Betrayal with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Three) (6 page)

Rilynne bobbed her head dramatically. “Like you should even have to ask. Good looking, good job, and a great body to top it all off.” She decided to leave out the fact that he was one of the men on the list that Ben had an altercation with.

“I may just have to make that visit pretty soon then,” she said with a grin. “So, back to Ben. What’s going on with the two of you?”

Rilynne let out a deep sigh. “Eventually we’ll get around to actually making it through a date.”

“So, have you two… you know?” Lori asked, glancing over at Kim before returning her gaze to Rilynne.

“No,” she replied abruptly. “We haven’t even kissed. I don’t know, it’s just…”

“Awkward,” Lori finished her sentence.

“Exactly. We’ve been through so much, and he’s one of my best friends. As excited as I am, I have an equal level of apprehension,” she explained. “I will say that what we were able to get through on our first date was nice.”

“That’s all understandable,” Lori replied. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, though. From what I could tell, he seemed like a great guy. In my opinion, you two will make a very cute couple.”

Rilynne leaned back in her seat and smiled warmly. “I get knots in my stomach just thinking about it.”

“Happy knots?” Lori asked.

Rilynne grinned. “Happy knots.”

After dinner, Rilynne followed Lori back to her house. She tucked Kim into bed and read her a story while Lori took the dog out for a walk. By the time she returned, Kim was already sound asleep and Rilynne was opening a bottle of wine.

“Did she give you any trouble?” Lori asked as she unhooked the dog.

“Of course not,” she replied, pouring two glasses and walking into the living room. “She’s an angel. You did an amazing job with that one. I’ve never had such an adult leveled conversation with anyone so young. She really is the smartest child I’ve ever seen.”

“She’s a clever little thing,” Lori said with a proud grin. “She’s started drawing people with all of the important facial features, as well as cheeks for some reason.”

“Wow,” she replied after taking a quick sip. “I didn’t think three year olds drew people at all.”

“They usually don’t. Generally, children don’t start drawing people until four, but don’t start adding features until five,” she explained. “She can also write all of the letters in the alphabet unassisted.”

“Like I said, smart.” Rilynne held her glass up. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask; what ever happened with that guy you were dating?”

“Donald?” she asked, though she didn’t wait for a response. “I found out he had another girl friend in Madison. They had apparently been together for close to two years but the distance left him a little lonely.”

Rilynne drained half of her glass before responding. “That’s horrible,” she stated shortly.

Lori shrugged. “You tried to warn me that something wasn’t quite right. It’s my fault for not listening.”

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Rilynne said firmly. She couldn’t help but blaming herself a little, though.

Shortly before leaving for Addison Valley, Rilynne had a flash of Donald with a petite, dark haired woman. She knew she couldn’t tell Lori what she had seen, so she tried to just convince her something was a bit off. She couldn’t blame her for not leaving him at that, though, because even knowing the truth, Rilynne never saw any sign of it from him. He was remarkably good at covering it up.

“How did you find you?” Rilynne asked curiously.

“Apparently, one of her friends was in town and saw us together. She called his girl friend and followed us around while she made the drive in. We were already back here by the time she arrived. She barged right past me when I opened the door and attacked him. I ended up having to arrest her after she took my lamp to his head.” She seemed to be almost chuckling as she finished.

“Wow, that’s a story every girl wants to tell. You find out your long term boyfriend is cheating on you, then you end up getting arrested by the other woman when you confront him.”

“I definitely felt bad for her,” she replied as she refilled their glasses. “I don’t think he pressed charges, though. Actually, last I heard he was trying to win her back. I was just glad I got out of it before anything became too serious. I hadn’t even introduced him to Kim yet, which I’m glad about now.”

“You were together for months,” Rilynne stated. “How on earth did you swing that one?”

“We would meet for lunch while she was at daycare, and he never came in the house unless she was already asleep,” she explained. “My mother always had men stopping by, and I didn’t want Kim to go through that. When I brought her home from the hospital, I made myself a promise that I wouldn’t bring a man into her life unless things were serious.”

In a lot of ways, Lori reminded Rilynne of her own mother. Amber had sacrificed a lot to raise Rilynne on her own. She knew that like herself, Kim would never be able to express how much it meant.

After saying goodnight to Lori, Rilynne took the long way back to her hotel. On the way, she stopped by her old house; the one she had shared with Christopher.

She parked the car on the street and passed the real estate sign as she walked toward the front door. Rilynne reached out to unlock it, but stopped just before her key touched the lock. Instead, she dropped her keys back into her purse and walked along the front deck to the gently swaying porch swing. Stopping it with her leg, she turned around and lowered herself carefully down.

As her feet left the ground, she let her mind drift away as the chilled breeze brushed her cheeks.

“It’s perfect,” she heard herself say from just inside the front door. She looked down the deck just in time to see Christopher stepping out of the door, herself following close behind.

“You would even finally have that porch swing you’ve always wanted,” he chuckled, watching her as she almost bounced toward it.

She felt a surge of excitement as she dropped down onto the seat. “There’s no better place to grow old together than sitting on a porch swing.”

“Are you sure you want to buy a house now?” he asked as he sat down beside her. “We could wait until after we get married to buy.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to wait. It’s perfect, and I want to spend everyday of the rest of our lives in it.”

As the cold air filled her lungs, a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it off with the back of her gloved hand and pushed herself up, walking straight to her car without another look at the house.

*

She had just closed the hotel room door behind her when her phone rang.

“I hope it’s not too late.” She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “I didn’t check the time until after the phone had already started ringing.”

“No, I went over to a friends house for a drink after dinner, so I’m actually just now walking in,” she explained. “You sound like you haven’t slept in days.”

She put the phone on speaker and sat it down before pulling off her shirt and throwing it onto the desk chair. As she did, she heard him let out a low yawn.

“It took a little longer to get everything processed that I expected,” he said. “So, you spent the night drinking with a friend? That sounds fun.” Behind the exhaustion in his voice, she could hear a note of searching.

“It was,” she replied, trying to decide how long to leave him wondering. “She thinks you’re pretty cute,” she finished after just a few seconds.

She pulled on an old t-shirt and sat down in the middle of her bed.

“Ah,” he replied. “Well, that’s because I am. So how was your girls night?”

“Pretty good. We went to my favorite restaurant up here. We had Kim with us, so we went back to her place pretty early.”

“So you were talking about me, huh?”

She could hear the grin on his voice.

“You may have popped up in the conversation,” she replied. “So have you found anything?”

“Quite a bit, actually.” He paused and she could hear papers shuffling.

“Are you still at the station?” she asked, glancing at the clock. It was just after two.

He mumbled a confirmation, followed by another long yawn. “Okay, the results on the DNA came back, and there were two profiles on the shirt. The blood did come back as a match for Christopher.”

Rilynne felt her chest tighten, though it wasn’t a surprise.

“The level of chemicals in the soil show that he was buried right around the known time of death,” he continued. “I heard back from one of my friends and he found a match for the trace that I pulled. The first was Acer gladrum, which is commonly known as Rocky Mountain Maple. As I’m sure you can guess, they’re found mainly along the Rocky Mountains.”

“Well, that doesn’t limit the search area by much,” she said sullenly. “What about the other one?”

“Now, that one actually does help to narrow it down a little. It was Penland beardtongue, which is only found in Colorado.”

“So we at least have it limited to one state. Are you sure it wasn’t left there some other time?”

“I found the remains of a flower and the Penland beardtongue only blooms in June and July. I’m pretty confident that it was left behind when he was buried. More than likely it was stuck in the tread of Mifflin’s shoes and dislodged when he was in the woods,” he explained. “Now, it actually does help to pinpoint where it could have come from. Penland beardtongue isn’t only limited to one state, it’s endangered.”

“So any places that it grows naturally will be documented,” she jumped in. A new rush of excitement flooded through her, and she felt like jumping up and down.

“Exactly,” he replied with another yawn. “It won’t give you an exact location, but you’ll at least have a list to work off of. With that, you can send out the information to the local officials and see if anyone has any record of him around the time of Christopher’s murder.”

She fell back onto the bed, as she let out a sigh of relief. Part of her had always believed that no matter how much time passed, it would never actually be over. Now, she felt that she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“You’re amazing, have I ever told you that?”

“Maybe once or twice,” he replied.

“Well, now that you have all of the results in, you should go home and get some sleep or the department might start charging you rent.”

He chuckled softly. “I’m not here that much. I agree with you, though. I could really use come sleep. You’re still flying back tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” she replied. “My flight gets in at one.”

“Well, then I’ll see you at one.”

Rilynne didn’t move as she dropped the phone down, but instead just laid in the middle of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on everything she learned. After what felt like an hour of lying there, trying to will herself to see anything useful, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

H
er bare feet sank into the snow, though it surprisingly wasn’t cold. Instead, it seemed almost warm and tickled her toes. The scene around her was beautiful. The trees lining the path were so tall she couldn’t see the tops. Their deep green branches were sprinkled with a fresh layer of white powder.

She started walking slowly down the road, her pajama pants dragging the snow-covered path.

After what felt like several miles, her feet started to tire. She was just about to stop and rest when she heard a rusting coming from the trees just to her left. She squinted and leaned forward, trying to see where the sound was coming from, when a long leg stepped out and hit the snowy path. She jumped back in fear before the rest of the body started to appear.

Though the tall man was standing with his back to her, she knew instantly who he was. Before she could even get out a word, he started walking down the path away from her.

“Wait,” she called out, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he seemed to be moving a little faster.

She let out a sigh of frustration before starting down the path after him. Every time she called out, he seemed to move further away.

She could feel the aggravation building inside of her as she stopped chasing him.

“We found your body!” she yelled.

He stopped walking and faced her. “Did you?” he asked, his eyes finally meeting hers. “How do you feel about that?”

“How would you expect me to feel?” she asked. The anger was now bubbling inside of her to the point of exploding.

He just looked at her curiously as if trying to study her.

She let out an exasperated gasp and ran her fingers through her hair. She heard the snow crunching beneath her feet as she took a step toward him.

“I’m pissed,” she said. “I’m hurt, but at the same time, I’m relieved to finally have an answer. Of course, when I feel relieved, I start to feel guilty.”

“Interesting,” he said, still staring intently at her.

She tried to move closer, but no matter how many steps she took, she was unable to actually move forward. “We have finally found you, but we still don’t know where to find Mifflin.”

“Sure you do,” he said bluntly. “But you should have your closure by now. I think it’s time you stop and move on with your life. It’s the only way you’ll be truly happy.”

“I can’t let him get away with this,” she said. “You know I can’t. Even if it wasn’t my job, he took you away from me and I can’t just let that go. Don’t ask me to.”

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off of her. “You really are one of the most stubborn girls I’ve ever met.”

He looked her quickly up and down before turning and continuing down the road.

“Help me, Christopher,” she pleaded after him. “Just help me find him.”

“Like I said,” he called out over his shoulder. “You already know where he is. All you have to do is look at it again.”

She groaned again and took a single step forward. “You know those games drive me crazy. Why can’t you just tell me what I need to know for once instead of making a puzzle out of it?”

“It’s right in front of you, Rye,” he said as he disappeared around the bend. “You’re just waiting for a sign.”

“What sign?” she yelled down the vacant road. She tried to go after him, but by the time she reached the bend, he was gone. The only thing to be seen was a large wooden sign standing at the side of the road.

It was old-the wood chipped off in several places-and had a layer of snow sitting on it. She walked over and brushed it off, the cold burning her hand. When she had it cleared, she backed away.

“Welcome to Brooks Hollow,” she read aloud.

She was already half off the bed before her eyes were completely open.

“Brooks Hollow,” she repeated to herself as she pulled out her laptop. To her relief, it didn’t take her more than a few minutes to find exactly what she was looking for.

After researching the small Colorado town, Rilynne quickly dressed as she worked her way through the hotel room, tossing all of her belongings onto the bed. She made one last sweep, checking for anything she might have missed, before hastily stuffing everything into the awaiting bag.

She lugged the suitcase down the hall and into the elevator, her insides tightening with every step. By the time she checked out and stepped onto the sidewalk, she felt as if she would bust.

The drive to the airport was a slow one. This was due to a combination of traffic and the anxiety Rilynne was feeling. When she pulled into the car rental lot to return her car, she could hardly contain herself.

Once she finally walked into the airport, she was met by a long line leading to the ticket counter. After looking over her booking confirmation, she reached for her phone.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a rule about using your cell phone on a plane,” he said when he answered.

“Could the combination of trace you found have come from the small town of Brooks Hollow in Colorado?” she asked, trying to hide her excitement.

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “Let me check.”

She waited in silence as she listened to the clicking of the keyboard over the line “Actually, yes. Brooks Hollow does have a few small patches of Penland beardtongue,” he said. “What makes you think of there?”

She felt her insides being twisted with guilt, but she knew she couldn’t tell him the truth. “I received a tip,” she said simply. As she did, she tried to rationalize it by convincing herself that it wasn’t far from the truth. As hard as she tried, the argument didn’t ease her upset.

“Well, where does that leave things now?” he asked.

“It means that I’ll be making a detour on my way back to Addison Valley. You were right, chances are he’s no longer in Brooks Hollow after all this time, but I have to try. I’ll talk to the locals and have a look around,” she said. “It shouldn’t take me more than a couple days.”

“Just let me know if you need anything,” he said. She couldn’t help but notice a note of something somewhere between worry and disappointment in his voice.

“I will,” she said, trying to convey her gratitude across the line. “Do you think you can give Wilcome and Matthews an update for me? I’m about to get on my new flight.”

“Of course,” he replied.

As she slid the phone back into her pocket, she stepped up to the counter.

“I need to exchange this ticket for one to Denver,” she said as she slid the confirmation to the agent.

Luckily, the next flight to Denver was scheduled to leave just before her original flight. The sky was clear as they made the trip over the snow-covered terrain and landed in Denver.

After deplaning and renting a car, she still had an hour drive until she came upon the familiar sign. It was just as she had seen it the night before, snow covering all but ‘Welcome’.

She felt the excitement building as she passed the sign and continued down the thin, vacant road. It was another several minutes before the small town suddenly appeared.

She didn’t even have to drive a full block before the large “Sheriff’s Office” sign stood in front of her. The sight of it made her think of an old western movie, though she wasn’t sure why. The building itself looked almost brand new, lined with a mix of red bricks and white stone.

The station was the smallest she had ever been in, with only five desks aside from the two just visible in the back offices. In lieu of a separate holding area, the left wall was lined with three empty jail cells. To the right, she could just make out the corner of a table sitting inside of one of the two open doors. Those must be the interrogation rooms, she thought.

“How can I help you?” asked the young man sitting behind the front desk. He was the youngest person Rilynne had ever seen working in a police station, being no older than sixteen or seventeen.

“I was wondering if I could have a word with the sheriff,” she said, shifting her eyes from the teenage greeter to the offices at the back of the room.

“Is he expecting you?” he asked politely.

She turned back toward him. “No,” she replied. “I’m Detective Rilynne Evans from Addison Valley, Texas. I was actually hoping to get his assistance in tracking down a fugitive.”

As the words left her lips, the boy’s face lit up with excitement. “You’re joking, right?” he asked as he leaned forward. “You think that there’s a fugitive here? No way.”

She couldn’t help but grin. “That’s what I hope to find out. Do you think that now’s a good time, or should I come back later?”

He jumped up from his seat even before she finished the sentence. “Now should be just fine,” he said. “He’ll be right with you, please have a seat.” As she took a step toward the chairs behind her, she watched the boy rush toward the open door at the back of the room.

Shortly after he reached the door, Rilynne saw an older man peer around him toward her.

“Come on back,” the boy called out as he turned back around.

“You don’t just yell across the room,” she heard the sheriff snap at the boy as she made her way toward them. “If I wanted her to be yelled at, I would have done it myself. Please come in, Detective,” he said when she reached the doorway. “Forgive my son for his manners. He tends to forget he has them sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said as she lowered herself into the waiting chair.

“Go,” he said to the boy. He hesitated for a moment, looking as if he wanted to argue, before walking back to the front desk. “Detective Evans, is it?” She nodded. “I’m Sheriff Eric Stigent, and that was my son Nick. He told me you were searching for a fugitive that might be in our area. Are you sure you have the right town? We usually don’t see anything worse than a few drunk and disorderly calls or maybe some teenage vandalism.”

“Nineteen months ago, my husband was the second victim killed by this man,” she said as she slid a picture of Lamar Mifflin across the desk. “My husband’s body was discovered this week just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. There was some trace recovered that suggests Mifflin was in this area just prior to the murder. Since he hasn’t been seen since, I was hoping that someone here might remember him and know where he could have gone after leaving here.”

Stigent studied the photograph carefully before handing it back to her. “You say that he would have been in the area nineteen months ago?” he asked as he spun in his seat toward the filing cabinet in the corner. “Do you know an approximate date?”

“Christopher was killed on the twenty-fourth of July. The trace that was found on his remains was from a Rocky Mountain Maple and a Penland beardtongue. Given the amount of both discovered, I would think that he must have been in the area just prior to the murder,” she explained. “He also took his vacation time just two days before the killing, so that would put him here somewhere between the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth. He might have also returned after.”

He flipped open the logbook he had pulled out of the filing cabinet. After several minutes, he closed it again and shook his head. “During that week we had one traffic accident, two mailboxes smashed, and one high school student arrested for peering into a bedroom window. All involved were members of our community. It isn’t often that we have instances involving tourists, but of the few we have had, I don’t recall him ever being involved.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he was successfully able to avoid police detection during the time he would have been in your town,” she said. “He was on the force for eight years prior to committing the murders.”

“He was a police officer?” he asked as he sat upright. She saw the familiar distressed look settle over his face at the mention of a fellow law enforcement officer being involved in a murder. She had grown to despise that look.

“He was my partner.”

As he leaned back and let out a low whistle, Sheriff Stigent pulled his hands up behind his head. Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t seem to come up with a response.

“It appears that he was having an affair with the first victim before killing her. He must have known that it would only be a matter of time before we discovered his relationship with her and he became our prime suspect,” she rattled off quickly. “The best I can guess is that he hoped we would be too distracted if another victim showed up; someone close to the department. We were able to track down the first victim’s phone records the day after he killed Christopher, though, and learned she had been receiving frequent calls from a disposable phone belonging to him. By that time, he had already fled.”