by Vakey, Jenn
“Call me when you know when your return flight is and I’ll be here to pick you up,” he said as he sat the bag down at her feet and pulled her in for a hug. “Text me when you land.”
She took a deep breath-quivering slightly when the sweet scent of peaches reached her nose-before pulling away and reaching for her bag. “Thank you,” she said warmly. “Thank you for helping me through this and being so understanding. I know it isn’t the easiest thing to have to deal with.”
“If anyone’s going to understand what you’re going through, it’s me.” Ben had suffered his own loss several years before. His fiancé had been murdered and he was named the prime suspect before the forensic evidence cleared him. Because of this, he was in the unique position to actually know just how she was feeling. “Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
Rilynne rose up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek before turning and walking through the sliding doors. She turned back before rounding the corner and found him leaning against the car watching her, knuckles dragging along his chin.
*
Rilynne stepped off the plane and was met by tall, middle-aged man who looked like he had just been to hell and back. His normally warm and handsome face had been distorted with grief, and his short black hair, which had always been neatly combed, looked as if he had just rolled out of bed.
“How was your flight?” he asked.
“Uneventful, although the ticket that had been booked for me was in first class, which was interesting. Thanks for picking me up, Chief,” she said as she walked with him to baggage claim. “Have you learned anything else?”
“I sent our forensic team out to take over the search of the area, but they probably won’t make it very far until the sun comes back up. The body-” He hesitated on the word, looking to Rilynne in almost an apologetic way. “-is being taken to our morgue. As of right now, all signs point to it being Christopher. Where are you staying?”
“I…” With all of the events of the evening, she had completely forgotten to book a hotel room. “I have no idea. I’ll figure something out. I really wanted to go by the morgue and see everything myself.”
Jimmy Wooldridge reached down and grabbed her bag from the belt. “The coroner won’t be in until the morning. Let’s get you settled in and I’ll take you down there first thing tomorrow. The place next to the station should have some rooms available.”
“Okay,” she said as she nodded in resignation. “I need to text my… friend and let him know I made it safe.”
“I hope I didn’t ruin your Valentine’s Day,” he said as he glanced down to the red dress she was still wearing. “Although, I’m guessing that I did, as I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”
They walked out the doors to the awaiting car, the cold air brushing against her exposed skin. “It’s okay. Ben knows how important this is. I’m actually glad that I was out with him when I got your call. I think I might have completely fallen apart, otherwise.”
“Ben as in Ben Davis?” he asked as he slammed the trunk closed, looking both curious and impressed.
Rilynne gave him a quizzical look as she slid into the passenger seat. “I take it you’ve heard of him?”
“I’ve been to several of the forensic lectures he’s spoken at,” he explained. He climbed into the car and turned it on. “I make it a point to keep up with the forensic breakthroughs. I even sent him some evidence from a case we were working on a few months back. Many consider him the top in the field, and I tend to agree.”
Rilynne couldn’t think of anything to do but smile. “He’s quite impressive. He’s also been a really great friend to me since I moved to Addison Valley,” she explained. “We’ve been through quite a lot together.”
“How would you feel about sending all of the evidence collected from the scene and off of the body to him for analysis?” he asked as he pulled onto the highway. With almost no traffic on the road, Rilynne knew it shouldn’t take them more than forty-five minutes to reach the station. “I have no doubt that our team here can handle it, but they’re working several other cases right now, and I’m sure you’ll want this to have top priority. He’s also been working on several new procedures, and I want to make sure we have every resource we can on this.”
“I’ll let him know that everything’s coming,” she said. Though she would never have suggested it, she had been wishing he could have been the one to process everything. She was elated that Wooldridge had proposed the idea himself. “He just finished training an entire shift of new people, so I’m sure he’ll be able to give it his undivided attention.”
They spent the rest of the drive talking about the different happenings in their lives. It was just after three when they pulled in front of the large hotel that sat adjacent to the police station.
“Meet me at the station at eight and we’ll head to the coroner’s office,” he said. “I’ll make sure all of the evidence is collected so we can have it escorted to Addison Valley. We should be able to get it out by noon tomorrow if you’ll let Mr. Davis know to be expecting it.”
Rilynne checked in and took the elevator up to her third floor room. She walked in and went straight to the bed, collapsing out of both physical and emotional exhaustion. It was another half an hour before she mustered up the strength to roll over and reach for her phone.
“First class?” she asked when he answered. By the sound of Ben’s voice, she had a feeling he hadn’t gone to sleep. “I would have been just fine in coach.”
“Are you saying you didn’t enjoy first class?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she joked. “I’ve never been in first class before. It was amazing. It still must have been expensive, though.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he replied coolly. “I have a lot of frequent flier miles. Are you just getting in?”
“I landed about an hour and a half ago,” she replied. “Wooldridge picked me up and dropped me off at the hotel next to the station. I’m going to meet him there in the morning to go to the coroner’s office.”
“Good,” he said. “Have you learned anything else?”
“No,” she stated as she let out a small yawn. “The coroner won’t be in until the morning, and though the forensic team is working through the night, they probably won’t be able to do much until daybreak. However, I did learn that you’re quite famous.”
“What?” he asked with an obvious tone of shock. “How am I famous?” He paused for a moment before adding, “Does that mean you were talking about me?” She could almost hear his grin as he shifted quickly to amusement.
“I may have mentioned you,” she said. “But apparently Wooldridge has made a habit of attending your lectures. He’s quite impressed with you. Enough so that he’s suggested that we send you all of the evidence on the case. Are you all right with that?”
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “I’ll hand off my cases to our other investigators. When will everything arrive?”
Rilynne was slightly taken aback by his statement. In the entire time they had worked together, she had never seen him pass off a case to anyone.
“He said it should be ready to be shipped by noon tomorrow,” she said. “He’s going to have an officer escort it to Addison Valley for you.”
“Just give me the flight information when you have it and I’ll meet them at the airport. It’ll be easier than making them drive all the way out to deliver it. Do you have any idea what I should be expecting?”
She paused and thought back to her conversation with Wooldridge. “No,” she said finally. “The only thing he told me is that Christopher’s wallet was found next to the remains. I know that it was out in the woods, though, so I’m sure you’ll have soil samples, his clothes, and any of the belongings that he had on him.” She felt almost as if she were talking about a completely random victim. The moment she realized it, a wave of guilt and sorrow punched her in the stomach.
“I’ll make sure to get everything proce
ssed as quickly as possible,” he said in a reassuring manner. “Is there anything, other than the obvious, that you want me to be looking for?”
The harder she thought about it, the more numb she felt. Before she knew it, her mind was almost a complete haze. “I can’t think of anything.”
They sat in silence for several moments before Ben broke it.
“So Wooldridge is the chief of homicide?”
“That’s right,” she said, grateful for the change in topic. “I worked under him for close to three years before transferring. He’s a good man.”
“I wonder why he’s been going to forensic conferences. It isn’t often that I see anyone there other than forensic investigators or students going into the field.”
“He said that he likes to keep up with the breakthroughs,” she explained. “Like I said, he was very impressed with you.”
“The feeling is mutual then. I have the utmost respect for anyone who takes the initiative to keep his department informed by making sure he himself is informed. Are you sure you don’t want me to just go up there to examine the evidence?”
Again she found herself at odds. She knew that having him with her would make dealing with the entire situation much easier, but at the same time she, wanted to do what was best for the case. “You’ll be able to do much more in your own lab than up here. Besides, I don’t imagine I’ll be here for more than a day or two. It isn’t like there’s anything that I’ll really be able to do.”
“Well, you’ve had a long day. Get some sleep and call me tomorrow when you know the flight information.”
After hanging up, Rilynne had to force herself to get up and get ready for bed. When she finally climbed under the cool sheets, she fought with herself on whether or not to allow her eyes to close. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to face what her dreams might bring, but on the other hand, was desperate to. After another hour, her body finally took over and she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter Two
To her surprise, Rilynne was still asleep when her alarm went off. Though she had only managed a few hours of sleep, usually she was up well before she needed to be. For a blissful few seconds after opening her eyes, she had forgotten the events of the previous night. As she looked around at the strange room surrounding her, though, it all came quickly rushing back.
She jumped out of the bed so fast that she lost her balance and fell, hitting the nightstand on her way down. “Ouch!” she cried out, while simultaneously laughing. “Brilliant, Rilynne.”
She grabbed her side, which felt like it was on fire as she slowly pulled herself up. Ignoring it, she dug in her suitcase for her clothes and quickly got ready. After pulling her auburn hair up into a hair tie, she grabbed her jacket and rushed out the door.
“Still early, I see,” Wooldridge said as he met her at the front doors of the station. “Let’s run up and get the files, then we’ll go to the morgue. I’m sure there are a few people up there who would like to say hello while you’re here.”
“Just a few?” she chuckled as she followed him through the doors.
The Bodker homicide office was just as she remembered it. The room, twice the size of the one in Addison Valley, was filled with close to twenty desks. She passed the first six desks, which she knew belonged to the detectives primarily working the cold cases, and stopped next to the empty desk by the window.
“Still haven’t filled it?” she asked when Wooldridge appeared behind her.
“We aren’t planning to. We’re saving it for you when you decide to come back,” he said with an air on confidence.
“What makes you so sure I’m coming back?” she asked as she sat down in the all too familiar chair. She was surprised by the level of comfort that she felt as she looked out across the room. For a brief moment, she wished that she were back, surrounded by the people she had been so close to. That was quickly squashed when she looked over at the desk that had belonged to her former partner, the very man who had betrayed her and killed Christopher.
Wooldridge traced her line of sight to the desk, now covered in flowery plants. “Well, I’m not quite as sure as I was before I saw you step off that plane in a dress. The only dress I’ve ever seen you in was your wedding dress, and even then I think you’d have worn pants if you could.” He had a look very similar to that of Detective Wilcome. His eyes seemed to almost pierce her as they searched for any sign of a reaction. “How long have you been seeing Ben Davis?” he asked after several moments of silence.
Rilynne took in a deep breath, letting it out with a heavy sigh. “Actually, last night was our first actual date. We’ve been dancing around it for months, though; more so after I received the death in absentia notice in October.”
“Well, I feel like an ass,” he said as he folded his arms in front of him. “Knowing you, that was the first date you had been on in nineteen months.”
“I thought I was the profiler here,” she said with a grin. “And you know that I would have been furious if you had waited to call. As much as it still hurts, it’ll be nice to finally get some answers. At least now I know for sure.”
“Well let me go grab the files and we can head to the morgue,” he said as he walked to the door. “The coroner should have something for us by the time we get there.”
Wooldridge left her sitting in the vacant room, staring out the window at the passing cars below. She had gotten so used to small town living that she had almost forgotten how busy the larger cities were.
“My eyes must be deceiving me,” she heard a loud voice coming from the doorway. She spun toward it in her seat to find a short, stout man with a large smile looking right at her. “Small city living getting old, Evans?”
“You wouldn’t believe how comfortable it actually is, Ramos. The food is pretty good, too,” she said as she stood up to greet him. “How have you been? How’s the new baby?”
“He’s perfect,” he said as he reached for a wallet. He held it up, showing a picture of a plum little baby wrapped in a yellow blanket. “Vanessa’s loving the role of a stay at home mom. I’m sure she would love to see you.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be in town, but I would love to see her, too,” she said. She looked from the picture back up to Ramos just in time to see the smile on his face vanish.
“Was it him?” he said hesitantly. “I heard that a body had been found outside of Madison. Was it Christopher?”
Rilynne nodded gently as she dropped back down into the awaiting chair. “That’s what it looks like,” she said, fighting to keep a relaxed expression. “His wallet was found at the scene. The chief’s grabbing the files and we’re going to head to the morgue. I’m hoping they’ll have a definitive answer for me.”
“So they brought the remains here instead of sending them to Madison?” he asked.
She nodded again. “Wooldridge was called as soon as the wallet was found, and they handed over the jurisdiction. He’s going to send all of the evidence to Addison Valley. We have the top forensic tech in the country, and he’s going to analyze everything for us. Hopefully he can find something useful.”
“You ready, Evans?” Wooldridge asked as he stuck his head through the door.
“I’ll see you later,” she said with a weak smile as she walked past Ramos and followed Wooldridge back out the door.
*
“Dr. Ramirez, you remember Detective Rilynne Evans. She’s the wife of Christopher Parker,” Wooldridge said as they walked into morgue.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said as she pulled off her gloves and offered Rilynne her hand. “I wish I could say I had some news for you, but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to learn much from the remains.”
When she turned toward the wall behind her, Rilynne thought for a split second that she was going to pull the body out of the cooler. Instead, she reached for the clipboard on her desk.
“All of the teeth appear to have been removed in an attempt to conceal the identity. I’ve ba
gged up what was left of the clothing, along with the personal items found on the body. There was no identification, but I understand that a wallet was found buried in the vicinity.” Although it wasn’t a question, she looked to Wooldridge for confirmation.
He nodded softly, but it was Rilynne who spoke first.
“Were you able to collect any viable DNA?” she asked, a slight quiver just noticeable in her voice.
Dr. Ramirez hesitated and Rilynne knew why. It was one thing to delve into the details of an examination with the investigators; it was something entirely different when it was a family member. “There were dark brown stains visible on the shirt, which is consistent with blood. You said that everything was going to be sent to an outside lab,” she turned toward Wooldridge, “so I sealed them up for you instead of sending it in to be run. I also collected several trace samples that I wasn’t able to identify.”
“Um,” Rilynne said with a crack in her voice. “Do you mind if I have a look at the personal items you found?”
Dr. Ramirez nodded kindly as she grabbed the small bag from the instrument tray and held it out for Rilynne.
She ran her thumb gently across the clear plastic as she slowly shifted the objects sealed inside. When she finally found what she was looking for, her chest tightened up and she had to struggle to draw another breath.
“It took me three weeks to pick out this ring,” she said softly. “I went to eight different jewelry stores before I found the perfect one. There’s just something about the hammered look with the beveled edge that I’ve always liked, but it was the contrast between the thin black accents and the white gold that made me fall in love with it. He never took it off, no matter what he was doing.” She ran her fingers against it one last time before handing the evidence bag back. “Where are the clothes?”
Dr. Ramirez sat the bag back on the tray before reaching for the second one. “Luckily, the shirt was a cotton-polyester blend,” she said as Rilynne took it from her. “If it had been pure cotton, it would have decomposed well before now.”