Found With Murder (7 page)

“So...” Rilynne started as they turned onto the sidewalk.  She fought to keep the smile off her face as Ben’s grip on her hand tightened just slightly.  “Did I ever tell you I got to ride in a helicopter a couple times when I was in high school?”

“No, you didn’t.  Let me
guess, a search and rescue helicopter?” he chortled.

Rilynne shot him a spiteful look before rolling her eyes and nodding.  Ben laughed.  “It wasn’t like
that
,” she said.  “I was just a passenger the first time.  I rode to the hospital with them when one of my friends was injured.  After that, I considered getting my license and learning how to fly them.  The first time I went out, though, there were problems and we went down.”

He stopped walking and turned to face her.  “You were in a helicopter crash?”

“It was my senior year,” she said as she thought back.  “Someone had tampered with it in an attempt to kill the pilot.  Sadly, they succeeded.”

“Tell me you at least found out who was behind it?”  It wasn't clear if he was more amused or shocked.

Rilynne nodded and started moving back down the sidewalk.  “Of course I did,” she said with a cocky grin.  “My relentless desire to solve cases started long before I joined the department.  I swear I thought my mom was going to die of stress before I reached my eighteenth birthday.”

“Knowing you, I’m surprised she didn’t.  Most parents just have to worry about their children getting caught up in something dangerous,” he said.  “You sought it out, didn’t you?”

She nodded, though she knew the question didn’t warrant an answer.  They paused when they reached the end of the block, both silently considering which way to go.  After a few brief seconds, they almost simultaneously turned left.

The streets were quiet, even for a Monday.  With news of Kim’s kidnapping all over town, parents were keeping their children in and away from danger.  Rilynne was glad.  She had been surrounded by chaos the past few days, even longer if she considered the last minute wedding plans.  It was nice to get away from it all and just enjoy the silence.  Ben must have been thinking the same because neither of them spoke again until they turned down the next block.

“You know, we still haven’t decided on where we’re going to live after we get married,” she said.  Though they spend practically every night together, Ben still technically lived in his own apartment.  They had talked about him moving in with her but moving his fish tank alone was going to be an incredibly hassle.  Ben had a saltwater tank that took up nearly an entire wall in his apartment.  With Rilynne’s lease up on her house, they agreed that it would be easier just to wait until they had a more permanent place before moving it.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said.  “With how big Marti is going to get, we definitely need a big backyard.  And with the hours we both work, a doggy door would probably be a good idea.”

“Speaking of Marti, we should swing by the house on the way back and let her out,” Rilynne said.

Ben shook his head.  “Wilcome and I stopped by after we left Jared’s,” he replied.  “He mentioned that he was considering getting Sherri a puppy for Christmas, so I took him to see her.  You should have seen him,” he said, wide-eyed with amusement.  “He was playing and chasing her around the yard.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that before.”

“Nor have I,” Rilynne said. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t even picture it in her mind.  While Wilcome could be light hearted when the time called for it, she couldn't imagine him actually running around laughing.  She was sorry she missed it.

“You know, with as often as your mother likes to come visit, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a little guest house for her,” Ben suggested.  “That way she can have her own little place.”

“What, you don’t want her to stay with us every few months?” Rilynne chortled.

He shot her a sideways glance and grinned.  “That’s not what I’m saying,” he said.  There was a note of defensiveness in his voice.  “I actually consider myself very lucky.  Most men dread spending a lot of time with their mother-in-laws.  I happen to love your mom.  I just think she might like to have her own space.”

“I’m giving you a hard time,” she said as they made another turn.  “I think it’s a really sweet idea.  She’s actually been talking about getting a hotel room for a while so we could enjoy our newlywed bliss.  A guest house would keep her from having to spend the extra money.”

“She never has to stay in a hotel room,” he said.  Rilynne had a strong feeling that he was saying it simply out of guilt.  She didn’t mind, though.  “After we get a place, we can have a guest house built for her.  If she comes down before it’s ready, she can just stay with us.”

A flutter of admiration spread through her.  Her first husband had gotten along with her mother well enough, but never really liked for her to stay with them.  Given everything she had learned about him, though, that wasn’t entirely surprising.

“You know if she has her own place to stay, she’ll eventually just decide to make the move permanent,” Rilynne said.  In fact, she was actually shocked she hadn’t already with as much time as she spent in Addison Valley.

“Well then I wouldn’t have to worry about you being alone when I go out of town for conferences,” he said.  “I’m always afraid that I’m going to come back one of these days and you'll be missing because you injured yourself while out running in the woods and couldn’t get back.  At least with your mom there, someone will be around to start searching for you if you don’t come home.”

Rilynne rolled her eyes.  “Please, like that
would ever really happen.”  Ben shot her a humored look, so she continued.  “I’m not saying I wouldn’t fall and injure myself, because we both know how much I enjoy doing that, but I wouldn’t be missing without anyone noticing.  Matthews would have the entire department out looking within the hour if I didn’t show up to work.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” he laughed.  They made the final turn and started back toward Lori’s house.  “He worries about you almost as much as I do.”

“You know, I think I liked it better when I didn’t know how much the two of you talk,” she admitted.

Ben shrugged.  “Consider it a good thing.  If he ever starts to wonder how it
is that you’re always a few steps ahead of most, including the criminals, at least you'll know it.”

She hadn’t thought about it like that.  “Do you think he would really discuss it with you?”

“Oh, he would never outright ask me,” he said quickly.  “He would, however, make a few pointed comments to see if he could get a reaction.  While he’s actually pretty good at being subtle, I know him well enough to know when he’s fishing.  He’s smart; he’ll eventually figure it out.  Maybe not the entire truth, but he will realize you’re more than just a great detective.”

“I know,” she groaned.  “I keep hoping that some super psychic will show up and
be like a superhero or something, and they'll change the worlds opinion before that actually happens, though.”

“Well, you definitely dream big,” he said.  “You know, if you ever wanted to step into that roll, put on a mask and tights and save the day with your superpowers, I would fully support that.”

She elbowed him in the side as they both laughed.  “I thought it was every boy’s dream to grow up to be a superhero, not be married to one.”

“Every boy’s dream, maybe.  Then we grow up and start to look at the female superheroes in a whole new way,” he said.  He cocked his head to the side and looked her up and down as a puckish grin grew on his face.

“Enjoying the mental images?”

He nodded and turned back to face the street ahead of them.  “Like I said, I would fully support the decision.”

“I’ll take that under advisement,” she said.  “As long as I get a batcave to go along with it, and a few super cool gadgets.”

“Deal,” he laughed.

“Now, you realize that would make you the equivalent of my Alfred, don’t you?” she asked.

He thought about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance.  “I’d be okay with that.  Someone would have to be watching closely in case you injure yourself.”

“You make it sound like it's a frequent occurrence,” she said sarcastically.  “You know, my mom use to always joke that for someone who saw so much, I sure didn’t see much coming at me until it knocked me over.  Some of them I can’t help, though.  Do you remember last year when I told you I ran into a tree while out for a run?” 

“If I recall, you ended up with a nasty scrape on your shoulder,” he said.  “I’m still waiting for someone to show up with a video of that one.”

“Well, that’s what happens when I start to have flashes when I’m in the middle of a run,” she said.  “Usually they don’t happen if I’m in the process of doing something that could hurt me.”

He seemed a little concerned by her statement.  “Does that mean you could have one while driving? 
Because that could have devastating consequences.”

“That’s only ever happened once,” she said.  “I was a teenage and hadn’t been driving long.  I did end up getting in an accident, though.  My mother was not happy.”

“I don’t imagine so,” he stated.  “You really shouldn’t drive if there’s a chance you could have a flash and get in an accident.”

“The chances of it happening are very slim,” Rilynne stated.  “My body seems to be able to avoid having them when it’s not safe.  I think the only reason it happened the first time was I was a new driver and my body didn’t seem to realize the danger.  It sounds silly, I know.  After that accident, though, I haven’t had one while driving.  I’ll either have it right before I turn on the ignition or right after I stop the car.”

He appeared slightly more at ease, but only just.  “So I just have to worry about you when you’re out for a run.”

Rilynne stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.  “You know,” she said, thinking back.  “I'd completely forgotten because of everything that was going on at the time, but the last time I had one while running I actually had a warning that it was coming.  That’s never happened to me before.”

“When was that?” he asked.

“Right after we found my PPK missing,” she said.  She thought back and tried to remember the events surrounding the tumble she ended up taking.  “I was running and could feel it coming on, but I kept trying to push it away.  After a few minutes, I couldn’t delay it anymore.  I, of course, ended up falling down a hill because of my stubbornness.”

It was nearly dark when they walked back into the house.  Though they had only strolled once around the block, she felt surprisingly more at ease than she had been before they left.

“Where’s Lori?” she asked when she looked around and saw she wasn’t where she had left her.

“She went up to Kim’s room to lay out clean pajamas for her,” Joe said.  He seemed less than pleased.  Rilynne understood why.  Like her, he was no doubt concerned with Lori getting her hopes up.  If everything went as the kidnapper stated, chances were that it could all be over in a matter of hours.  Rilynne knew from experience, though, that it wasn’t often the case.   If Lori let herself become convinced that Kim would be home that night, she might very well fall apart entirely if the plans changed.

Rilynne was just about to go up to find her when Lori appeared at the top of the stairs.  “How much longer?” she asked.  “I can’t find my watch.”

If she had expected an answer, she didn't wait for it.  She walked down the stairs and quickly changed the subject as she joined Joe on the couch.  Rilynne looked at her in disbelief for a moment, wondering to herself if she hadn’t taken something to help her relax, before she sat down on the other sofa.

Ben must have been wondering the same, because he was studying Lori with something close to a smirk.  Before either of them could put much thought into it, though, there was a knock at the door.

Wilcome stood to get it.  When he walked back in moments later, he wasn’t alone.

“You've got to be kidding me,” Rilynne groaned.  She sat back against the couch and folded her arms, biting her tongue to keep from voicing her outrage.  Ben placed his hand down on her knee but didn't say anything.

“I was led here by your father,” the visitor said dramatically.  She held her fingers against her temples and swayed as she moved around the room.  “He's watching out for you, my dear.  He wants you to know that little Kim is safe and will be back with you soon.”

Lori let out a quick gasp as she held the bear closer.  Rilynne knew Lori didn't believe in psychics, but she was sure that she would take comfort in anything she was told in that moment.

Ms. Young sat down next to Lori and placed her hand on Kim's beloved bear.  When she touched it, she shuddered and let out a mousy squeak.  “This is her favorite,” she said.  Rilynne rolled her eyes.  “She misses it so.”

“Where's my baby?” Lori asked.

Young pulled her hands up to her head and started rocking where she sat.  When she started moaning, Rilynne stood up.  She couldn't watch it anymore.  She walked quietly out of the room just as the woman replaced the moans with a chant.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked when he walked out the backdoor after her.

Rilynne took a deep breath to calm herself.  It didn't work.  She dropped down hard on the back step and raked her fingers through her hair.  “I hate people like that,” she stated.  “I can't call her out, though.  She's giving Lori hope right now, which I couldn't take away from her.”