Wanted with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Five) (2 page)

“
E
vans, you won’t believe this,” Matthews said as he stuck his head in the door. Rilynne could hear the excitement in his voice even before she turned to face him. “Our suspect, Marshal Teich, was just picked up and is on his way here now.”

“It’s only been an hour,” she stated, glancing briefly at her watch. “How did they find him so fast?”

Matthews just shrugged as he disappeared back through the door. Rilynne dropped the file she had been flipping through into her drawer and hurried after him.

Rilynne and Matthews were still standing in the lobby downstairs when the officers brought Marshal Teich in ten minutes later. His demeanor actually shocked her. For someone who had just committed murder, he was surprisingly relaxed. Even more than that, he seemed abnormally cocky given the situation.

His dark, greasy hair almost matched the color of the black t-shirt he wore. He had a tattoo of flames that started on the back of his neck and ended just below his left elbow. Rilynne always liked when suspects had extravagant tattoos; they were always so much easier to identify.

“We’ve got him,” Matthews said. He reached out and grabbed Teich’s arm and led him toward the elevator, Rilynne following close behind.

She could smell the alcohol on him as they rode up to the third floor. Even as they led him through the homicide office, he didn’t lose the air of confidence he held.

“Sit,” Matthews ordered as he pushed him toward the chair in the interrogation room.

Teich dropped down heavily into it and kicked his foot out. “So why am I here?” he asked. “Did I forget to pay a parking ticket? No wait, let me guess… jaywalking?”

“Mr. Teich, what can you
tell me about his man?” Rilynne asked, sliding a picture of Andrew Fields across the table.

He glanced down at the picture and smiled. “Well, I’m not a professional, but if I had to guess, I would say he’s one of those guys who would prefer to stay in on a Friday night playing video games than to go out and actually spend time with a member of the opposite sex. How did I do?”

“More than your personal opinion of him, I would really like to hear about your encounter with him Tuesday night,” she said.

He shrugged, the smile not waning from his face. “I don’t know what you’re referring to. I’ve never seen this man before.”

“Well then,” she said, leaning back herself, “why don’t I tell you what happened. You were waiting in the alley next to antique store on Irwin when you saw him walk by. It was dark, so you were able to pull him off the street without anyone seeing. Even after you pushed him up against the wall, he looked like he might actually try to put up a fight. That is until you pulled out your knife. How am I doing so far?”

He seemed to be studying her face, as if trying to determine how exactly she knew what she did. “Sounds like something I’ve seen on TV before. So tell me, how does your little story end?”

Rilynne smiled. She knew her words were having an effect. “After you pulled out the knife, Mr. Fields willingly handed you his wallet. That wasn’t enough for you, though. You said something like ‘you’re holding out on me.’ He probably offered you his watch, but you didn’t want that, so you asked where the rest of his cash was. He insisted he didn’t have any more. He begged for his life and even told you he wouldn’t tell anyone. He swore, didn’t he?”

For the first time since he walked into the station, his smile faltered. “Very creative,” he said, still trying to sound as cocky as before. His eyes betrayed him, though. “So what happened next?”

“This,” she said simply before sliding a picture taken from the scene toward him.

He stared at the picture, not showing the slightest surprise by what it showed. “See, there’s only one problem with your little tale,” he said after a few seconds. “I happen to have been with a friend of mine during the time this sap was offed. As far as I know, it’s still impossible to be in two places at one time.”

“Does this friend have a name?” Matthews asked.

“Of course.
Everyone has a name,” he stated.

*

“Cut him loose,” Wilcome said. Detective Patrick Wilcome, head of the homicide office, didn’t seem pleased at all with the words he spoke. His sky blue eyes, which were normally warm and engaging, had a flash of anger within them. His body was rigid as he leaned against the wall, arms folded tightly in front of him.

Rilynne turned toward him abruptly. “You have got to be kidding!” she proclaimed. “This is our guy.”

“Well, his friend corroborated his story, and we don’t have any evidence to tie him to the scene,” he stated. “The judge denied the warrant to search his apartment. We don’t have anything to hold him on.”

She was furious. “What about the other victim?” she asked. “We can bring her
down and put him in a line up. It would get him off of the streets and give us cause for a warrant.”

He shook his head. “LaShad already called her. She has recanted her story, and is now saying it was a group of school aged kids,” he explained. “He tried to explain that we would be able to protect her from retaliation if she identified him, but she insisted her first version was inaccurate.”

Rilynne threw her mug against the wall, causing it to shatter. She could see Matthews tense up beside her, but she kept her eyes on Wilcome. “This is ridiculous!” she exclaimed. “So what are we supposed to do, just sit back and wait for him to kill someone else?”

Neither Wilcome nor Matthews seemed to know what to say. Rilynne leaned against the table in the observation room and watched through the mirror as an officer walked in to escort Teich out. After he walked past the door, she stepped out after him.

“Enjoy the last few days of freedom you have left, Mr. Teich,” she called out as they stepped into the crowded homicide office. The room fell into a deafening silence as all eyes turned to her. Teich stopped walking and spun around, smiling like he had just won the lottery. “You will be held accountable for your actions. I promise you that.”

He just chuckled and turned away.

“What do you think you are doing, Evans?” Wilcome asked, walking up behind her.

She watched as Teich disappeared through the door before turning to face Wilcome. “I’m rattling his cage enough to make him want to get rid of anything that could connect him to the case,” she stated simply. “We don’t need a warrant to search through someone’s trash once it’s out on the street.”

“He has an alibi,” he stated firmly.

“He scared his last victim into recanting. Do you really think he couldn’t convince a friend to lie to the police?” she asked.

Wilcome just glared uneasily down at her before he turned and walked back toward his desk.

“Now what?”
Matthews asked as he walked up next to her.

“We do everything we can to make sure he doesn’t do it again.”

“
I
heard about your little scene downstairs,” Ben said as Rilynne leaned against his desk. “It’s the talk of the station right now.”

Rilynne groaned, dragging her fingers through her long, auburn hair. “I may have lost my temper for a bit,” she stated. “I just hate it when I have to watch someone walk away when I know they’re guilty.”

“You’ll get him,” he said reassuringly.

She smiled at h
is attempt to comfort her. “We'll have officers out to collect the trash before it gets picked up Friday. Hopefully my little scene this morning will prompt him to wanting to dispose of anything that could connect him to the murder,” she explained. “In the mean time, I could really use a drink. Are you about finished here?”

Ben sighed and gently brushed the hair away from her face. “I wish
I could, but it looks like I'll be pulling another all-nighter. We got a bit behind after that little stunt they pulled, so I’m going to have to work overtime until we get caught back up. I also want to make sure my name is attached to all of the current cases. That way if a defense attorney tries to use their prank to dispute the findings, I can step in and testify to the validity of the results.”

“I’ll leave you to it then. I wouldn’t want to distract you into having to spend tomorrow night working
, as well.” She stood up and kissed him on the cheek before walking toward the door.

Rilynne
paused when she stepped out of the station minutes later, contemplating which way to turn. If she walked left, she would only need to walk to the end of the block before coming upon Travis Bar, the local bar members of the department liked to frequent. If she turned right, she would find her car parked just to the side of the building. After several moments, she decided to just call it a night and headed for her car.

The drive home seemed to take no time at all. Her mind was so distracted by the events of the
day, she seemed to be moving on autopilot. She was already out of her car and sliding her key in the door before she even realized she was home.

She kicked her shoes off when she
stepped in and headed straight for her bedroom. After starting her bath, Rilynne headed into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of wine. “What a day,” she mumbled to herself before walking back to her room.

Rilynne slipped into the steaming bath and closed her eyes. Though she knew she should be concentrating on the case, she didn’t. She had no desire to think about anything at all. The only thing she wanted to do was to shut everything out of her mind and relax.

That is exactly what she did. By the time she climbed out and curled up in bed, she had almost completely forgotten about the events of the day. As her thick comforter pulled up around her, she closed her eyes and she drifted off.

“Come with me,” she heard from just beyond the foot of her bed. Rilynne bolted up to find a man dressed in all black standing with his arm extended to the door. “You mustn’t keep your guests waiting any longer.”

She looked around the dark room hesitantly before sliding off the edge of the bed.

“I’m not really dressed to receive guests,” she said.

The man quickly looked her up and down before saying, “You look fine to me, ma’am.”

Rilynne looked down and found her pajamas had been replaced by a long, white dress. She ran her hands down the silky material before returning her attention to the stranger.

“Please, ma’am,” he said, motioning again toward the door. “Everyone is waiting.”

She nodded and stepped through the door when he pulled it open. As she emerged into a large, brightly lit ballroom, she was greeted by the sound of clapping. There were three hundred people surrounding her, at least. Each and every one of them was looking at her.

“You look beautiful,” a soft voice came from just behind her. She turned to find Ben, donned in a similar tuxedo to the one she had seen him wear to the Lewis’ fundraiser a few months before.

“Thank you,” she said, looking quickly back around the room. “What’s going on? Why are all of these people here?”

Ben laughed. “Ever so modest,” he replied shortly. Before she could explain that she really didn’t know what was happening, he turned and walked away.

Rilynne stared around the
room, utterly dumbfounded. She looked at each face as her eyes swept past. She knew nearly all of them. Although most were people she saw on a daily basis, several surprised her.

Standing in the back
, she saw Jared Lewis talking to a lovely woman she didn’t know. Judging by the intimate way his hand was resting against her back, she was his date. On the other end of the room, talking to Ben and Wilcome, was the chief of police. Though she was acquainted with both men, she wouldn’t have pictured them showing up to an event being held in her honor. Their presence only made her more curious as to what was going on.

Everyone seemed so happy and full of life. As she looked around, she started to feel overwhelmed. She had never been comfortable in large crowds. She needed some air.

The closest door she could find was the one she entered through minutes before. Backing slowly toward it, so as not to draw anyone’s attention, she was able to slip out before anyone could stop her.

When the door closed behind her, she was surprised for a moment not to find herself back in her bedroom. Instead, the warm sun above was shining down on her face. As she looked around at the familiar beach, she felt instantly relaxed.

She reached down to lift the dress up, not wanting it to get dirtied by the sand, but found herself back in her pajamas. Grinning, she walked slowly toward the water, not stopping until it splashed across her toes. The coolness of it sent a pleasant chill through her entire body.

It was so inviting.

She peeled off her clothes, dropping them on the sand at her feet. She didn’t stop until the only thing touching her skin were the rays of the warm sun. Glancing quickly around to ensure that she was alone, she stepped deeper into the water. Although it was cold, she didn’t stop until her feet could no longer touch the bottom.

The waves picked her up as they rolled past. As they left, they took every worry she seemed to have. Before long, the only thing she could feel was joy.

“The water will keep you safe,” a voice came from behind her.

She spun quickly around as she reached to cover herself.

“You startled me,” she said when she found Ben bobbing with the waves a few feet away.

He grinned and tilted his head back to wet his hair. “You don’t need to be scared,” he said as he looked back toward her. “The water will keep you safe.”

She let her hands fall away from her body as she started to swim toward him. As she did, though, he only moved further away.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

He smiled warmly at her before looking toward the beach. “You should get that,” he said. She looked at him quizzically before following his gaze. There was nothing there. She turned back around, but Ben was gone.

“Ben?” she called out, spinning around to look for him. The waves were growing larger, though, making it difficult for her to see anything at all. She fought to stay in place, but it was too hard. They were taking her back to the shore.

When her feet landed back on the warm sand, she reached down and scooped up her clothes. Though they had been in the direct path of the waves, the pajamas were still dry. She pulled them on and started walking down the beach, looking for any sign of Ben. By the time she made it to the large boulders overlooking the water, she had given up. He was gone.

She climbed atop them, placing herself in the shade of the large coconut tree just behind her, and laid gently back to watch the clouds dancing above. She thought about staying there forever. That is until the large coconut just above her came loose and dropped toward her head. She rolled out of the way just in time to avoid it as it hit the rock.

Boom.

Rilynne’s eyes shot open as a loud knock echoed through the house. At first she thought it was simply part of her dream, but another one quickly followed.

She glanced over to her alarm clock. It was just after eleven. She considered getting up to answer the door but quickly decided against it. Ben already had a key, and anyone else would call her if it were something important. When no call came in, she just rolled over and went back to sleep.

*

“We’ve got a call,” Matthews said before she had even fully stepped into the office the next morning. She was surprised to see him in before her. In the entire time they had been working together, it had only happened a handful of times. “I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes. I desperately need coffee.”

Rilynne grinned and
headed back the way she had just come. When she stepped off the elevator into the lobby, she spotted Ben walking through the front door.

“On your way out?” he asked.

She responded with a gentle laugh. Ben cast her a quizzical look, looking around to see what was so amusing.

“You’re a mess,” she stated, looking him up and down. His hair always looked like he had just rolled out of bed and raked his fingers through it, but it was even more disheveled than normal. The circles under his eyes left him with the look of a much older man. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

He shook his head as she reached up to try and straighten his hair. After a few unsuccessful moments, she slid her hand gently down his cheek. He leaned into it, letting out a satisfying sigh and said, “I ended up-”

“Evans, let’s go,” Matthews interrupted as he walked past them. “Katy is staying at her sister’s until Sunday, so I’d like to get home at a decent hour tonight. I could really use the sleep.”

“Not coming?” she asked Ben.

He shook his head again. “I’ve sent Summers out,” he replied. “I’m actually going home to try and get a couple hours sleep myself. I’ll be in the lab later if you need me for anything.”

After saying goodbye, Rilynne hurried out the front door and climbed into Matthews’ awaiting car. “So what do we have?” she asked.

“I didn’t get the details,” he stated, weaving through traffic. “All I know is we have two bodies in an apartment. Wilcome didn’t give me any of the specifics. I was actually considering asking him if Jerkins and Sibrian could take it, but they’re looking into a cold case. I would much rather work a fresh scene right now.”

Rilynne turned to face the window so he didn’t see her smile. She wasn’t used to seeing him so grumpy.

The medical examiners bus was already parked in front of the apartment building when they
drove up. They stepped under the police tape and found him in the first apartment they came upon.

“Why if it isn’t two of my favorite detectives,” he said joyfully when they walked in.

“And just how many favorite detectives do you have?” Rilynne chuckled. Something about Dr. Andrews always seemed to lighten her mood. Perhaps it was his striking resemblance to Santa, which always made her think of Christmas. It could have also had something to do with the fact that he was one of the most cheerful people she had ever met, which had not been diminished by his chosen profession.

“Not many,” he said with a puckish grin. “I assure you it isn’t above nine.”

“I’m sure it’s completely coincidental that there are, in fact, only nine homicide detectives,” she said. She made her way around the room and crouched down beside him next to the first body. Dr. Andrews just flashed her a large smile before starting his examination. “What do you have for us?” Rilynne asked.

He gently lifted the first body just enough to retrieve
the wallet that was visible on the ground beneath him. “You can start with this while I see what else this gentleman has to offer,” he stated.

Matthews pulled the wallet from his hand while Rilynne watched Dr. Andrews work. The victim was on his stomach with his head turned toward her. His face-what little of it that was visible-was covered in blood. From what she could see, it looked like he had been shot in both the chest and face. Something about him was very familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Before she could mention it to Matthews, he let out a low whistle.

“Well, Dr. Andrews, I can assure you this man is no gentleman,” Matthews said, motioning her over. “The victim is Marshal Teich.”