Jenn Vakey - Rilynne Evans 07 - Revenge with Murder (4 page)

He laughed as he sat her right foot down and picked up the other.  “Don’t tempt me,” he stated.  “I’ve actually been on the verge of buying a private island several times.”

“See, then it seems like the only logical thing to do.”

He shot her a look that told her he wasn’t going to let her pull him into her charade.  “I was thinking more like somewhere in Belize or something.  I’d want something completely undeveloped.  Then we could build a house on one side for us and a small resort on the other side.”

“Why a resort?” she asked.  “Wouldn’t it be nice to just have an entire island to ourselves?”

“It would,” he replied.  “But with a resort we could have a staff and rent out rooms when we aren’t there.  That way we could still work until you are actually ready to retire, and the island would be profitable in the mean time.”

Rilynne thought about it for a moment before nodding.  She would actually enjoy running a small resort.  A private island would also be the ideal place for a destination wedding.  They could set up a nice venue and package deals that would cover all of the expenses, then just sell those.  She was running over all of the possible ideas in her head until Ben put her foot down and snapped her back to reality.

“You’re sold on the idea now, aren’t you?” he asked.  She looked over to find him watching her intently with a quiet grin on his face.  “We wouldn’t even have to wait until you were ready to retire before actually getting one anymore.”

“I’m in,” she said.  “As long as I could build one of those awesome tree houses that you see in movies where people were stranded on an island for years.  And I’d want to clear a nice chunk of land for a huge garden.  That way we could just grow our own fruits and vegetables.”

He chuckled and sat her feet back on the floor before standing up.  “What are you going to do with a giant tree house?”

She stood up and followed him into the bedroom.  He kicked his shoes off and dropped down hard on the bed, nuzzling up to the pillows that still lay scattered about.  “I’ve always wanted to write,” she said, sitting down beside him.  She reached out and ran her fingers through his soft hair.  As she did, he leaned his head gently back into her hand and let out a soft groan.  “I could write murder mystery novels about a psychic detective who solves cases without telling anyone about her abilities.”

“So you would just write about yourself?” he asked.

“I’m not a psychic,” she stated firmly.  “And I couldn’t actually write about any of the cases I’ve worked.”

“It’s a shame,” he said, letting his eyes close.  “Parts of your life seem to be made for a good fiction series.  You’ve got the drama and suspense that most people wouldn’t even be able to dream up.”

She slid her hand gently down his back as she lay down beside him.  She had just rested her cheek against his arm when her phone rang from across the room.  With a frustrated grunt, she pushed up to answer it.

“Who is it?” Ben asked.

Rilynne reached for her phone.  “It’s Wilcome,” she said.  His name on the screen left her with an unsettling feeling.  He knew they were on their honeymoon; he wouldn’t call unless something had happened.  If Ben had the same concern, he didn’t show it as he closed his eyes and let his head fall deep into the pillow.

“Hello?” she said timidly as she pulled the phone up to her ear.

“Has the concept of a honeymoon escaped you?”  Detective Wilcome’s deep, scratchy voice was lighter than she had expected.  The note of humor in it erased her ill feelings and replaced them with curiosity.

“News travels fast, does it?” she chuckled.  Ben looked up at her curiously, but she responded with a simple shake of the head.  “Or are you just keeping tabs on us?”

“Given the fact that you seem to attract trouble, that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he said.  “But no.  Actually, I was pretty shocked when I received a call from the locals.  I thought for sure that you managed to get yourself tied up in something.  I guess I wasn’t completely wrong.”

Rilynne dropped down in the corner chair and pulled her knees up to her chest.  “I don’t attract trouble,” she said.  Ben let out an audible laugh.  She rolled her eyes and continued.  “And it’s not like I was on the lookout for something like this.  Besides, Ben was the one who insisted on going scuba diving.”

“Well, the locals called to check the two of you out.  I assured her that you were among my best,” he stated.  “You have the resources of our department available if you need them.  Do try to spend some time actually enjoying your honeymoon, though.  Consider that an order.”

“Will do,” she said, her eyes moving back to Ben.  She couldn’t help but grin.  “And thanks.”

Rilynne felt the familiar rush of excitement as she sat her phone done on the table and climbed back onto the bed next to Ben.  If Wilcome had been called, she knew that the sergeant must be considering allowing them to assist with the investigation.  Knowing that Ben would rather just get on with their vacation, she tried to hide it.  She wasn’t successful.  He let out a resigned groan, but didn’t say a word.  Instead, he reached up and ran his fingers gently along her back, sending a warm shiver through her body.  She was just about to lie down next to him when a knock echoed through the small house.  Ben just groaned and buried his head deeper into the pillow.

When Rilynne crossed through the sitting room and pulled the door open, she found the young boy from the station standing in front of her.  He looked older in the brightness of the day.  She hadn’t thought he could be more than thirteen before.  Now as he stood there, a full foot taller than
herself, he looked closer to twenty.

“Sergeant Perez asked me to escort you back to the station,” he said.  There was
a timidness in his voice that wasn’t completely unsurprising.  It was echoed by how uncomfortable he appeared even standing in front of her.  Twice since she opened the door he reached up and raked his fingers nervously through his short blonde hair before tucking his hand into his pocket.

“I thought he was done with us,” Rilynne said. 

As she did, his face distorted with guilt.  After several long moments, he explained.  “The mayor has,” he paused to find his words.  “She
requested
that he utilize your experience.”

“And how did she even know about our experience?” she asked curiously.

His guilty expression deepened as his eyes shifted to his feet.  “I may have mentioned that you were a homicide detective when he was filling her in on the case.  Also that you and your husband had offered to help out with the investigation.”

Rilynne turned and smirked at Ben who had walked up behind her before she
reached for her purse.  “I don’t imagine he was too thrilled about that,” she said.  To her surprise, Ben returned an equally amused grin as he slipped his shoes on.

“No, ma’am,” the boy said.

They rode to the station in silence.  Rilynne avoided Ben’s gaze for fear that he would see the satisfaction in her eyes.  She couldn’t help it, though.  As much as she wanted to spend the last of their time in paradise with him, she had never been able to just walk away from a case.

“He’s inside waiting for you,” the boy said when the car rolled to a stop in front of the small station.  “Mayor Lomax is with him.”

Rilynne and Ben climbed out of the car, but were surprised when he didn’t follow.  Instead, he waited for them to ascend the steps before driving away.  Rilynne watched curiously before turning and walking through the door.  Sergeant Perez looked even more irritated than she imagined.

Leaning back against his desk with his arms tightly folded in front of him, he only looked up at them for a fraction of a second before turning back to the woman standing at the table in the back of the room.

Even without a proper introduction, Rilynne knew she must be the mayor.  She had an air of power around her that was unmistakable.  Her long black hair was in a braid that lay draped over her shoulder.  Her face was stern as she glared back at the sergeant, but there was a kindness in her eyes.

“Madam Mayor, this is Detective Evans and her lab monkey, Brad Davis,” he said dryly.

“Luis!” she said sharply.  She shot him a baleful look before turning toward them.  “You must forgive him.  He tends to forget to use his manners.  Well, that might be saying too much.  He forgets the little manners he actually has.  I’m Vivian Lomax.  I understand the two of you have quite a bit of experience with cases like this.”

“A fair amount,” Rilynne responded.  “We’d like to offer our services in your investigation if you would accept them.”

Sergeant Perez let out a low groan.  Rilynne had to fight to keep a grin off her face as the mayor went on.  “I spoke with a Detective Wilcome in Addison Valley, and he assured me that you would be a valuable resource.  I want to be perfectly clear, though.  You will be acting in a consulting capacity only.  Any arrest will be made by Sergeant Perez.  You will, however, have complete cooperation and access to anything you need.”  Her eyes shot quickly to Perez before turning back to Rilynne and Ben.  There was a tension between them that seemed to go beyond simple disagreement over the case.  It resembled something closer to hatred.  “If you run into any problems, please call me directly.  Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to have a quick word with my sergeant.”

Rilynne and Ben both nodded before stepping back outside.  Though the door closed behind them, the conversation within still echoed out from behind it.

“I still don’t understand why I need them,” Sergeant Perez said.  “You don’t think I’m capable of handling this little mess?”

“First of all, the woman these two found wasn’t a local,” she stated.  “That means a good deal of outside interest.  I’m not going to give anyone the opportunity to think that we would even consider keeping this under wraps to protect our tourism industry.  Second, you know as well as I do that you aren’t experienced with situations like this.  This isn’t just some drunken disorderly or kids vandalizing the local school house.  This is my island and the decision is final.  If you don’t like it, I’ll be more than happy to start looking for your replacement.”

Rilynne would have given anything to be able to see Sergeant Perez’s face.  Although she was glad the mayor was allowing them to work the case, she was surprised by the stance she took.  Threatening the sergeant’s job was likely to cause more friction than anything else.  As she pulled her ear away from the door, she turned and looked to Ben.  She half way expected a stern look for him for eavesdropping, but he looked just as shocked by the statement as she was.  Before she could even contemplate the likely outcomes of it, footsteps sounded toward them.  She had only enough time to take a full step away from the door before it swung open.

Mayor Lomax gave them a quick nod before walking past them and climbing into the Jeep sitting in the small parking lot.  Even her car surprised Rilynne.  While it was an economical choice given some of the rougher terrain on the island, it wasn’t nearly as luxurious as she would have expected.

As she drove away, Perez walked out and headed toward his own car.  He had just reached the door when he called out over his shoulder, “Well, are you coming?”

Rilynne struggled not to laugh as she and Ben climbed into the awaiting car.  For fear of making her enjoyment known, she sat quietly and didn’t ask where they were going.  The urge to know grew stronger, though, when they pulled up to a small unmarked building.

“Where are we?” Ben asked.  Rilynne was relieved the question was finally out there.

“You’re going to want to look at the body, aren’t you?” he said sharply.  “This is the back of the doctor’s office.  He uses the back room to perform autopsies.  I would rather not to cause a panic by shuffling you through the front lobby.”

When they stepped into the small, cold room, they were greeted by a man who had to have been in his late eighties.  What little hair he had was white as snow, and his loose skin was hanging off of him.  While she was sure he had plenty of experience under his belt, she couldn’t help but question how capable his skills would still be.

“Are we making autopsies a tourist attraction now?” he said when his gaze shifted to Ben and Rilynne.  The lightness of his tone made her smile.  “At least tell me I get a portion of what you’re charging them.”

Sergeant Perez’s body tensed as he folded his arms.  He glanced quickly to the body on the table, still covered by a thin white sheet, before turning his attention back to the doctor.  “Good evening, Dr. Forrest.  The mayor has requested that they consult with the investigation.  Let’s just get this over with.”

“Right,” he said as his eyes shifted curiously between the three.  He seemed to want to push further, but the scowl on Perez’s face seemed to stop him.  “Well, I took the liberty of starting before you arrived.  I know you would have preferred if I waited, but this is the first homicide I’ve seen in over forty years.  Curiosity got the best of me.”

He was surprisingly excited.

“Do you have a cause of death?” Rilynne asked.  Perez shot her another baleful look, but she ignored it.

“Now, that’s what drew in my interest,” he said in an animated way.  He pulled the sheet down to expose the three bullet holes in the victim’s chest and abdomen.  “It would appear that our lady was shot, stabbed, and strangled.  Those are just the visible wounds.  I found an injection mark on her left shoulder, so I’ve drawn blood to test for poisons.  I’ll have it prepared to be sent to a lab when the next boat goes out.”