Suspicions with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Four)

by Vakey, Jenn

  “That’s just what I need on my first week of work,” Rilynne said, following him as he stepped back through the trees. “I’ve learned that people’s first impressions of you tend to stick.”

  He smirked at her over his shoulder but didn’t say anything. Rilynne felt a twinge of guilt. She couldn’t decide if it was due to the growing feelings Danny had for her, or the fact that she had chosen not to inform Ben about the situation. Though she was still trying to convince herself that he wouldn’t care, she couldn’t blame him if he did. If the situation were different, Danny was the kind of guy she could see herself being interested in.

  They made it back to the manor just in time for Rilynne to grab her caddy and head toward the study. Though she had spent several hours cleaning the walls and ceiling in the room just days before, she still had to clean the rest of it.

  When she walked in, she found Jared Lewis sound asleep in his chair with his feet propped up on the large desk. She stood in the doorway for several moments staring at him before she cleared her throat to announce her presence.

  “It was a ghost, I tell you!” he yelled as he flipped out of his chair and landed with a hard thud on the floor. The fall didn’t seem to faze him, however, because he was immediately back up on his feet. “Where did it go?” he asked Rilynne, wide-eyed as he looked around the room.

  “I’m sorry, sir?” she asked. “Where did what go?”

  He looked over at her like she was the one who was crazy. “The ghost, of course. What else would I be talking about? You must have seen it. Where did the ghost go?”

  Rilynne just stared at him, unsure how to react. He spun around three times, apparently examining every inch of the room before he darted toward the door. When he brushed up against her as he ran past, she was hit with a sudden flash.

  Brittney walked into the study, caddy in hand, and found Jared Lewis sitting at the large desk. She sat the caddy down on the floor as she dropped down into one of the large chair and kicked her feet up onto the desk.

  “There’s my favorite person,” he said as he looked up at her. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it today.”

  “Like that’s even a possibility. I still have quite a bit of work left to do today, but I wasn’t about to let that stand in the way of our time together. It’s my favorite part of the day,” she said with a warm smile as she peered over the desk to the papers sitting in front of him. “Up to your normal mischief, I see.”

  “Would you love me if I were any other way?” he replied with a wicked grin.

  She rolled her eyes and pulled her feet off of the desk. “You know you can’t keep this up forever, right? Eventually someone’s going to find out, and both of us will suffer the consequences.”

  “How would it come back on you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She leaned back and folded her arms. “You’re kidding, right? After firing me-which you know she would do-your wife would do everything she could to ruin my life. I don’t imagine I would even be able to find someone to hire me when she was done. I’d end up living in a box on the streets by the end of the year.”

  “You know I would never let that happen,” he said as he attempted to balance a book on his head. As soon as his fingers let go, it slid off of his head and dropped to the floor with a loud crack.

  Brittney let out a deep sigh, and looked at him seriously. “You have to tell her,” she stated. “It’s time. I don’t know if I can keep this hidden much longer. People are starting to talk.”

  His body tensed as the childishness left his face. “I don’t have to tell her anything,” he said sternly, rising from his chair. “And who the hell do you think you are to tell me what to do? Get out.”

  She looked almost fearful as she grabbed the caddy and rushed from the room, tears running down her cheeks.

  Jared Lewis was already gone by the time Rilynne found herself back in the study. Danny could deny the possibility that Brittney and Mr. Lewis were involved in an affair, but she couldn’t see any other explanation for what she had just seen. As she worked her way quickly through the room, she thought over all of the possible outcomes of the conversation she had seen.

  If Jared had thought there was a possibility Brittney would break down and inform his wife of the affair, he could have taken it upon himself to prevent it. On the other hand, if Brittney had approached Cyndi Lewis and told her that she had been having a tryst with her husband, Cyndi could have found herself in a fit of rage and attacked her.

  There was also a third option that she knew she would have to consider. If it had gotten out that Brittney had broken the pact she had with Danny by getting involved with Mr. Lewis, Danny could have been angered by the betrayal and killed her.

  Though the vision was enlightening, it didn’t come close to narrowing down the suspect pool.

  Rilynne half-heartedly cleaned the office before rushing back to her room. She had waited long enough to hear the results from the search. She decided to call Matthews herself.

  “I’m beginning to think you’re intentionally making me wait here in the dark,” she said when he answered. “I was expecting to hear from you first thing this morning at the latest. What did the search turn up?”

  “I hate to leave you in the dark any longer, but I honestly don’t know,” he stated. “I took a personal day, so I haven’t been in the office at all.” Rilynne could tell by the tone of his voice that he was hiding something, but she knew better than to push him for information when it came to a personal matter. He would tell her when he was ready. “I would have thought Ben would’ve called you the moment he found something,” he continued.

  “You and me both,” she stated. She was too exasperated to even try to hide the frustration in her voice. “I did discover a few things today that might be relevant to the investigation.”

  She could hear rustling over the line and had a feeling he was digging around for a pen. “Lay it on me,” he said a few moments later.

  “There’s a hole in the exterior wall that’s just big enough for someone to slip through,” she stated. “I don’t how many people actually know it’s there, but it’s possible someone outside of the household could have slipped in without being noticed. I also am fairly certain that the victim was indeed having an affair with Jared Lewis. If she had threatened to go to his wife about it, he might have tried to stop her.”

  “All right,” he said after a few more moments. “I’ll call this in so the guys can start looking into it. If I hear anything from them, I’ll let you know.”

  Rilynne couldn’t shake the feeling when they hung up that something was wrong. He was concerned about something. All she could do was hope it wouldn’t take him long to fill her in.

  With only one more room to complete before dinner, Rilynne hurried back to work.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rilynne rushed through dinner without paying attention to anything going on around her. Nancy had already left for Travis Bar and Danny was out taking the kids to their scheduled activities along with Sydney. That left only Casey, Cole, and Lisa at the table with her. As soon as she determined the conversation wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone in the manor, she zoned out and shoveled the food into her mouth. The others had barely touched their dinner when she finished and carried her empty plate to the sink. After saying a quick goodnight, she retreated to the seclusion of her bedroom.

  She pulled off her uniform and climbed into her pajamas on as if on autopilot, not realizing what she was doing until she was finished. After carefully laying the uniform out on the chair, she reached for her phone and began dialing.

  “Hey there,” Ben said when he answered. “I was wondering when I’d be hearing from you. I’m actually surprised it took so long.”

  “You could have called me yourself, you know,” she said. The frustration she had been feeling was quickly melted away by the sound of his voice.

  “I know,” he replied. “I was actually just about to call. I wanted to
wait until I knew you wouldn’t be around anyone else.”

  “So tell me about the evidence you collected,” Rilynne said. “I’m assuming by the lack of police presence today that you didn’t get a match for the finger print.”

  “Actually we did,” Ben stated, though the tone of his voice left her anything but hopeful. “I’m afraid it isn’t going to get you very far, though. The finger print belonged to the victim, Brittney Price.”

  Rilynne thought she must have heard him wrong. “I thought she died from the fall. How could her finger print have possibly ended up tucked into the tail light panel?”

  She could tell by the low groan he let out that he had just dropped down onto his bed. He always let out a sigh when he sat down, but there was something distinctive about the one he had when he laid back on his bed. Every time she heard it, she couldn’t help but grin.

  “I talked to Dr. Andrews about it as soon as we go the match. He stated that there was no fluid in the victim’s lungs when she was found, so she was dead prior to going in the lake,” he said. “I gave it some thought and came up with a theory if you want to hear it.”

  “I’m always open to your ideas,” she said.

  She could hear the grin on his voice when he responded, “We know she died of internal bleeding,” he said confidently. “The best I could come up with is she was still alive when she went into the trunk. She regained consciousness while on route, and knowing she would probably not survive the ordeal, she left us a clue so we would know what happened to her.”

  “Wow,” Rilynne said on a long breath. “I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through her mind.”

  “Can’t you?” She could hear the humor in his tone. The sigh he let out right after left her with the feeling that he regretted the statement as he said it.

  “Oh hush,” she replied, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m trained to handle situations like that. I know every time I go into a dangerous situation that there’s a possibility it could end badly. This poor girl was just an innocent victim. She must have been so frightened.”

  “I’d call her brave about anything else,” Ben said. “She could have easily become hysterical but she kept her head enough to leave evidence she was there where it wasn’t likely to be found and cleaned up by the killer. It actually sounds like something you would have done.”

  He had a point. It wasn’t often she saw someone be so level-headed during such a horrific ordeal.

  “Do you think her killer knew she was still alive?” Ben continued.

  “I don’t think we’ll know for sure until we catch them,” she replied as she thought it over. “I doubt it, though. If they knew, chances are there would have been additional signs on the body. There weren’t any defensive wounds on her. They probably thought the job was finished after she fell, and she had more than likely succumbed to her injuries by the time they arrived at the lake.”

  The thought of it seemed to put him on edge and he started to rattle off everything else he had discovered. “Well, in addition to the print, we were also able to match the hair collected to the victim. The door handles were all relatively clean, but we pulled all of the prints we could out of the interior. People tend to forget to wipe the blinker and the seat adjustments. So many people had access to the car, though, so I don’t know if we’ll get anything useful,” Ben explained. “Don’t lose hope yet. We did find one thing in the trunk that could prove useful.”

  “Well, what is it?” she asked excitedly.

  Ben hesitated before answering. “I can’t tell you,” he stated. “Wilcome doesn’t want it to lead your investigation. If we’re able to identify who the object belongs to, they’ll move in and make an arrest.”

  Rilynne was frustrated but she understood the decision. Too often she had seen investigators focus in on one suspect and ignore all other possibilities. She didn’t see herself getting caught up in the same situation, but she was glad the opportunity was removed for her.

  “When do you think you’ll have results for that mystery item you found?” she asked, knowing better than to push for more information. While Ben would surely follow the orders from Wilcome, she would have still been putting him in a difficult situation.

  “It shouldn’t be long,” he stated. “It’s running now, so I’m hoping to have the results early tomorrow. You should probably keep your phone handy so you know if they’ll be making their move.”

  Rilynne let out a longing sigh. “I can’t believe this could all be over tomorrow. You have no idea how ready I am to have my life back.”

  “I thought you lived for catching killers?” he joked.

  “I don’t live for cleaning houses and wearing this obnoxious uniform,” she stated firmly. “Besides, it’s like being in a soap opera here. There’s so much drama that I’m going crazy. Although the obsession the maid has with you in incredibly entertaining. She even thought you told Tylers about going to Travis Bar tonight just so she could hear it. She’s convinced you wanted her to meet you there tonight.”

  “You’re kidding!” he exclaimed.

  “Not even a little bit,” she chuckled. “She’s probably there as we speak waiting for you. She believes the two of you will be settled down within a few months. Congrats, you’re getting married.”

  “Well I’m glad someone told me. I’d hate to miss my own wedding,” he chortled.

  “If you’re lucky, she’ll turn out to be the killer and you’ll be able to end your illicit affair without any drama. Although, knowing her, it wouldn’t end there,” Rilynne said. She found the entire situation growing more amusing by the day. “She would probably expect you to start visiting her in prison. I hear they have a lovely little chapel.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “Most definitely.”

  He chuckled softly before asking, “So what are the chances her infatuation will go away when this case is over?”

  “Honestly,” she considered the idea, “not very high. I don’t think it’ll reach stalker levels, but she’ll no doubt try to insert herself into your life.”

  “How’s that different from stalking?”

  “Well, I don’t see her sitting in front of your apartment building or collecting everything you touch,” she stated. Although after thinking about it further, she wasn’t quite as confident in her assessment as she had been moments before. “I think her true desire is to find someone who’s both incredibly handsome and rich. She did say you were hot enough that she could overlook your lack of riches, though. As soon as the Lewis’ have another party, I’m sure she’ll latch on to someone else. We can just enjoy the show in the mean time.”

  “So basically you’re saying you intend to use me as bait for your own entertainment?” he asked.

  Rilynne thought about it for a moment before answering. “That sounds about right,” she replied playfully. “Don’t worry. If she gets too out of hand I’ll step in and keep you safe.”

  “Well, I feel very reassured now,” he chuckled before changing the subject again. “So, in the event that the piece of evidence we found doesn’t lead anywhere, how’s your end of the investigation going? Is there anyone standing out above the rest as a suspect?”

  “I won’t lie, I’m stumped,” she said honestly as she stretched out on her bed. “Everyone seems to have to a motive, and although there’s now the possibility that someone could have sneaked onto the property, I’m still relatively positive that someone here is responsible. I just don’t know who.”

  “Does everyone have a motive?” Ben asked.

  “Just about. The only member of the staff I haven’t been able to find one for-other than the security team whom I haven’t been able to speak with at all-is the butler, Cole,” she stated. “Though I’m sure if I dig deep enough, I could find something.”

  “Well, then there’s only one thing we can do,” he said. “We’ll just have to play the game and see if anything jumps out at you. So, start from the beginning
, what do you know?”

  She thought over the case file Wilcome had given her. “All right, we know she was knocked down the stairs in the east wing of the manor while she was cleaning them. She was put into the trunk of the car and driven to the lake. A bag of cement and rope were taken from the gardening shed and used as an anchor when she was thrown in.”

  “Okay, since we know she was removed from the manor in a staff car, we can assume that someone within the house was responsible. It’s improbable that anyone else would have been able to drive the car off of the property then return it without raising alarms at the gate. So, who had access to the car?”

  “Anyone in the manor,” she replied. “It’s a staff car, and the keys are left in the garage. Cyndi Lewis didn’t give the order for the garage to remain locked until the morning you came out to examine the car. The same can be said for the cement and rope in the gardening shed. Though, I don’t know who would have known there was a solid cement block already in the shed that could be used. The gardener would have surely known, but there’s no way of knowing if anyone else did.”

  “So anyone within the house had opportunity to do it. Let’s look at the motives,” he said. “Start at the top. What about Jared Lewis?”

  “I honestly don’t know what he’s capable of,” she replied. “From everything I’ve heard, he and the victim were very friendly. He seemed to be closer to her than anyone else, including his own wife. I’m also fairly certain that they could have been having an affair. I don’t have to tell you that an affair is always a good motive for murder.”

  “What about his wife?” he asked.

  “The only reasons I could see her killing the victim is either over an affair or if she was stealing,” she replied. “Even as high strung as she is, though, I think she would have taken more pleasure in black-listing her and making it nearly impossible for the victim to find work again than actually killing her.”

  Ben paused as if considering the option, then mumbled something that sounded like an agreement. “All right, how about the staff?”