Obsession With Murder Read online

  “And you left her to get both girls ready by herself?” she asked, following him to the kitchen.

  He dropped the box down on the island and turned to glare at her. “Did you want me to pick up your food from the store, or not?”

  Now Rilynne was the one to roll her eyes. “Fine,” she submitted. “Did they have everything I ordered?”

  Matthews nodded as he peered into the large box. “They were out of the brand of cheese you requested, but I made the executive call and got a different kind. Personally, I like this one much better.”

  Rilynne shrugged. “You’re the one grilling, so I’ll leave that entirely up to you. Do you need any help getting the patties ready before people start arriving?”

  “No, I just need a large bowl to mix the meat in. That’s under here, right?” he asked, opening one of the cabinets just below where he stood. He pulled out the largest bowl they had before reaching for the packages of hamburger meat in the box. “Did you want anything more than green onions and cheese mixed in with the meat? I considered jalapenos, but decided against it with all of the children coming. I’d never hear the end of it if one of them got one by mistake.”

  “Like I said, that’s all up to you,” she replied. “I’ll be in the back getting everything else set up if you need me. I put up a sign for any trick-or-treaters or guests to come around back, so just ignore the bell if anyone rings it. We’ve had a few older kids out today ringing it and running off. Either that, or it’s Tylers and Steele being funny. I’m about to just unplug it until tomorrow.”

  Matthews gave her a bemused grin. “Do you really expect to have any trick or treaters tonight?” he asked. “Your driveway alone would take longer to walk up and down than most parents even keep their kids out.”

  “No, but I picked up a couple bags of candy just in case,” she replied, pointing out the window to the large bowl of candy on the back porch. “I figured if anyone actually made the effort, they can just take as much as they want. I’ll also have enough to get your girls good and wound up before you take them home.”

  She tossed him a quick wink before heading out the back door.

  Ben had insisted on going all out for their first Halloween in the house. That included making the back yard as festive and scary as possible. That was easy for him to say, though, because he still wasn’t able to move around easily. With two weeks still left in the leg brace, it was up to Rilynne to do most of the decorating. As she looked around, she was pleased with the job she’d done.

  She’d ordered a couple dozen hay bales, which she used to line the area. Not only did it provide extra seating, but it would make it much easier to keep track of the little ones. Fake spider webs were put anywhere they could be hanged, and skeletons and pumpkins were scattered about. With the orange and black lanterns hanging all around the yard, it was going to look good when the sun went down.

  Rilynne worked on the last minute touches until the guests started arriving half an hour later. Before long, nearly half the station was there.

  “”Food should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Matthews said as she walked past the grill on the way back into the house. She nodded before glancing down at the snack table to make sure it was still fully stocked.

  “Are you ever coming out?” she asked Ben when she stepped through the back door into their bedroom. “What’s the point of having a party if you aren’t going to join it?”

  He was just where she had left him fifteen minutes before, standing in front of the mirror, perfecting his costume.

  “I’m almost done,” he said excitedly, tying another tattered bandage around his leg brace. “Am I completely covered? It’s much harder to do this when you can’t really move well. Maybe I should have let you tie me up when you offered.”

  She shook her head as she looked him up and down, the smile on her face growing with each passing glance. When she asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, he was insistent on being a mummy. Instead of simply buying a costume that could easily be put on, he bought yards of white fabric, tore it into strips, and soaked them in a bucket of tea to get a good stain on them. While he did look amazing, it took him nearly two hours to get everything tied to him the way he wanted. Though she didn’t want to kill his mood by asking, she had no idea how he was going to use the restroom when needed without having to take a good portion of it off.

  After adjusting one piece on his back, she nodded and reached for the crutch he’d already wrapped in the same strips. “Shall we? People are starting to think that you’re missing again.”

  “With the only person I can think of who’d want to take me or make me disappear facing charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder, I think I’m pretty safe from that at the moment,” he said, taking the crutch from her and slowly walking toward the door. “That is unless I do something to thoroughly anger you. I think I’ve been pretty good at not doing that, though.”

  “I don’t know,” she joked. “You do seem to be late to every party I throw, even ones you’re hosting with me. I think that’s enough to push any girl over the edge.”

  Before reaching for the door, Rilynne reached out and straightened a picture frame sitting on the shelf. After telling herself she needed to dust it more often, she studied the happy faces in the photo.

  “I just remembered something from right after the accident,” she said, putting it back in place and turning to her husband. “I had a dream that first night in the hospital. I was back at our beach and there was a man there. I can’t believe I haven’t realized it before. It was Justin. He came to me and told me I needed to find my way back. I guess he’ll never stop looking out for you. It was nice seeing him, though. That’s the first time I think he’s ever been in one of my dreams. There was something else he said, too, but I just can’t seem to remember what it was.” She shrugged and turned back to the door. “Maybe it will come to me.”

  “Rilynne,” someone called out as soon as they pushed the back door open.

  Rilynne made sure Ben had his footing before letting go and looking for the source of the excited voice. She didn’t have to search far before her sister jumped into view.

  “I need to talk to you about something!” she said excitedly. Elise grabbed her arm and pulled her around the side of the house, nearly knocking over two officers who were just arriving.

  Rilynne had never seen her sister so excited. She all but pushed out the sounds of the party going on around them as she focused on Elise. She was actually bouncing by the time they came to a stop just below the far master bedroom window.

  “Guess what!” she said, looking quickly around to see if anyone else was around. When she was satisfied they were alone, Elise turned her excited face back toward Rilynne.

  Before Rilynne could even get a word out, she continued.

  “Chaz has decided to move to Addison Valley,” she stated, barely stopping to take a breath when needed. “He’d been flirting with the idea for a couple months now, but he told me last night that he’d already put in his notice in Hawaii and he was going to be moving up here by the end of next month. Ben had already told him that there was a position for him here if he ever decided he wanted it, and he’s going to take it. Isn’t that amazing! We’re not going to have to deal with the long distance thing anymore. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier!”

  Rilynne smiled and embraced her sister tightly. She’d been happy when Elise and Chaznik had hit it off so well, but she wasn’t sure how a long distance relationship would suit her. They had been able to spend a few days a month together and video chatted daily, but Rilynne had honestly expected it to be too difficult in the end. She couldn’t be more pleased that Elise had found someone she was so happy with.

  As she held her sister tightly in her arms, the last of the party disappeared around her as a brightness filled her eyes.

  “Thanks for coming with me,” Chaz said, a level of nervousness escaping with his words. “And thanks for not telling Rilynne. I kno
w there’s an unspoken rule about telling your spouse everything, but I didn’t want there to be any chance it got back to Elise.”

  Just to his right, Ben grinned and pulled the door open for him. “Are you kidding? I’m glad you called me. And I’m sure Rilynne will forgive me just this one time.” As they both stepped through the door, they were approached by a man in a suit.

  “Is there something I can help you find today?” he asked, politely.

  Chaz grinned from ear to ear.

  “I’m looking for a ring.”