Betrayal with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Three) Read online

  The shirt was heavily stained, making it difficult for her to make out the original color. If she hadn’t been searching for a hint of a specific shade, she might not have seen it.

  “His favorite shirt,” she mumbled. “He wore it to every big meeting or event. I loved the way the green almost matched the color of his eyes.” She looked up to find Wooldridge staring at her instead of the bag in her hand. She could see the question in his eye before he could ask it.

  “Yes,” she said shortly. “I’m sure.”

  She stared at the plastic bag firmly grasped between her fingers for another ten minutes before Wooldridge reached out and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She nodded without him having to utter a word and handed it back to Dr. Ramirez.

  “I’ll have someone come to collect the evidence,” he said as he offered her a gentle smile.

  Rilynne couldn’t muster the strength to make herself speak, so instead bowed her head slightly toward the doctor before turning toward the door. She wasn’t even sure that Wooldridge was following until he reached out from behind her to open the front doors.

  “Where do you want to go first?” Wooldridge asked as they stepped out onto the crowded sidewalk. Rilynne had to fight to come up with an answer other than going back to her room and curling up in bed.

  “Let’s find a place to eat,” she said gloomily. “Somewhere where we can start looking over the case files.”

  Wooldridge took her by the arm and led her to the car. Instead of getting in, he unlocked the trunk and pulled it open. “There’s a diner right around the corner that opened up a couple months ago,” he explained when he saw the confused look on her face. “It’s become a bit of a hangout for the officers. There are a few big booths where we can lay everything out.”

  As they rounded the corner, she saw a large sign saying ‘Megan’s Place’ hanging over what looked to be a diner right out of the 1950’s. “Every Tuesday they sell milkshakes for a dime,” he said as they neared the doors. Rilynne paused briefly before entering to admire the 1955 Chrysler Windsor police car parked out front.

  They took the large booth in the back corner, away from the heavily seated bar. After ordering their drinks, they spread the contents of the evidence box out across the table.

  “Have you had any new developments since I left?” she asked as she glanced over the all too familiar pages. “Is there anything that I haven’t seen before?”

  Wooldridge shook his head as he sipped on the chocolate milkshake the waiter set down in front of him. “I run Mifflin’s prints and DNA every month to see if a match pops up from another case that could give us a hint about where he is now, but we haven’t gotten anything from it so far. The cold case squad has also been searching for any murders that match the M.O., and they look into anything that’s close. Although several cases have fit within the parameters, they’ve been able to rule all of them out.”

  Lamar Mifflin had been assigned as Rilynne’s partner when she first made homicide detective. They had been investigating the suspected murder of a woman who had lived down the street from Rilynne, and discovered she had been having an affair. Mifflin must have known it was only a matter of time before she identified him as that man, because he attempted to change the direction of the investigation by adding another body. The night that Christopher came back from a business trip, Mifflin went into their house and killed him, leaving the same blood-covered room he had with the first victim. Rilynne was supposed to be working late, but went home early to tend to their dog. When she walked in before he had been able to leave, he stabbed her seven times in the lower back. By the time her back up arrived, he was gone along with Christopher’s body.

  The following day, the first victim’s phone records came in and showed the same number had called at least three times a day for the three months leading up to her death. The detectives were shocked when they called it, and the voice on the outgoing message was one of their own. An arrest warrant was issued for Lamar Mifflin, who hadn’t returned to the station after visiting Rilynne in the hospital that morning. When they arrived at his house to serve it, they found that all of his clothes and personal belongings were gone, along with the contents of his safe and bank accounts.

  “How does someone completely disappear?” she asked. “I know he didn’t have enough money to go underground indefinitely. He has to be earning money somehow, and we’ve had his picture out consistently since the night he left. How has no one spotted him?”

  Wooldridge couldn’t seem to provide her with an answer.

  “Would it be possible to go out where he was found?” she asked a few moments later.

  He didn’t answer immediately, but instead looked at her with the closest thing to a fatherly look she had ever received. “We can,” he said cautiously. “I don’t know what good it would do, though. The crime scene investigators should be just about done and on the way back with all of the collected evidence. There’s nothing out there for you.”

  Rilynne wanted to argue, but she knew there would be no way of convincing him that it was a good idea. If she needed to, she would just have to drive out herself. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate on getting a vision otherwise.

  “You never did tell me how he was found,” she said when the wave of frustration passed.

  “A man was camping out in that area a couple weeks ago and lost his keys. He went back out yesterday with a metal detector trying to find them, and instead found the body,” he replied. “He was still throwing up when the first responders arrived.”

  Rilynne chuckled as she gently shook her head. “Some people just aren’t cut out for this kind of stuff. Has he been looked into?” she asked. “Is there any possibility that he’s connected to Mifflin?”

  Wooldridge’s face twisted with contemplation. “His record is clean, and by all outward appearances, he seems to have just stumbled on him. I’m having him looked into more thoroughly, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s in the clear.”

  They sat in the booth looking over every page of the file for nearly two hours before finally heading back to the office.

  “Are we going to need to stop by the forensic lab?” she asked as they approached the front doors of the station house.

  Wooldridge shook his head. “I called everyone this morning and informed them to have everything brought to the homicide office instead of the lab,” he explained. “I want as few people as possible listed on the chain of custody. The last thing we need is for anyone to try and claim that the evidence has been compromised.”

  “Another good reason to send it to an outside lab,” she said as she reached out for the handle on the door.

  “If it were anyone other than Ben Davis, I wouldn’t even consider it,” he said.

  She looked up at his quizzically, trying to make sense of his statement.

  He seemed to anticipate her question, because he gave her an answer before she had the chance to ask it. “You’re the wife of the victim, and you’re in a relationship with the forensic tech processing the evidence; any defense attorney worth anything will claim ‘conflict of interest.’”

  “Why are you taking the chance then?”

  “Because Davis is one of the top forensic techs in the country. They can make any claims against him they want, but his reputation speaks for itself,” he replied.

  Rilynne felt a wave of pride growing from the level of respect that Wooldridge had for the man she had grown so close to. In a way, she had been nervous about the reactions she would receive from the news she was dating again. She never imagined they would be as good as this.

  The homicide office was crowded when they walked back in. Her arrival seemed to have spread through the ranks, because no one seemed to be surprised by her presence. Instead, their expressions ranged between joy from seeing her and sympathy for the situation surrounding her visit.

  “Where’s your cowboy hat?” a tall man on the opposite side of the room called out.

  Rilynne chuckled
as a smile crept across her face. “I left it in the stable next to my horse, along with my boots and newly acquired rifle collection.”

  Laughter filled the room as the detectives rotated around so each could give her their own greeting.

  “Okay, okay,” Wooldridge spoke up after everyone had their turn. “Don’t you all have work to do? Sibrian, I have a special task for you.” Rilynne followed him into his office, closely followed by the detective who had been seated just inside the door.

  Rilynne and Sibrian had only just managed to lower themselves in the chairs across from his desk when Wooldridge quickly turned and left the room again.

  “How have you been, Lori?” Rilynne asked as she turned toward her. “I’ve been meaning to call you. How’s your little one?”

  Lori Sibrian was made a homicide detective shortly after Rilynne. Her long blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes, along with her tall and slender physique, left her with the nickname ‘Detective Barbie’ by the other detectives. Only the second female detective on the unit, the men seemed to have set their opinion on her solely based on her appearances. Despite her near genius I.Q. and her photographic memory, the nickname stuck for the first several months. It wasn’t until she single-handedly took down a murder suspect that had over fifty pounds on her, walking away with only a bloody nose and a busted lip, that she seemed to have earned the respect of the men in the unit.

  Just over a month after she made detective, she had been called out to a shooting that took place in a frat house. Upon searching the scene, she had discovered a nineteen-year-old student curled up in the bottom of the closet, barely clinging to life. When Lori rolled her over to assess her injuries, she found the young girl to be pregnant, and pretty far along. The paramedics immediately rushed her to the hospital, but she didn’t survive her injuries. However, they were able to perform an emergency cesarean and saved the baby.

  Lori had taken it upon herself to track down any family that the girl had, but was unable to find anyone. She did manage to find the father of the baby girl, but he didn’t want to take responsibility for her. When she had been unable to find any family for the child, she decided to adopt her.

  Since she was a single woman, the entire homicide unit became, in a way, a surrogate family for the little girl, who she named Kim after her teenage mother. The unit even petitioned the department to set up a nursery at the station for all of the parents with young children, so Lori was able to bring Kim to work with her.

  “I can’t believe she’s already three,” Lori said as she reached for her phone. “I wish you could have come to her party, but it was so sweet of you to send a gift. She plays in that ball pit everyday. I’ve even caught her sleeping in there a few times.”

  “Good,” Rilynne grinned. “I’m so glad she likes it. I’m going to have to make sure I can get out here more often. I really miss you two.”

  Lori gave her a friendly smile, which was quickly overshadowed by a look of sorrow. “I’m so sorry that we had to see each other again like this. Part of me always held out hope that he could still be out there somewhere. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

  “He was declared dead in October, but it’s different when there’s an actual body.” Rilynne felt herself zoning out, and quickly pulled herself back. “I guess it hasn’t completely sunk in yet.”

  Lori opened her mouth but before she could get a word out, Wooldridge walked in with an evidence box in hand. Lori’s eyes followed the box as he carried it across the room and sat it down on his desk.

  “Sibrian, I need you to catch a flight in two hours to San Antonio. From there, we’ll have a rental car waiting for you to use to take the evidence from the Christopher Parker case to Addison Valley,” he said.

  “Actually,” Rilynne interrupted. “I talked to Ben last night and he said he would meet the evidence at the airport, so you won’t have to do anything but get off the plane to sign over the evidence, then get on a return flight.”

  “And before you ask,” Wooldridge added, “I’ll personally get Kim from daycare when it closes, and we’ll meet you at the airport when you get back. I’ll take care of booking the flights now.” He left the box sitting on the desk in front of them when he walked back out of the room.

  As soon as he rounded the corner, Lori shifted her gaze to Rilynne. “Explain,” she said simply.

  As hard as she tried, Rilynne couldn’t keep the childish grin off of her face. “Explain what?”

  The confusion in Lori’s expression was joined by a note of amusement. “Well, I was just wondering why all of the evidence is being sent to Addison Valley, but now I think I’m more interested in whatever is making you grin like a school girl with a crush. It’s this Ben, I’m guessing?”

  “Ben Davis is one of the top forensic investigator in the country. The chief thinks very highly of him, and recommended that we send all of the evidence out there for him to analyze,” Rilynne explained.

  “And the grin?”

  Rilynne knew that nothing she could say would make Lori let it go without an answer. “Ben and I have become very good friends,” she paused for a moment as she watched the excitement build on Lori’s face, “and actually were out on our first date when Wooldridge called to tell me that Christopher’s body had been found.”

  “How does the chief know your Ben Davis?”

  “He apparently goes to a lot of forensic conferences and has followed his work,” she said.

  Rilynne could tell by the look in her eyes that there was a list of questions she wanted to ask. She didn’t have to wait long to hear the first.

  “So,” Lori started, leaning forward. “Is he cute?” The grin on her face seemed to give Lori an adequate answer. “Well, then when all of this is done, we’re going to need to have a nice little chat so you can get me caught up on everything that’s been going on.”

  “That sounds great,” she replied. “Since he’ll be meeting you at the airport, you can also give me your honest opinion on what you think about him.” Something about her statement hit her with a wave of guilt that knocked the smile quickly off of her face. Lori seemed to have sensed her train of thought, because she placed her hand gently on Rilynne’s and gave her an understanding smile.

  “It’s been over a year and a half,” she said. “It’s okay for you to be happy that you’ve met someone else. Christopher wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him forever.”

  Rilynne nodded. “It’s just bad timing.”

  Chapter Three

  Rilynne had Wooldridge drop her off at a car rental lot on the way to the airport. After grabbing a quick lunch, she drove back to the station. She was still sitting at the desk surrounded by the case file when Wooldridge walked back in an hour later.

  “Why don’t you get out of the office for a while,” he said as he sat down on the corner of the desk. “I’m sure you have quite a few friends who would love to see you. We won’t have anything new to look at until at least tomorrow.”

  “Not today,” she replied. “I’m not really in the mood to be sociable.”

  He looked at her with an almost fatherly concern before nodding and walking to his office.

  She worked her way through the files, studying each page carefully. She didn’t stop until her phone rang two hours later.

  “Are you at the airport?” she asked as she pulled the phone up to her ear.

  “Sure am,” Ben replied. “It looks like her plane is running a little late, so I may be here for a bit.”

  “Well, thank you again for meeting her there,” she said as she sank down into her chair. “She was a little worried about getting back so late.”

  “She’s the single mom, right?” he asked.

  Rilynne nodded before quickly remembering he couldn’t see her and giving a quick ‘yes’. “She’s actually the best girl friend I’ve had in years. I bet you’d like her.”

  “I’m sure I will,” he replied. She could hear the grin in his voice. “So what are you up to today?”


  She replied, “I’m sitting in my old desk, combing through the case file for the hundredth time. I think I might make a trip out to the scene tonight to see where he was found.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked after a brief pause. When she didn’t respond, he continued. “After Laney was killed, I went out to the dumpster she had been found in. I don’t really know why I did it, but honestly I wish I hadn’t. It isn’t really a memory you want to keep.”

  She let out a deep sigh. “I know. I have to make sure they didn’t miss anything, though.”

  He let out a slight chuckle. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Oh, hush. I know the team out here, and would trust them to process a scene. The local officials, however, I know nothing about,” she explained. “They had the majority of the area processed by the time our team went out there. Something might have slipped through the crack when the scene was handed over.”

  She could tell that he didn’t like the idea, even without him saying a word. She had to, though. Even if the evidence helped them to track down Mifflin, she would never feel satisfied unless she at least attempted to see what happened in those woods. If Ben wanted to try to talk her out of it, though, he chose not to.

  “So do you miss being out there?” he asked with a cautious note.

  “I do, in a way,” she responded, looking around the room at all of the familiar faces. “I miss my friends out here, and I miss little things about the city. They still haven’t filled my desk yet,” she said with a grin. “Chief Wooldridge said they’re holding it for me until I decide to come back.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked. He spoke in a casual tone, but she could tell it was forced.

  “Yep,” she replied. “I don’t know how to convince him that I’m very happy where I am now. I guess it’ll eventually sink it. Knowing him, he’ll just be stubborn and keep the desk open indefinitely.”

  “Well, it looks like the flight isn’t going to be delayed after all,” he stated a few moments later. She could hear the grin on his voice. “Just promise me that you’ll take care of yourself. I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything.”