the woods when I was running. He was in his uniform, so he wouldn’t have been on the path for recreational reasons. I wasn’t able to see what he was doing out there without risking my cover, but he wasn’t happy to see me,” she stated. “I also found the same brand of cement bag used to weigh her down in the gardening shed. There’s a lock on the door, but anyone with access to the keys could have gotten in. Or anyone who’s skilled at picking locks.”

Matthews shook his head when he saw the pleased grin on her face. “Ben’s teaching you well, I see. He’ll be so proud.”

“Did you find anything out about Nancy Santos’ breakup?” Rilynne asked, the smile not waning from her face.

“It looks like they broke up the day after the victim was killed, and before her body was discovered,” he stated. “What’s your theory?”

“I have two, actually. Nancy isn’t shy about her feelings for the chauffer, Danny. When Danny and Brittney broke up, they made a pact not to date anyone else in the manor while they were both still employed. That meant Nancy had no chance with him,” she explained. “Either she took advantage of Brittney’s absence and decided to make her move, or she could have taken matters into her own hands. It wasn’t a secret that she didn’t like Brittney; it’s possible she grew impatient and decided to eliminate the obstacle.”

Rilynne watched as Matthews jotted the notes down, then her eyes shifted to Katy. She seemed almost enamored with their conversation, her big blue eyes wide with excitement. It didn’t surprise Rilynne for a minute. She knew all too well that Katy loved juicy gossip, and it didn’t get much better than a love triangle.

“As for behavior, there are a few people to look into,” she continued. “According to the butler, Jared Lewis didn’t always act like a crazy man. If he has an undiagnosed mental illness, he could have had a break and killed her. They did spend a good deal of time together, and she might have done something to unknowingly set him off. Then
there’s Cyndi Lewis. Nancy Santos informed me that she has been more high stung than normal lately. That could suggest she’s under a great deal of stress, and killing someone tends to do that.”

“What about the staff?” he asked.

“It’s still going to take me a little while to get a good handle on them,” she replied. “Everyone had access to the area, and it’s not like I can outright ask them for an alibi. It seems that nearly everyone could have had motive to do it, whether it makes sense or not. Hopefully it won’t take me more than a couple days to get a good read on everyone.”

“What, you aren’t enjoying living in a manor?” Matthews asked with an impish grin. “I thought that was every woman’s dream.”

“I assure you that it is
not
every girls dream to live as a maid in a manor,” Rilynne said. “While the house is pretty wonderful, I would really like to get back to my real life.”

“Well, with any luck, we’ll find something when we serve the warrant,” he said as he finished his coffee. “I’m going to get these back to the station. Call me if anything else turns up.”

Rilynne sat back and watched them leave before turning and walking out the back exit. She walked from store to store, killing time before having to meet Nancy at three.

She was just stepping into the second store when she pulled out her phone. She knew that she couldn’t call anyone who could be traced to her real identity, so she used a trick she learned from the training officer she had after graduating from the academy. She called information. After a few moments, she was finally connected to the number she wanted.

“Hello?” a soft voice sounded out across the line.

“Hey, Mom,” Rilynne replied.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” she asked, the warm recognition showing in her voice. “What number are you calling from?”

“I’m undercover so I had to hide the call,” she explained. “I’m walking around the mall on my day off, though, so I thought I would call and see how things are going. Also to let you know not to head this way until I call you. I don’t know how long my
assignment will be, and I wouldn’t want you to make the trip if I’ll be tied up the entire time.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind. I heard Lori moved down. I would love to spend a little time with her and that beautiful little girl of hers,” she said in a pointed way. Rilynne pretended not to notice. “Besides, Ben is supposed to show me his salt-water tank. I would hate to miss it.”

Rilynne stopped walking and rolled her eyes. “You’re going to come down just to spend time with my boyfriend?”

“So it’s boyfriend now, is it?” Rilynne could hear the excitement in her voice.

“Oh, hush. How are things with your man?” she asked, detouring the conversation.

“Pretty good. He’s taking me to dinner at my favorite restaurant tonight,” Amber stated. “So, tell me about this case you’re working.”

Rilynne walked back out into the alley and started making her way down to the other end of the block. “Well, I’m working undercover as a maid in a gigantic manor. The owner is beyond nuts, and everyone in the house seemed to have some issue with the girl who was killed. I did finally find out where in the manor she was killed, but I still have no idea how she was removed from the property undetected or who actually killed her. They’re serving a warrant tonight, so hopefully they’ll find something that’ll help to close the case.”

“I don’t imagine you’re entirely thrilled about having to clean up after others,” Amber laughed. “Have you seen anything that could help you on the case?”

“The only thing that I’ve seen relevant to the investigation is the victim falling down the stairs. There was a drop of blood missed on one of the steps, which is the only way we were able to talk the judge into issuing the search warrant. Apparently the family who owns the manor has enough pull in the city to be able to push it off until now,” she stated with an annoyed tone. “I’ve run into wealthy people who thought they were above the law, but this family actually seems to be.”

“It’s just arrogance. If anyone within the family is actually your killer, I’m sure they’ll receive the full force of the law. No one’s going to risk burning bridges in the mean time,” Amber stated.

“Well, all I can say is the case would probably have been closed by now if we were able to actually do a proper investigation,” said Rilynne. “Not to mention, I wouldn’t have to spend my days in a short little maid’s uniform. When’s the last time you saw me willingly wear a skirt?”

Amber laughed. “You might have been seven. I bet the guys at the station are loving this.”

“You have no idea. Ben even showed up at an event the Lewis’ had a few nights ago. You should have seen the grin on his face.”

“What was he doing there?” Amber sounded as curious as Rilynne still felt.

Rilynne let out a sigh and shook her head as she walked into the next store. “He didn’t give me a straight answer. He just made some comment about everyone having secrets, and I should know better than anyone else. He didn’t elaborate on it, though.”

Amber paused, as if contemplating the statement. “Do you think he knows,” she asked a few moments later. “You’ve said he’s made several pointed comments after your altercation with Christopher. Is there a chance he actually heard the conversation and knows?”

“I don’t know,” Rilynne groaned. “Part of me actually hopes he does. Nothing has changed with us since then, so if we assume he did hear the conversation and believed what he heard, he seems to not be completely freaked out by it. It’s not like I can just outright ask him about it, though. While it would make things easier if he does knows, it would just open a can of worms if he doesn’t. It’s tearing me apart. I just don’t know what to do about it. As bad an example as it is, it wasn’t this hard to tell Christopher.”

“I imagine that actually has more to do with your nerves than anything else, though,” Amber said in her all too familiar motherly tone. “You just have to remember that telling him
your secret didn’t have anything to do with how he turned out. He was a damaged young man long before you met him. If anything, knowing your secret might have prevented him from killing anyone else out of fear you’d catch him.”

Rilynne hadn’t considered the idea, but the thought of it was mildly comforting. She had done nothing but blame herself for the steps Christopher took out of fear she would see him. She never thought about what he chose not to do for the same reason.

“Eventually it’ll all come out,” she said. “Until then, I’ll just have to hope for the best and try not to talk to him about anything relating to one of my glimpses.”

“It’ll all work out for you in the end. Just have faith. I’ve got to be going, though. Bryan will be here in about an hour to pick me up and I haven’t even started to get ready yet.”

She glanced down at her watch to find her own pickup time to be only ten minutes away. “Well, have fun tonight. If my assignment isn’t finished before your trip, just call Ben. He has a key to my place and will let you in.”

After hanging up, Rilynne walked the rest of the way to the end of the block, and stepped out onto the street just as Nancy was pulling up.

“Like my nails?” Nancy said, almost bouncing in her seat. Rilynne looked down at the bright red shade and nodded in approval as she climbed in. In addition to the nails-which Rilynne didn’t imagine would last long with her job-it also appeared that Nancy had gotten a full makeover. Her normally curly hair, which had been pulled up when they left the manor, was now smooth as it lay over her shoulders. She was also now wearing a subtle, but noticeable layer of makeup.

After driving in silence back to the manor, they dropped off the car in the garage and made their way to the kitchen.

Everyone aside from Sydney was relaxing around the table, deep in conversation.

“Settle this for us,” Danny said when he saw them walk in. He was leaning forward in his seat, spinning a coin on the table. “Cole thinks it’s acceptable to take a girl to a car wash on a date.”

“First date?” Rilynne asked as she sat between them. Cole nodded. “It isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard, but not exactly romantic. Are you at least taking her somewhere else before?”

“Of course,” Cole said as he leaned back in his chair. “I thought we could go out to dinner, then hit the drive thru carwash before I drop her off. Well, if dinner goes well. It’ll give us some extra time to talk.”

Nancy rolled her eyes, but Rilynne didn’t think it was a bad idea.

“It’s lame,” Danny said, tossing the coin to Cole. “If you want to spend extra time with her, go somewhere after dinner. Somewhere other than a car wash.”

“Where would you take a girl?” Nancy asked, flipping her hair in what Rilynne assumed was an attempt to get him to notice the change. It didn’t work.

Danny just shrugged without looking up at her. “Depends on the girl, really. Naomi, for instance, seems like the kind of girl who would like a nice dinner before a long moonlit walk.”