by Vakey, Jenn
Rilynne started at one end of the table and worked her way slowly around. Though the caterers had cleared the room after the event, it was far from clean. It took the better part of an hour just to clean the crumbs from the chairs and polish the fingerprints away.
After making her way back around to the head of the table, she branched out and began cleaning the rest of the furniture in the room. She saved the large china cabinet for last.
It was filled with the most beautiful set of china she had ever seen. Each piece had been monogrammed with an elegant J and C. From the looks of it, the set had been cared for. It surprised her in a way, though she wasn’t sure why.
*
“Don’t mind me,” Cole said when she walked into the room titled ‘man cave’ half an hour later. “Mr. Lewis has decided to spend the rest of the day out searching for mystical creatures in the woods-his words, not mine-and Mrs. Lewis is at her tennis lesson. That gives me a nice little break unless someone comes to the door. Mr. Lewis lets me sit in here and watch the game.”
“We should trade jobs,” she chuckled.
Cole raised his eyebrow and smiled. He wasn’t like she had pictured at all when she read over his file. Her only experiences with butlers had been on television, but they all seemed a bit uptight. Cole was the complete opposite. While he was very formal when performing his duties, he was much more relaxed in his free time. She had yet to see him without a smile on his face. “I think I’ll pass. It’s not as easy as you would think, though. The majority of my day I spend waiting on a woman who’s never pleased, or trying to prevent a mad man from destroying the manor.”
“Now, I definitely wouldn’t want that responsibility,” Rilynne said as she climbed the small stepladder she placed below the large display case hanging on the wall. “How long have you been working for the Lewis’?”
“I started working for Mr. Lewis just over ten years ago. I’d just graduated from high school and was working as a waiter to save up for college. He came in one day and just offered me the job. At first I thought he was just messing with me, but he sent a car to pick me up after my shift so I could see the house. I started working here the next day,” he explained. “He also paid for me to take night classes so I could get my degree. Believe it or not, he was actually pretty normal before he met Mrs. Lewis. I think she makes him as nuts as he makes her.”
“I don’t imagine she was entirely thrilled with the relationship he had with the maid that was killed,” she said casually. “From what almost everyone said, it sounds like there was something going on between them.”
“You know, I had my suspicions from time to time, but I never actually saw anything that would have suggested there was anything going on,” he stated, his eyes still glued to the large television in front of him. “They did spend a good deal of time together, though. He wouldn’t let anyone else clean up his messes.”
“Well, everyone seemed to think along the same lines, other than Danny, that is,” she said. She turned toward the cases and waited for him to fill the silence. It didn’t take long.
Cole chuckled and said, “Well, that’s just because of their pact.”
Rilynne stopped dusting and turned back toward him. “What pact?” she asked curiously.
“See, Danny and Brittney started dating shortly after she started working here,” he stated, still not turning away from the screen. “They were only together for about six months, but when it ended, they made the pact. They agreed that, out of consideration for each other, neither would date anyone else in the house while they were both still employed.”
“That’s actually kind of nice. Do you think they both would have stuck to it?”
“They both had options within the house,” he said. He seemed to be considering the question carefully. “I know Danny wasn’t going to break it, but I can’t say for sure whether Brittney would or not.”
With a pact like that, Rilynne could see several different motives for Brittney to be killed. As she thought over the list of scenarios, Cole returned his attention to the game. Rilynne was so lost in her thoughts-constructing a possible suspect list-she found herself finished with the room without actually remembering the work that went into it. After gathering the supplies and returning them to her caddy, she walked out of the room, leaving Cole entranced by the game.
Knowing that Matthews was bound to have started worrying by now, she dropped the caddy off and made her way back to her room. Since she had sped through the majority of her afternoon chores, she knew that it would be a while before anyone missed her.
When she reached her room, she checked up and down the hall to make sure no one had seen her before walking in and closing the door. She lay back on her bed and pulled out her phone. After fighting off the urge to call Ben, she dialed the number in the phone labeled ‘mom’.
“You were supposed to call in hours ago,” Matthews said in his familiar surly tone.
“Sorry, Mom,” Rilynne joked. “I got caught up catching a purple dog and playing detective.”
“Purple dog?” he asked, caught off guard by her statement. To her delight, it accomplished its job and his demeanor instantly lighted. “Do I even want to know?”
“Not much to tell there, actually. It was literally a purple dog. Now as far as playing detective goes, I have a few things for you to check out,” she stated. “That is if you’re done scolding me for my late checkin.”
“Well, what do you have?” To her surprise, he sounded more excited over the prospect of having a break in the case than annoyed by her sarcasm.
“Check into Nancy Santos and see if you can find the name of her boyfriend… well, ex-boyfriend. You should be able to find them on a social networking site,” she explained.
Matthews mumbled, as if writing everything she was saying. “What do you want to know?”
“When they broke up,” she said. “She said it was last week, so I want to know if it was before or after the victim’s body was discovered. You should also try to get a hold of her ex-husband and see if he ever encountered any aggressive behavior from her when it came to jealousy. I think I saw his contact information in the file.” She paused and thought over the rest of the conversations from the day. “Also, check with Brittney Price’s family and see if she ever talked about being in a relationship with Danny Jones. From what I was told, everything with them ended amicably, but it’s worth looking into.”
“Is there anything else?” he asked.
Rilynne had almost completely forgotten the main reason she called him. “I believe I may have found where she was killed. Jared Lewis informed me that he saw her shortly before she died, and she still had several things she needed for do around the manor. He also stated that his wife was furious the next morning when she found that only part of the east wing banisters had been cleaned,” she explained. “I haven’t made it over there yet, but I will tonight. We know that she fell down a flight of stairs, so it’s reasonable to think that she was in the process of cleaning the east wing stairs when she was killed.”
“Good,” he said excitedly. “If we can find evidence of a crime taking place, we should be able to get a warrant to search the grounds. Do you have any idea about who could have been involved?”
She thought back over everything she had learned. “Not yet,” she stated several moments later. “So far I haven’t been able to eliminate anyone as a suspect. Hopefully there will be some trace on the stairs.”
“I’ll update Tylers and Steele. Call me as soon as you’re able to examine the suspected crime scene,” Matthews said firmly.
“Aren’t you supposed to be having dinner with Katy tonight?” she asked. “She’ll be furious if it’s interrupted.”
“You’re right,” he stated. “Well then, call me if you find anything of importance on the stairs. She’ll only be angry if it’s a call to report the lack of something.”
“Will do,” she chuckled before hanging up.
The sun was starting to sink below
the tree line as she made her way to the east wing. It was just before dinner, so the house around her was silent. Her shoes didn’t make a sound as she took the polished steps one at a time. When she reached the top step, she placed her caddy down and reached out for the banister. The moment her fingers brushed against it, a fog overcame her and the room around her darkened.
She was standing at the top of the stairs, wiping the mahogany banisters. As she hummed to herself, she could hear a muffled sound coming from behind her. Suddenly a sharp pain stuck her across the lower back.
Panic spread through her as she felt herself leaning forward. She reached over for the rail, but it was too late. She was falling. The stairs were suddenly moving toward her face, and everything went dark.
Then she was standing at the base of the stairs, looking at the lifeless body on the floor. She reached for the rag Brittney still clutched in her hand, and made her way cautiously up the steps, wiping every spot of blood as she went.
The scene changed again as she pulled the doors to the gardening shed open. The anxiety built as she rushed to the back. She pulled the wheel barrel back, and found what she was looking for: large bags of cement. She struggled to move them aside until she found the one at the bottom. It had gotten wet during the last big storm, and was now a solid block. She heaved it up and dropped it into the wheel barrel, along with a rope sitting on the shelf to her right.
When the room came back into focus, she turned around and began examining her surroundings. The area around the top of the staircase was empty aside from the console table against the back wall with a large vase of colorful flowers. She looked around, but didn’t see anything that could have been used to strike the victim. Whoever hit her must have brought the item with them. Though it was disheartening, it told her one thing: the murder was most likely premeditated.
She made her way carefully down the stairs, examining every step as she went. When she was about half way down, a small spot caught her eye. It was just under the lip of the step, impossible to see if she hadn’t been searching for it. She looked around, making sure no one was around, before pulling a small swab out of her apron pocket. She peeled the paper away from it before reaching back in and retrieving a small bottle of solution. Rilynne squeezing a single drop onto the tip of the swab. After tucking the solution back into her pocket, she crouched back down and ran the wet swab across the small stain.
She glanced around again before pulling out two more small bottles. She placed a drop from the first bottle on the tip, then after a few seconds added one from the second bottle. She hadn’t even screwed the top back on before the swab turned dark pink.
“Bingo,” she said as a wave of satisfaction spread through her.
After searching the remaining steps, Rilynne quickly worked through the list of chores to be done in the room. When she was done, she tossed her caddy in the first supply closet she passed and made her way to the north wing. She peered into the kitchen as she passed to make sure everyone had already arrived for dinner, before sneaking out the back door.
The gardening shed was on the back of the grounds, behind the pool house.
With the sun now below the horizon, she was left with only the light from the house to guide her. The door to the gardening shed was locked, so she pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. Ben was highly skilled at picking locks and had been teaching her to do the same. She had only practiced on locks she had laying around the house and was excited to have an opportunity to test out her new skill. It would have been easier if she had the kit Ben had gotten her, but she felt it was too big of a risk to take with her on the assignment. After a few seconds, though, the lock snapped open.
The shed was very organized; everything had its place on the shelves lining the walls. She glanced around, but with the limited light, she couldn’t see anything that could identify who had removed the bag of cement. With one last look, she stepped back out and replaced the lock.
As she walked back through the empty yard, she pulled out her phone and sent a text.
“I’ve got blood.”
Chapter Nine
Rilynne lay in bed until she was absolutely sure she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. It had been two weeks since her last day off, but even though she wasn’t responsible for any housework, she was still working.
After going for a quick run and showering, Rilynne caught a ride with Nancy into town. She had Nancy drop her off at the mall, making sure she was gone before she walked in.
Addison Valley Mall wasn’t so much a mall as a large shopping center. Taking up an entire block, every storefront held either a shop or a restaurant. It had been designated a mall after a covered walkway was built through the middle of the block, which allowed customers to pass from one store to another via the alley instead of having to walk all the way around.
When Nancy pulled around the corner, Rilynne walked to the closest store and immediately exited through the back. Taking the covered walkway to the diner at the end of the block, Rilynne stepped in and took the corner booth.
“You’re late,” a voice came from the table a few feet away.
“When you rely on a girl who appears to be more concerned with her looks than anything else, you operate on her time. I’m lucky I made it out of there before noon,” she explained as she glanced over to see Matthews and his wife enjoying a plate of scones. “It’s good to see you, Katy. Any new gossip for me?”
“Well, I heard-” she started, but was interrupted by Matthews grunting.
Rilynne chuckled as she turned her attention back to her partner. “What do you have for me?” he asked.
Rilynne pulled a file out of her purse and casually handed it to him as the waitress arrived to take her order.
“These are all of the items I haven’t been able to rule out as the object used,” she said as he flipped through the photos she had removed from the binders. “The memory card has pictures I’ve taken of everything not in the binders I’ve come across.”
“I’ll give these to Ben and see if they can compare them to the photographs from the autopsy,” he said as he tucked them back into the file. “Steele and Tylers were able to get a search warrant based on Jared Lewis’ statement about the stairs and the blood you found. They’ll be serving it later today. Is there anywhere specifically they should look?”
Rilynne sat back and thought about it for a moment. “Yesterday morning I saw Rick Olsen, the head of security, in the woods when I was running. He was in his uniform, so he wouldn’t have been on the path for recreational reasons. I wasn’t able to see what he was doing out there without risking my cover, but he wasn’t happy to see me,” she stated. “I also found the same brand of cement bag used to weigh her down in the gardening shed. There’s a lock on the door, but anyone with access to the keys could have gotten in. Or anyone who’s skilled at picking locks.”
Matthews shook his head when he saw the pleased grin on her face. “Ben’s teaching you well, I see. He’ll be so proud.”
“Did you find anything out about Nancy Santos’ breakup?” Rilynne asked, the smile not waning from her face.
“It looks like they broke up the day after the victim was killed, and before her body was discovered,” he stated. “What’s your theory?”
“I have two, actually. Nancy isn’t shy about her feelings for the chauffer, Danny. When Danny and Brittney broke up, they made a pact not to date anyone else in the manor while they were both still employed. That meant Nancy had no chance with him,” she explained. “Either she took advantage of Brittney’s absence and decided to make her move, or she could have taken matters into her own hands. It wasn’t a secret that she didn’t like Brittney; it’s possible she grew impatient and decided to eliminate the obstacle.”
Rilynne watched as Matthews jotted the notes down, then her eyes shifted to Katy. She seemed almost enamored with their conversation, her big blue eyes wide with excitement. It didn’t surprise Rilynne for a minute. She knew all too well that Katy love
d juicy gossip, and it didn’t get much better than a love triangle.
“As for behavior, there are a few people to look into,” she continued. “According to the butler, Jared Lewis didn’t always act like a crazy man. If he has an undiagnosed mental illness, he could have had a break and killed her. They did spend a good deal of time together, and she might have done something to unknowingly set him off. Then there’s Cyndi Lewis. Nancy Santos informed me that she has been more high stung than normal lately. That could suggest she’s under a great deal of stress, and killing someone tends to do that.”
“What about the staff?” he asked.
“It’s still going to take me a little while to get a good handle on them,” she replied. “Everyone had access to the area, and it’s not like I can outright ask them for an alibi. It seems that nearly everyone could have had motive to do it, whether it makes sense or not. Hopefully it won’t take me more than a couple days to get a good read on everyone.”
“What, you aren’t enjoying living in a manor?” Matthews asked with an impish grin. “I thought that was every woman’s dream.”
“I assure you that it is not every girls dream to live as a maid in a manor,” Rilynne said. “While the house is pretty wonderful, I would really like to get back to my real life.”
“Well, with any luck, we’ll find something when we serve the warrant,” he said as he finished his coffee. “I’m going to get these back to the station. Call me if anything else turns up.”
Rilynne sat back and watched them leave before turning and walking out the back exit. She walked from store to store, killing time before having to meet Nancy at three.
She was just stepping into the second store when she pulled out her phone. She knew that she couldn’t call anyone who could be traced to her real identity, so she used a trick she learned from the training officer she had after graduating from the academy. She called information. After a few moments, she was finally connected to the number she wanted.