Suspicions with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Four) (4 page)

“I’m going to love this weather,” Lori said as she dropped into one of the cushioned patio chairs. “I never really enjoyed the cold. It’ll definitely be a nice change.”

Rilynne chuckled. “Just wait until the summer. You’ll take that back as soon as you have to spend the day outside at a crime scene when it’s over a hundred.”

Lori shrugged and finished the last of her wine.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here while you’re gone?” Lori asked as she refilled her glass. “I really wouldn’t want to impose. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all to get a hotel room until I can find a place of my own.”

Rilynne replied without hesitation, “Don’t be silly. You and Kim are welcome for as long as you need. You should talk to Jerkins about the preschool he uses. I know he and his wife love it. I tried calling Avery Steele, the real estate agent, but I wasn’t able to get a hold of her. Ben said he would make sure to get you two together, though.”

“How long do you think you’ll be undercover?” she asked.

“No clue. Feel free to bring Kim down when you’re ready. There really isn’t anything in the house that she can get into, but you’re welcome to move anything around you need to,” Rilynne said. “If you need anything, just call Ben. Everyone else in the station will also be more than happy to help you out in anyway needed.”

Lori nodded and turned toward her. “Okay, so fill me in on everyone. Is it just the eight of you, aside from Detective Wilcome?”

“After the Pirate Killer case was closed, almost half of the detectives were transferred out. While we still have our fair share of murders here, it’s nothing compared to the larger cities,” Rilynne explained. “Let’s see… First there’s my partner, Todd Matthews. As I’m sure you noticed today, he isn’t nearly as shy and nervous while at work as he is outside of it. I’m trying to get him come out of his shell more while out socializing, but it’s slow moving. He and his wife, Katy, have been married for eight years. They’ve put off having kids, but started trying a couple months ago. I think he feels that they’re too old, but he’ll do anything for Katy.”

“He’s what, thirty-five?” Lori asked. “He hasn’t even started to gray. That isn’t even close to too old to have kids.”

“Thirty-four, actually. I agree with you, though. Besides, I know he’ll make a great dad,” she stated. “After that, there’s Brent Jerkins. He’ll be your partner as soon as Skinner retires. He’s kind of the opposite of Matthews, very quiet around the office but really opens up when we go out. He and his wife had their second child last year. Then there’s Thomas LaShad. He’s the captain of our department’s boxing team.”

Lori raised her eyebrow in amusement. “There’s a department boxing team?”

Rilynne bobbed her head up and down. “Now LaShad is partnered with Frank Donovan. He’s the youngest member of our unit, and is currently dating Ben’s intern, Scarlett. That leaves Jeremy Steele and Ernie Tylers. They look remarkably alike, but they aren’t related. Tylers is actually dating Steele’s sister, Avery. They’re both great detectives, but enjoy goofing around. They’re kind of like the class clowns, but they are always serious when the time calls for it.”

“Quite a group,” Lori stated. She kicked her feet up onto the small table in front of them and sank down into her chair. “I think I’ll fit in just fine. Now, tell me more about this boxing team.”

“You like that, do you?” Rilynne laughed. “Good, because the cute guy next door happens to be on a boxing team, as well.”

“Oh really?” she chuckled.

Rilynne nodded with amusement at how pleased Lori seemed to be. Though she was sitting right there in front of her, it was still hard to believe her old friend was going to be living so close now. “He and Ben actually boxed last year. I didn’t see it, but I heard it was a good match.” A twinge of guilt hit her as she looked back up to the sky. She may not have been at the match, but she had seen it.

“Well how long do you think we’re going to have to wait out here before I get a glimpse of him?” she asked.

“With as late as it is, I hate to say that you’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow,” Rilynne grinned as she emptied the last of her glass. “I usually see him on my way to work, though. He leaves around then to take his son to school.”

“He has a son?” she asked, but didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “Divorced?”

“Widower,” Rilynne responded.

As the word left her lips, the sound of a door to the left echoed toward them. Rilynne and Lori simultaneously turned as Joe Ackerman-wearing only a pair of plaid pajama bottoms-walked out onto his front porch. He stepped around to the side of the house, then after dropping the garbage bag in his hand into the trashcan, dragged it out toward the street.

Rilynne glanced from Joe to Lori and found her wide-eyed with her jaw hanging open. “I told you,” she said softly, returning her gaze to Joe. He placed the can on the curb and turned back toward his house, waving when he saw them watching him.

“Usually when someone describes a man, they tend to embellish. You didn’t seem to do him justice.” The grin on her face made Rilynne chuckle.

“It’s not like I could really go on and on about his looks,” Rilynne said as Joe disappeared back into his house. “He and Ben aren’t exactly on the best of terms. I don’t think Ben would have appreciated it much.”

“And you won’t tell me why that is?” Lori asked curiously.

Rilynne shrugged, careful to keep her expression casual. “They just don’t click well,” she stated. “I’m sure with time they’ll get over it. We might even be able to double date sometime.”

Lori grinned and finished the last of her glass. “I think this move is definitely a good idea.”

Rilynne laughed and emptied the last of the wine bottle into their glasses. After setting the bottle down, she turned to face Lori. “So, why did you really decide to make the move down here?” she asked. Lori opened her mouth to answer, but the stubborn look on Rilynne’s face seemed to stop her. “Come on, I know you better than that.”

With a resigned sigh, Lori rested her head against the back of the chair. “I worked this jumper case a few months back. It was a woman who had been the target of a stalker
for a little over a year. I interview him during the investigation, and although he was the leading factor in her choosing to take her life, I couldn’t charge him with anything,” she explained. “Well, a few days after the case was closed, I started getting phone calls from him several times a day. After that, the gifts started coming. First they just went to the office, but after a couple weeks they started showing up on my doorstep.”

Though she spoke very composedly, Rilynne could tell that even speaking about it left her uneasy.

“I did everything I could through the department, but his advances only became more frequent. I decided it would be best for Kim and me to move away. With any luck, he’ll lose interest and not try to track me down.”

Rilynne reached out and took Lori by the hand. “It always bothered me that we couldn’t do more in stalker cases. Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked. In all of the time she had known Lori, she’d never seen her look so bothered. “Why didn’t you say anything while I was up there?”

“You had enough on your plate at the time,” she said kindly. “Besides, there’s nothing you could have done.”

Rilynne grinned. “With everything I had going on, I would have really enjoyed having an ass to kick.” Lori laughed along with her. “At least promise me if he does track you down again, you’ll let me know. I mean it.”

Lori nodded and glanced back over toward Joe’s house. “So when do you think you’ll be able to get me that introduction?”

T
he sun was almost blinding as it peeked through the trees and struck her face. When her eyes adjusted, she could see her usual jogging path stretched out in front of her.

“Perfect weather for a jog,” a voice came suddenly from behind her. She turned just in time to see a woman rushing past her. Something about her seemed familiar but she couldn’t place her. Not wanting to let her pass without finding out who she was, Rilynne set off after her.

She had been right. The warm breeze that gently tickled her cheeks was perfect. It was just warm enough not to sting as it struck the back of her throat, but not so hot as to make her uncomfortable.

Rilynne tried hard to catch up to the woman, but even though she was moving as fast as her legs would take her, she wasn’t able to shorten the distance between them. It wasn’t until they came to the lake that the woman stopped and she was able to reach her.

“Do you know what’s really sad?” she asked Rilynne. She shook her head softly, still trying to remember where she had seen her before. As hard as she tried, nothing came to mind.

“I always really liked it here. This spot, that is. I would come out here whenever I wanted to get away from it all. I always considered jumping in for a swim, but I never did. Ironic, isn’t it?” Rilynne suddenly knew exactly who was standing in front of her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before.

“It is,” she replied, looking from Brittney Price to the lake in which she had been found. The situation made her sad. It was more than just the death; it was, as Brittney stated, the irony in it all. “Who did it? Who put you in there?”

Brittney just looked at her and smiled. “I was so scared. If I’d known this is where I would end up, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad. Or maybe it would have been worse.” She seemed to have become entranced by the movements of the water. After a few moments, she didn’t appear to notice Rilynne standing there at all. Rilynne was just about to reach out to regain her attention when she suddenly dove into the shimmering lake.

She watched, stunned by the swiftness of her action, and waited for Brittney to reemerge. She never did.

Rilynne waited for what seemed like an hour before turning to see if anyone else was around. As she spun around, she found herself standing on the sidewalk across the street from Lori’s house in Bodker. Something was different, though. She felt different.

She considered walking toward the house, but before she could take the first step, a moving truck pulled into the driveway. Just behind it was a SUV holding six large men. For some reason the scene both frightened and annoyed her.

When she looked closer, she could see that the men walking toward the open front door were all her old friends from the station. She wanted to go toward them, but something inside was holding her back. She tried to push through it, but after several long moments of trying, she decided to give up.

Before turning away, she looked down and found a white box in her hands. It was a small box, no larger than a deck of playing cards. On top of it was a bright red bow. The sight of the box struck an entirely different emotion, though she didn’t know exactly what it was. She loosened her grip on it and watched it drop to the ground, landing in a pile of cigarette butts that were littering the ground around her feet. Then without another look at it or the house, she turned and walked down the sidewalk.

When she rounded the corner ahead, the sound of her feet slapping against the hard, cold sidewalk was replaced with the roaring sound of water. Along with it came the feeling of a giant weight being lifted off of her. She felt like herself again.

“This is truly one of my favorite places,” she said aloud as she felt her feet sinking into the familiar sand beneath her feet.

“I know,” a voice came from just behind her. Though she was startled, she didn’t turn to face him. “It’s one of mine, too. This is where my dad took my mom right before they died. It was a surprise anniversary trip. You should have seen her when she found out. I don’t remember ever seeing her so happy,” Ben said. Rilynne looked up at him curiously. Before she could ask him anything, he continued. “Right after Justin told me he was sick we decided to make a trip out for ourselves. I guess it just made us feel closer to them.”

“How…” she started, but didn’t know how to continue. “You’ve never told me that,” she said a few moments later. “I’ve been here so many times. It’s where I go to feel safe or look for answers. How could this be the same place?”

“Why are you asking me?” he said with his all too familiar, puckish grin. “I’m often left in awe by the things you’re able to do, even if I’m not able to understand them.” She stammered, wanting to ask what he meant, but he interrupted her before she could. “So what brings you here now? Are you looking for answers or just needing to feel safe?”

“I…I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “Why are you here? It’s just that usually when I see someone here, they turn out to either be dead or a killer. As far as I know, you don’t fit in either category.”

“As far as you know,” he said playfully.

“You’re hiding something from me,” she stated abruptly. “You have been for a while.” She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did. She thought for a moment that he was going to deny it. Instead, he looked almost amused.

“Aren’t you hiding something from me?” he chuckled.

“Not because I want to,” she said defensively. She waited for the anger to show in his expression, but it didn’t come. He just smiled as he reached out and took her by the hand.

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” he said gently. “Everything is going to work out just the way it’s supposed to. What you really should be worrying about is him.” He swung his free arm up and pointed down the beach.

At the other end, barely visible against the towering trees, stood a single man. She took a step toward him causing her hand to slide out of Ben’s. “Who is he?” she asked, straining her eyes, trying to get a better look. “Is that the man I’m looking for? Did he kill Brittney Price?”

When she turned back around, Ben was gone. Rilynne glanced up and down the beach, but knew she couldn’t go searching for him. She had to find out who the other man was. She started running toward him, but the sand sank below her feet and slowed her down. With every step she took, she only descended deeper and deeper into it. Before she could do anything, it was up to her neck.

“No!” she yelled as it started to flood over her face. She tried to scream for help but the sand was pressing over her mouth. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t breathe.

“No,” she gasped as she jolted up. Rilynne ran her hands violently over her face and across her chest, but the sand was gone. She struggled to catch her breath as she tried to focus on the room around her. Using the moonlight flooding through the window, she could just make out her bedroom around her. She’d never been so happy to be sitting in her bed.