Obsession With Murder Page 13

  Without waiting for him to respond, Rilynne turned and stepped into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t bear the helpless look that was bound to be on his face. She’d had her fill of those looks to last a lifetime over the last five days.

  Rilynne didn’t look at anyone when they stepped into the office moments later. She listened to the conversations and theories being thrown around the room, but part of her knew if she actually looked up and made eye contact with anyone, she’d be pulled into a conversation she had no desire to be part of.

  When Tylers sat down a folder on her desk that held a copy of the pictures from the scene, she delved into them and blocked out everything else going on. From what she had heard so far, none of the ideas even sounded remotely likely, so she felt her time was best spent trying to see something herself. As no one knew of any problems Ben was having, she was the only one who held what it was they needed to know. She just needed to find some way of remembering it.

  “Have you found anything?” Matthews asked half an hour later.

  She shook her head without looking up to meet his eye. “I just keep remembering the same things. We started fighting before we left the house. I’m guessing that’s around the time I learned what had been going on, because I’m remembering everything leading up to that day pretty clear. He wanted to handle it himself, and I wanted to handle it my way.” She could hear him smirk and knew she didn’t need to explain what way that was. “I don’t remember anything that happened over the next couple hours, but we were still talking about it when the car struck us. It must be the reason for all of this. If it were simply case related, where someone was trying to get back at law enforcement for something, I don’t think he would have been the first person they went after. Usually it starts with the officers or detectives who made the arrest. I also don’t think they would have left me alive in the car. Not with the chance that I had seen something that could lead us right to them. That is unless he was taken as a way of punishing me, but it was still a big risk to take doing it like that. The only thing that makes sense is that he was taken for some personal reason.”

  “Or it could be both,” he said, reaching for his keyboard and pounding away. Rilynne glanced up to find a determined look on his face as his eyes moved around his computer screen.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked, tempted to get up and walk around to see what he was looking into. When she made the first motion to move, though, her body fought back and wouldn’t allow it.

  His hopeful look quickly turned, though, as he let out a sad groan and looked back to her. “I reached out to a buddy of mine to see if he could look into Cornellus in the chance that he came down here and grabbed Ben,” he explained. “But he emailed me back to say he has a solid alibi. He actually got picked up for assaulting another woman he’d been obsessed with in the past. Looks like he tracked her down after getting out and he didn’t respond well to her rejecting him.”

  Rilynne groaned and shook her head. “I guess some people never change,” she stated. “Maybe they’ll think twice before granting him parole again. I still can’t believe they let him out in the first place. Are we sure he didn’t have something to do with this?”

  Matthews twisted his face as he thought it over. “He’s been locked up for almost two weeks. Even if he had hired someone to grab him, I doubt the plan would have continued after he was arrested.”

  “Did he have any family or anyone that could have held a grudge?” she asked. It had taken place so long ago that she was hesitant to believe they could be related, but she wasn’t willing to turn down any options at this point.

  Matthews pushed his keyboard back and shook his head. “From what I learned looking into him, both of his parents died prior to the incident, and it doesn’t look like he had any friends. Unless he hired someone to grab him, which I don’t see as a likely scenario given that it would have been more beneficial for him to do before his parole hearing, I don’t think he’s connected to any of this.”

  Rilynne dropped her head down hard on the desk, not caring that it sent a sharp pain radiating from her fresh stitches. “I feel like I’m failing him. He’s out there somewhere thinking that I’m doing everything I can to find him, and I’ve been here the last five days unable to even remember who he is. I don’t even want to think about what he must be thinking by now.”

  “Ben knows that you love him and that you won’t let anything stop you from finding him,” Matthews stated. There wasn’t a note of hesitation or doubt in his words. “You might have lost your memories for a time, but you didn’t let that get in the way of trying to find him. You act like you’ve just been sitting back, getting your nails done, and waiting for something to turn up. You were facing factors that were out of your control and you still did everything you could to push forward. I don’t think he’ll be anything but proud of you for that.”

  “That still isn’t going to get him back,” she said. Tears started to build within her, and she didn’t know if she would be able to hold them back. “We have no idea what kind of shape he’s in right now, or what they are doing to him. They could be torturing him, or he could have been seriously injured during the accident. Even if the initial intent wasn’t to hurt him, I don’t see the person who took him getting him medical assistance if he needed it.”

  “We can’t let ourselves think like that,” he said, the sweetness sounding in his voice that she came to count on when things seemed hopeless. There was one thing about her partner that she would never be able to truly express her gratitude for, and that was the fact that he never seemed to lose hope, even in the most hopeless of all situations. Whether his true beliefs or not, she didn’t care. When he stood up against all odds and told her that everything was going to be all right, part of her always believed it. He gave her strength when she couldn’t find it on her own. That meant more to her than anything else he could have done.

  Rilynne peered up and gave him a grateful smile before setting her head back down on the desk, more gently than she had before. She didn’t need to look at the clock to know it was getting late. Her body had all but given up on her for the night. By the level of ache she was feeling, she didn’t even think she could stand up if she wanted to. Sliding her feet back into her shoes alone would have been a near impossible task. She was just glad she had a clean pair of socks in her desk drawer so she didn’t have to sit around in her blood soaked ones.

  Matthews stood and crossed the room, but she didn’t look up to see where he was going. Instead, she rested her head down on her arm and closed her eyes. All she needed was an hour or so of sleep and she would be able to concentrate better on the pictures still in front of her.

  Rilynne stepped through a large, heavy door and found herself surrounded by well over a hundred people. As her eyes swept the room, she suddenly felt very underdressed. Everyone in the hall, including the servers carrying trays from group to group, were dressed as if they were attending the top social event of the year. Looking around, perhaps they were.

  She slowly stepped back, hoping to be able to slip out before anyone spotted her. She’d only managed three short steps before any chance of that disappeared.

  “Where are you going?” a voice sounded from just behind her.

  The sound of it was sweet in her ears, making all of her worries quickly fall away.

  “Ben,” she said, quickly turning to face him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  He grinned and shrugged, looking down at his tuxedo. “I guess these things do make everyone look alike. You, however, look stunning. There’s no way you would blend into the crowd.”

  Her face burned hot as she once again looked for the exit. “I look like a troll,” she stated. “I’m nowhere near dressed for the occasion.”

  Ben arched a bemused eyebrow as he looked her quickly up and down.

  “I know you don’t like wearing dresses, but I hardly think troll would even make the list of
ways to describe you,” he stated. “I’m going to stick with stunning.”

  “Dress?” she asked, looking down to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, her outfit had been replaced by a long black and white ball gown. She might no longer have felt out of place, but she was no more comfortable than she had been before.

  “I definitely don’t get you into one of those things often enough,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “I’m going to take advantage of it. Let’s dance.”

  Before she could respond, Ben pulled her out onto the open dance floor and spun her into him.

  “You’ve been practicing,” Rilynne laughed.

  Ben shrugged again. “I’ve got to keep you on your toes.”

  “You definitely do that,” she said, her smile fading from her face. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Everyone has. Where have you been?”

  Ben grinned and dipped her back, quickly pulling her back up.

  “Why do you need me to tell you?” he asked. “You already know exactly where I am.”

  Rilynne didn’t take her eyes off of him as she let him spin her around and around the floor.

  “I need you to tell me something,” she pleaded. “I don’t remember what was happening before you disappeared. I know someone took you, but I don’t know who or why. Please just tell me where you are. Tell me who has you.”

  “I’m surprised at you,” he said, causing her face to instantly burn bright. “After all, it all began here.”

  Before she could respond, he spun her again, sending her several feet away. When she turned back, Ben was gone. More than that, everyone in the room had vanished. Rilynne was standing in the middle of a large, empty hall.

  She was just starting to move to the door, hoping to catch up with Ben before he was lost again, but something stopped her in her tracks. There was something about the room.

  Rilynne’s head shot up. It took her a few moments to realize where she was, but she couldn’t have been happier to be there.

  “What’s going on?” Matthews asked as she reached for her keyboard and started typing.

  She didn’t answer him. Her mind was racing as her fingers moved as fast as she could make them. When she found what she was looking for, the air left her lungs and she jumped from her chair and reached for the paper coming out of the printer. “I know where he is.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I’m going with you,” Matthews said, reaching for his gun. To her surprise, he didn’t argue when she did the same.

  Rilynne didn’t look back when she rushed out of the room. She didn’t know how close behind her he was until he reached around her to push the elevator button first.

  “Here,” she said, her hand shaking as she handed him the page.

  “Wait,” he said, looking over it as he ushered her into the elevator. “Are you sure?”

  Her head felt like it was part of a bobble head toy when she nodded. “I remember everything now. It had been going on for a while, but he told me he would end it. I thought it had until I saw them together outside of our house that morning. It’s what we were fighting about. This is where he is, I’m sure of it.”

  They didn’t stop for anything as they crossed the lobby and headed outside. Matthews didn’t wait for her to fully shut the door before swinging out onto the road and speeding off.

  “I sent Wilcome a message,” Matthews said, dropping his phone into the cup holder. “It’ll take a little while to get the team out there since it’s so early, but he’s sending cars out to meet us. There was a robbery across town, so they’ll probably be about fifteen minutes behind us.”

  “We’re not waiting,” she stated firmly. “I’m going in to get my husband, with or without backup.

  She wasn’t surprised when he didn’t argue. He loved Ben almost as much as she did.

  Rilynne checked the clock four times on the ten minute drive to the house. It was just after five. Her heart was racing so fast it felt like she was going to explode with anticipation. By the time they pulled onto the street and Matthews turned the headlights off, she had to fight not to jump out of the car and run the rest of the way.

  “Are you ready?” he asked as soon as he brought the car to a stop.

  Rilynne stepped out and pulled her gun from the holster on her hip. Matthews looked down at it hesitantly, but he didn’t say anything. “We don’t have a warrant yet,” she said. She turned toward him. “Let’s circle the house and see if we can find anything that would give us just cause to enter.”

  Even saying it hurt. She didn’t want to wait a minute longer before going in and getting her husband, but she knew the only way to actually get this to stop was through a valid arrest. She didn’t want to take the chance that something could happen again.

  Matthews nodded and followed her up the driveway that ran along the left side of the house.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, the moment they stepped around the corner into the backyard. Parked just outside the backdoor was a blue car, the front end smashed to the point that Rilynne was surprised it had been able to drive away from the scene.

  “I would consider this sufficient cause,” Rilynne said, looking back at her partner. “You can see the black paint transfer from our SUV.”

  Matthews let himself really grin for the first time since this began as they stepped toward the backdoor. To her surprise, there was actually a light on in the house. Though it was somewhere deeper in the house, it provided just enough light for her to see inside the kitchen. It was empty. She checked the walls looking for any sign of an alarm box, but she didn’t see one.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered, trying the doorknob. When she found it locked, Rilynne slid the black case out of her back pocket and pulled out her tension wrench and pick. It took just seconds for her to push the door open.

  Matthews moved silently behind her as they quickly cleared the kitchen before moving further into the house. There was music playing in the background, but she was having a hard time making out exactly where it was coming from. As they swept through the house, she was drawn to the source. She found it at the top of the stairs leading into the basement.

  “Why does it always have to be a basement?” she whispered. “Nothing good ever seems to happen in basements around here, which is odd considering the small percentage of homes that actually have one. I’m beginning to think having a basement is a prerequisite for being a nut job.”

  Matthews let out a sound that almost resembled a laugh before she motioned for them to go down. She knew they should probably check the remaining rooms first, but her desire to get her eyes on Ben was too overpowering.

  Without waiting for a response, she carefully put her weight down on the first step. The music billowing in the basement was likely loud enough to hide any creaking of the stairs, but she was still going to do what she could to eliminate any chance of their presence being detected.

  The sappy love song grew louder as they reached the door at the bottom of the stairs. It was pushed almost shut, leaving a gap just big enough for her to look through.

  The room was nicely decorated from what she could see. There was a brown leather sofa set in front of a large flat screen television anchored to the wall. Just past it she could see a set of curtains hanging down that seemed to be separating the area. They were closed, but were fairly sheer. She stared at them, trying to see what was hidden behind. There appeared to be someone standing just beyond them. She wanted to believe it was Ben, but resigned to the fact that her eyes could just be playing tricks on her and showing her what she wanted to see.

  Rilynne was about to have Matthews look to see if he saw the same when the figure moved. With it came a low moan. That was all she needed to hear.

  Rilynne pushed through the door, Matthews following close behind. Her eyes swept quickly through the room, and after making sure no one was there, she pulled open the curtain.

  “What are you doing in my house?” a voice screeched out. Rilyn
ne felt the disappointment settle in before her eyes fully took in the sight.

  She was wearing a red babydoll that was sheer enough that Rilynne could see Matthews fighting the urge to turn away. That wasn’t the thing that had her eye though. Gripped in her right hand was a large kitchen knife. “Get out of here!” she yelled, shaking it toward them.

  Rilynne let her arm fall down to her side. After stepping slightly toward Matthews, she held it back just enough for him to pick up on her intensions. When he did, everything moved very quickly.

  Matthews took the gun from her hand. The moment it left her fingers, she reached out with her left hand and slammed her cast hard into the knife while simultaneously throwing a hard punch.

  “Where the hell is my husband, Nancy?” she asked as she picked up the knife from where is had fallen to the floor.

  Nancy moved both hands up to her face from where she sat crumpled on the floor. After pulling her hand down briefly to check and see if she was bleeding, she looked up to a Rilynne with a look of pure hatred that she had never seen before. She didn’t say a word.

  Rilynne wanted to hit her again. Instead, she reached back and took the gun back from Matthews and pointed it down at her. “You tell me right now where my husband is!” she yelled.

  Nancy kept her eyes on Rilynne, not looking to Matthews or the gun Rilynne had trained on her, but she remained silent. In that moment, Rilynne couldn’t honestly tell who was angrier.

  Her gun was shaking in her hand. She didn’t know whether it was from the fear she still felt or the fury, but she could feel it building. “Hold her,” she said to Matthews. She kept her gun on Nancy for a few more seconds before she turned and rushed back out of the room.

  “Ben!” she yelled as soon as she reached the top step. “Ben, where are you?”