by Jenn Vakey
“I want to go to the station,” she said as they watched him climb into his car and pull away.
To her surprise, Ben didn’t argue. She could tell by his hardened expression that he wasn’t happy with the idea, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
“Let’s go back to the house and get cleaned up and changed first. Then we’ll walk down there,” he said. “It will do you some good to take the time to calm down a little. I have a feeling he’s the type who would rather lock you up than listen to your opinions on how he should be handling a case.”
Rilynne didn’t want to wait, but she knew better than to fight him on it. He was only agreeing to go in the first place to make her happy; she wasn’t going to push him further.
She quickly pulled her wetsuit off and fought as hard as she could to calm herself while Ben collected the rest of their stuff. She had little success. There was little that enraged her more than someone not respecting a scene, especially when it was their job to do so. It was everything she could do to keep from sprinting off when they finally started back toward the house. Several times she had to make a conscious effort to slow her stride so she could stay with Ben.
Rilynne didn’t say a word from the time they left the marina until they were close to the station over half an hour later. It wasn’t that she didn’t have anything to say. On the contrary; she felt like she was going to explode. She was actually afraid to talk. While Ben had agreed to go, he wasn’t hiding his frustration about it. Several times in the few minutes they were at their beach house he put things down or shut a door harder than needed. The fact that he wasn’t asking her why she was being so quiet was just further proof of that. If she thought for a second she would be able to push the case out of her mind so they could just enjoy the remainder of their honeymoon, she would have just turned around and walked back to the house. She knew herself better than that, though.
“I think this is it right up here,” Ben said, finally breaking the tense silence. Rilynne studied the front of the small, white stone building before she finally saw the police department sign. Without waiting, she hurried up the stairs and pushed the door open.
“I don’t think I’ll be needing your statement at this moment in time,” the sergeant said when he looked up and saw them walk in. He looked less than pleased by the intrusion from where he sat, feet propped up on his desk. Without waiting for them to respond, he turned his attention back to the newspaper in his hands.
“I’d actually like to help with your investigation, Sergeant Perez,” she said, looking at the name plate on his desk. “Starting with the photos we took of the scene before you had the body removed.” He looked up at her with an almost amused sort of grin.
“Why don’t you head back to your room and leave the police work to me,” he stated. The continuous note of condescension in his voice was growing old.
Ben reached for Rilynne’s arm and pulled her toward the door, but she pulled it free and crossed the room toward him. “Have you ever handled a murder?” she asked, dropping her hands down on his desk. Perez’s grin faltered, but he didn’t rise from his seat. “I’m a homicide detective, and my husband is the top forensic analyst in the United States. Looking into things like this is what we do.”
“Well, last I checked,” he said, finally pushing himself up from his seat, “this isn’t the United States. Now, you can either head back to your house, or I can arrest you. The choice is yours.”
She stared at him for several tense seconds before pushing off of the desk. Before walking out the door, she turned to the young boy sitting behind the desk just to the right of it. “Tell your boss to look us up. If he wants our help, you know where to find us.”
He looked stunned, but nodded. Rilynne shot a menacing glare back at Perez before stepping through the door Ben was holding open for her.
“Can you believe how rude he is?” she asked. Rage was coursing through her as she started down the dirt road. She didn’t realize how fast she was moving until she noticed that Ben had to run to catch up.
“What do you expect?” he asked. Surprisingly, he didn’t try to slow her. “No one wants a stranger to come in and take over a case, especially one as big as this one. This isn’t like cities back home. We can’t just call in favors to get them to cooperate. Neither of us have connections that reach this far. He’s already told you what would happen if you push. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to spend the rest of our honeymoon behind bars. I know it’s hard, but you need to just let it go.”
With his words, Rilynne felt the anger slip away. He was right; this was their honeymoon. She should be enjoying it instead of obsessing about something she couldn’t control.
As her pace slowed, she just nodded and took him by the arm. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She could see him grin from the corner of her eye, but he didn’t respond. She felt herself wanting to rant again, but refrained. It was enough for one of them to be frustrated. If she dragged this out any further, the only thing it would accomplish would be angering her husband.
“Tell me you didn’t see this coming,” he said.
Rilynne quickly shook her head. “I promise I didn’t,” she said, trying to reassure him. The fact she hadn’t actually surprised her. Even if she had, though, she wasn’t sure she would have told him. As much as she would have hated to lie to him, the only thing telling him would accomplish would be frustrating him further. That’s the last thing she wanted to do.
The tension that had surrounded them on the trek to the station had completely disappeared by the time they made it back to their island house. While Rilynne was still furious by the sergeant’s decision, as well as his apparent disinterest for the case, she knew Ben was right. There wasn’t anything she could do about it.
“We could just buy the island,” she joked as she stepped up behind Ben. He unlocked their front door before turning and looking down at her. To her relief, he seemed almost amused by the suggestion. “Then he would be forced to be a more accommodating individual.”
He shook his head slowly as he held it open for her to enter. She quickly kicked off her shoes before dropping down on the couch in the small sitting area. Ben glanced back outside before shutting the door and joining her. With as often as they had been sneaked up on over the last year, it was a habit she wasn’t surprised he had picked up.
“So you want us to buy an island, well, actually an entire country, just so you can work on a murder case?” he asked. He sat down in the armchair across from her and pulled her feet up onto his lap. “And you wanted me to actually believe that you would be able to up and move to a place like this without going completely crazy due to a lack of crimes to solve?”
He pulled off her socks before pushing his thumbs into the bottom of her feet. She closed her eyes and let her head drop back against the back of the couch. “I…” she started, but the comfort radiating up her body left her unable to complete her sentence. After a few blissful moments, she picked her head back up and looked at him. “Consider it an investment. We buy the island and lock up the only killer it’s apparently ever had. It would be the responsible thing to do.”
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. Yo
u 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.