Obsession With Murder

by Jenn Vakey

  “No need to answer,” Elise said, walking in just behind him. “There’s no way I’m waiting out in the hall. Are you ready?”

  Rilynne was actually amused by just how uncomfortable he seemed to be. In a way, it actually helped to ease her own anxiety with the situation. After flicking her eyes to Elise for the last bit of reassurance she needed, she quietly nodded her head and waited for him to begin.

  The entire process worked just as Elise had described it. He used a small tool to scrape the dirt and blood from underneath her fingernails, then moved to her hair. This part he seemed to have a little trouble with, as he maneuvered around her fresh stitches in an attempt to remove any foreign matter from her blood soaked, wavy hair. He offered a nervous apology every time the comb snagged, but pushed forward without stopping. After extracting all he seemed willing to try for, he allowed Elise to step in and take the pictures of Rilynne. This she was more uneasy about than anything Summers had done. She just closed her eyes when she could, and tried to ignore the clicking as Elise took pictures of every bruise and injury she had. The hardest part was pulling the front of her gown down as low as she could while still remaining covered. Summers had his back turned, and she understood that Elise was her sister, but that didn’t help anything. Rilynne wanted more than anything to be somewhere else, though she couldn’t think of a single place to actually go. In that moment, nothing existed to her beyond the hospital and the few blocks she had memory of walking. Not a single part of that had been anything close to comforting.

  When Elise was done with the first round of pictures, she switched to a different lens to try to get a view of any bruises that were yet to develop. She didn’t show Rilynne the pictures, but she could tell by the look on her sister’s face as she looked down at the screen that her appearance was going to get worse before it got better.

  Rilynne didn’t hesitate for a moment when Elise told her she could put her gown back in place and return to bed. She moved slowly, though, as her body ached even more than it had earlier. It seemed like every muscle within her was on fire, but that was nothing compared to her feet. It left like tiny knives were being pressed into them with every cautious step she took back to the bed. By the time she climbed back up and situated herself, she had decided she wouldn’t be getting up again anytime soon without a very good reason.

  That moment came sooner than she had expected. When Elise left with Summers to take everything back to the police station, Rilynne took advantage of the alone time and made her way to the restroom. After shutting the door behind her, she turned and stared into the mirror. Although it had only been a few hours since she last saw her reflection, there was already a noticeable difference. The bruises that had already been visible were several shades darker, and a few more had started to show. There was quite a bit of swelling accompanying the darkened spots, which made it hard to determine how her face actually looked. All she really had to go on was the picture she’d been shown. After a few minutes of examining every detail of herself she could, Rilynne turned the water on in the shower and reached for the plastic bag one of the nurses had left. Securing it over her cast was more difficult than she had expected, but she was determined to do it by herself. She felt helpless enough without anything else needing to be piled on.

  The hot water hitting her skin felt even better than she had imagined. Although it was a struggle to keep her arm and stitches dry, she didn’t want to leave the tiny, tiled room. The warmth settled down deep within her, easing the pain that had overtaken her body. After a few minutes, the water splashing to the ground changed from a muddled red to clear. Rilynne was a little disappointed, no longer having a reason to keep her from having to get out.

  She sat on the shower stool and let the water flow over her until a knock on the door from a nurse making sure she was alright brought her back to reality. After using a washcloth to clean around her stitches and get what she could out of her hair, Rilynne turned off the water and stepped out into the steam filled bathroom.

  The rest of the day went by without anything else being added to her plate. Though she was still clouded with uncertainty, by the time a nurse brought her dinner in, most of her anxiety had gone. When Elise came back in to eat with her, she actually found herself able to laugh and enjoy the company. It was a nice change from everything else she’d felt during the day.

  “I stopped by your place to pick you up a few things on my way back over here,” Elise said, motioning to the bag she’d dropped in the corner when she’d come back in. Rilynne had noticed it but wasn’t yet comfortable enough with Elise to ask what it held. She was glad it had finally been brought up.

  She was just about to ask what she’d brought when Elise slid off the end of the bed and retrieved it.

  “I brought you one of your pillows,” she said, pulling it out of the bag and setting it on the bed. “I’ve never been fond of using other people’s pillows. I know they clean these things, but I figured you'd be more comfortable with one of your own.”

  Before Rilynne could respond, Elise pulled the hospital pillow out from behind her and tossed it onto a chair across the room, then tucked the one she’d brought behind her. The entire concept was amusing, but Rilynne had to admit that it was much more comfortable. Unlike the flat pillow the hospital had given her, this one was so fluffy that she seemed to sink into it. In addition to that, it smelled delicious. Though it was just a faint aroma, it smelled of fresh peaches.

  “I also brought you some of your pajamas,” Elise continued. “You look fantastic in that gown, but I’m sure you’d like to be able to walk around without fear that you’re hanging out the back. You’ve always said that these were your favorite pair. Let’s see, what else did I put in here?”

  Rilynne grabbed the plaid pajama pants and shirt from her while she dug through the bag, pulling out bathroom items including a toothbrush, makeup, and face wipes.

  “What’s this?” Rilynne asked, picking up the small black case that Elise dropped on the bed next to her. She opened it and looked down curiously at the small metal objects before looking back up at Elise. She was met with a large grin. “Is this a lock picking set?”

  “I’m actually impressed you knew what it was,” she replied. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to what you can and can’t remember.”

  As she thought about it, Rilynne was surprised herself. There wasn’t anything on the little black case that stated what the items were. Looking at them now, she honestly didn’t know how she had known what they were used for.

  “Why do I have a lock picking set?” Rilynne asked. “Is this standard issue for detectives?”

  “Not even a little,” Elise said. “Other than you, I don’t think anyone on the squad would be able to get into a locked room without kicking the door down. It’s a skill Ben had, so he taught you. You have a tendency of getting locked out of the house, and it comes in handy on the occasional case, so you’ve made it a habit not to leave home without it. I was actually pretty surprised to see it sitting on your dresser when I stopped by to grab your stuff. Guess you forgot it.”

  “I can pick locks?” Rilynne asked, amused by the thought. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her to the level it did, but part of her was left wondering if Elise was just pulling her chain. She couldn’t really blame her is she was; it was something she could see herself doing if the roles were reversed.

  “You’re actually pretty good at it. You’re not quite to my level, but then again our dad taught me when I was five. There isn’t much I wouldn’t be able to open if I tried.”

  Rilynne closed the case back up and slid it in between the pajama pants and shirt on her lap. “Now you’re just scaring me.”

  Elise laughed. “Don’t worry; I only use my powers for good.”

  Elise stayed by Rilynne’s side until the nurse came and stated visiting hours were over. The look on her sister’s face made it clear that she didn’t want to leave, but Elise stood without an argument. She leaned over and
kissed Rilynne on the forehead, then left. Rilynne didn’t respond to the show of affection. Not only did she not want to make Elise feel awkward, she didn’t honestly know how to feel about it. Too tired to put much thought into it, she lowered her bed down, situated her pillow, and closed her eyes. In just a matter of minutes, she felt herself drifting away.

  Her feet no longer ached as she stepped out onto the warm, soft sand. With every step she took, the cooler they actually seemed to become.

  By the time her toes touched the rolling water, all of the pains in her body had disappeared.

  “How beautiful,” she said to herself, looking out at the waves dancing toward her. They were almost hypnotic. She wasn’t sure if it was them or the beach around her, but her worries started to vanish along with her physical pains.

  With as good as she was starting to feel, she didn’t want to leave. The only thing waiting for her was anguish. Here, it felt like nothing could be wrong. She was safe and happy.

  After standing with her feet in the water for longer than she cared to guess, Rilynne turned and started walking down the beach. The sand looked new, like no one before her had stepped on it. When she turned and looked behind her, her foot prints were all that disturbed the perfect scene she found herself in. She was satisfied the beach was hers and hers alone until she turned back around.

  No more than three feet in front of her stood a tall man, looking down on her with a look of sadness in his dark eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asked, looking him quickly up and down. He was dressing in a loose white button up that was blowing carelessly in the breeze and a pair of worn blue jeans. When her gaze reached his bare feet, it stopped. Though he stood there in front of her, there were no tracks around him. It was as if he had just dropped from the sky, his feet only touching the sand where he now stood.

  “Are you an angel?” she asked, unsure why it was the first thing to pop into her mind.

  He laughed.

  “Not quite,” he said. “But it wouldn’t take one to see that you’re lost.”

  Panic swept through her as her eyes moved quickly around them.

  “I’m sorry,” she stated. “Am I not supposed to be here? I didn’t know. I don’t even know how I got here.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you being here,” he said, shaking his head gently as he raised his hand to calm her. “You’re lost in a completely different way. I’m afraid if you can’t find your way back soon, there won’t be anyone who can help. Everything will be gone. You can’t let that happen.”

  He seemed to almost be pleading with her. Rilynne now understood what he was talking about.

  “I don’t know what you expect me to do,” she said, irritated her worry free state was being invaded. “It’s not like I can just make a wish and snap my fingers, making everything I’ve forgotten come flooding back. The doctor said it will just take time.”

  “Do you really think you have time?” he asked. He wasn’t satisfied with her response and made no attempt to hide it. “You know as well as I that there’s more here at stake than you just remembering the name of your first boyfriend or where you left your keys.”

  “That’s not what I said!” she snapped. To her surprise, he grinned. It lessened her frustration, but only just. “Who are you anyway? I’m guessing you’re just another person in my life I can’t remember right now. A doctor? My therapist? Or are you just the guy I buy my coffee from in the morning?”

  The stranger let out a deep sigh and turned to face the ocean.

  “That’s a story for another day,” he stated. “You’ve got far more important things to worry about right now. I really hate to add to everything, but there’s only more surprises coming. You need to find your way before that day comes.”

  Rilynne pulled her hands up and rubbed her face as she readied herself to yell, but when she dropped them back down, he was gone. She looked up and down the beach before turning back to the spot he had stood. Like when he arrived, the only sign he had been there was a lone pair of footprints, moments away from being swallowed by the approaching waves.

  “What more could possibly be coming?” she asked loudly, knowing there was no one around to respond. “How could it get worse than it already is?”

  When Rilynne opened her eyes, she was actually relieved to find it was only a dream. The possibility that things could get even more stressful was more than she wanted to think about. With any luck, she would get her memories back by the end of the day and lead them right to where Ben was, stranded but unharmed. It was nothing more than wishful thinking, but she decided to hold on to it.

  Chapter Five

  Rilynne had barely finished her breakfast when Elise stuck her head in the door.

  “Well, the good thing is they’ve decided to release you today,” Elise said. “The doctor wanted to keep you another night, but Detective Wilcome, he’s the head of the homicide department, argued until they agreed to let you go home. You’re stable, and he feels that you will heal better at home than you will stuck in this hospital bed.”

  “So basically he wants me to get my memories back quicker so they can track down Ben,” Rilynne added.

  To her surprise, Elise didn’t even try to deny it as she gave a simple nod in response. “Trust me, it’s what you want too. I wasn’t hear the last time Ben went missing, but you told me all about it. It was before anything started between the two of you, but you said you would have done anything to find him. Even with him missing, though, Wilcome never would have pushed for your release if he didn’t think it was good for you. They’re just being cautious by wanting to keep you here, though. You’re scans are good, and your vitals are normal. You’ll get much more rest at home when there aren’t people coming in and out of here every few hours just to check on everything. Besides, you hate hospitals, which I doubt has changed much even with that knock on your head.”

  She was right; even with the uncertainty that lay outside of the hospital walls, she was itching to get out of there. “Did they give any indication when exactly they would be letting me out?”

  Elise shook her head. “I imagine it will be a little while. The doctor’s not entirely thrilled with the idea, so I’m sure he’ll keep you as long as he can.”

  Before Rilynne could respond, the door opened and a woman walked in. Unlike everyone else who’d been coming in that morning, this one didn’t appear to work at the hospital.

  “Amber,” Elise said, crossing the room quickly to embrace her. Like with her sister, Rilynne could see a noticeable likeness between herself and the woman walking through the door. Even without that, though, there was no doubt given the intense worry covering her face that this was her mother.

  It was clear that Amber wanted to race to Rilynne the moment Elise stepped away from her, but she didn’t. She dropped her purse on the chair in the corner of the room and stood to the side of the bed. Her green eyes moved over every inch of Rilynne that lay uncovered before finally settling on her face. She had a kindness about her that left Rilynne with a warm sensation spreading through her chest. It wasn’t one of remembrance, but simply just that of a mother’s love. In a state that nearly everything around her left her frightened and confused, for the first time she actually felt safe.

  “How are you feeling?” Amber asked simply.

  Rilynne just shrugged. Honestly, she didn’t know how to answer the question. There were so many emotions flooding through her, in addition to the pain that was coating her body like a thick, heavy blanket, that she couldn’t even begin to find a place to start. Amber didn’t push. Instead, she grabbed the chart off the foot of the bed and started flipping through the pages.

  “There’s still no sign of Ben,” Elise muttered. Amber nodded so slightly that Rilynne almost missed it, but she didn’t pull her eyes off the chart. It wasn’t until she reached the final page that she sat it down and turned her gaze back to her daughter.

  “If the pain is too much, make sure to let your doctor know. Your do
se of painkillers is low enough that they could raise it if needed,” she explained. “I’m guessing they haven’t in order to keep your head clear, but your body needs it’s rest, as does your mind. With the shock of seeing people you know failing to bring back your memories, rest is probably what you need most of all right now.”

  Rilynne was struck with a strong desire to argue and insist that she didn’t want to rest, but she didn’t say a word. With everything the last two days had held, she actually hoped that if given a good night’s rest, she would awake to find it had all been a dream.

  “The pain isn’t very bad,” Rilynne said, though that wasn’t entirely true. The thought of being drugged up to the point of altering her already weak mental state was more concerning than the pain she felt. While rest did sound good, she didn’t want her head to be clouded any more than it already was. “Elise said they’re going to be sending me home today, so I should be able to actually get some rest tonight. Hopefully that will help things.”

  Amber looked down at the chart, then up to Elise. Elise didn’t wait for her to ask before she responded. “The doctor agreed to it just a little while ago. Wilcome thinks it will be best for her.”

  Rilynne expected for Amber to argue, putting her motherly feelings above anything else. She didn’t. “That’s not a terrible idea. I’m not seeing anything here, other than the amnesia, that would warrant a continued stay. Of course, I am going to insist that you not be left alone for at least another twenty-four hours,” she added, turning back to Rilynne. “Does that seem acceptable?”

  Though she was asking, Rilynne didn’t really feel she had much choice in the matter. She was sure by the determined look on her mother’s face that if she were to refuse, Amber would make sure she wasn’t released. Rilynne grinned and nodded.

  “Good,” her mother stated. She pulled the chair in the corner a few feet forward and sat down. “It was going to happen anyway, because I have no intention of getting a hotel room tonight. Not when you have such a comfortable bed in your guest room.”