Jenn Vakey - Rilynne Evans 07 - Revenge with Murder Read online

  Mayor Lomax gave them a quick nod before walking past them and climbing into the Jeep sitting in the small parking lot. Even her car surprised Rilynne. While it was an economical choice given some of the rougher terrain on the island, it wasn’t nearly as luxurious as she would have expected.

  As she drove away, Perez walked out and headed toward his own car. He had just reached the door when he called out over his shoulder, “Well, are you coming?”

  Rilynne struggled not to laugh as she and Ben climbed into the awaiting car. For fear of making her enjoyment known, she sat quietly and didn’t ask where they were going. The urge to know grew stronger, though, when they pulled up to a small unmarked building.

  “Where are we?” Ben asked. Rilynne was relieved the question was finally out there.

  “You’re going to want to look at the body, aren’t you?” he said sharply. “This is the back of the doctor’s office. He uses the back room to perform autopsies. I would rather not to cause a panic by shuffling you through the front lobby.”

  When they stepped into the small, cold room, they were greeted by a man who had to have been in his late eighties. What little hair he had was white as snow, and his loose skin was hanging off of him. While she was sure he had plenty of experience under his belt, she couldn’t help but question how capable his skills would still be.

  “Are we making autopsies a tourist attraction now?” he said when his gaze shifted to Ben and Rilynne. The lightness of his tone made her smile. “At least tell me I get a portion of what you’re charging them.”

  Sergeant Perez’s body tensed as he folded his arms. He glanced quickly to the body on the table, still covered by a thin white sheet, before turning his attention back to the doctor. “Good evening, Dr. Forrest. The mayor has requested that they consult with the investigation. Let’s just get this over with.”

  “Right,” he said as his eyes shifted curiously between the three. He seemed to want to push further, but the scowl on Perez’s face seemed to stop him. “Well, I took the liberty of starting before you arrived. I know you would have preferred if I waited, but this is the first homicide I’ve seen in over forty years. Curiosity got the best of me.”

  He was surprisingly excited.

  “Do you have a cause of death?” Rilynne asked. Perez shot her another baleful look, but she ignored it.

  “Now, that’s what drew in my interest,” he said in an animated way. He pulled the sheet down to expose the three bullet holes in the victim’s chest and abdomen. “It would appear that our lady was shot, stabbed, and strangled. Those are just the visible wounds. I found an injection mark on her left shoulder, so I’ve drawn blood to test for poisons. I’ll have it prepared to be sent to a lab when the next boat goes out.”

  “I can analyze it,” Ben said. “I’ll need some equipment, but I can have anything you don’t have sent down immediately. I can also look over any physical evidence you find.”

  Curiosity filled the doctor’s eyes again as they moved around the room. After sweeping over Rilynne and Ben again, they came to a rest on Sergeant Perez who had positioned himself in the back corner. He looked only annoyed as he nodded. It was obvious Dr. Forrest wanted to know who these strangers were, but he just offered a quiet nod of his own before turning his sights back to the victim on his table.

  “Well, shall we begin then?” he said. Rilynne was actually surprised by how steady he held the scalpel as he pressed it into the woman’s skin, and even more so with the strength he showed as he cut through the ribs to remove the chest plate. “Okay,” he continued as he sat the tools down. “You can see here that one of the bullets entered the heart.”

  “So that was the cause of death?” the sergeant asked. Unlike Rilynne and Ben, he hadn’t left his spot in the corner at the back of the room. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was apparent that watching the procedure was getting to him. Every time Rilynne glanced over to him, she found him looking at something other than the body.

  “Actually, no,” Dr. Forrest said as he carefully examined the organs. “You can tell by looking at the surrounding tissue-” he poked the heart, “-that it, as well as the other shots and stab wounds, were post mortem.”

  “Then what was the cause of death?” Perez asked, not trying to hide the irritation in his tone.

  While the doctor continued his examination, Rilynne leaned against Ben to brace herself and closed her eyes.

  All she could see were multiple shades of white and light blue. She tried to look around but everything was clouded. She opened her mouth and only bubbles escaped. Panic filled her as she tried to pull her head above the water, but it was no use. It was being held under. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t break free. Soon, everything started to grow dark.

  Suddenly, she was staring down at the victim’s lifeless body. The sound of waves crashing into the rocks echoed all around her. She looked around to make sure no one was around before pulling a knife out of the bag at her feet. Also in the bag she could see the tip of the barrel of a gun, a syringe, what looked like a homemade garrote, and a long chain. As she looked down at it all, a sickening pleasure filled her. She was going to enjoy this.

  “She was drowned in the ocean,” he said. Rilynne’s eyes shot open and she looked down at the body.

  “Are you sure?” she blurted out. She immediately regretted her rudeness. If the doctor had any reaction, he kept it to himself. Instead, he just nodded.

  Rilynne must not have hid her doubt well, because Ben delivered an elbow in the ribs that shocked her back to reality. It didn’t ease her confusion, though. Even if she hadn’t seen her dead body laid out on dry land, the stab wounds and gunshots had already been inflicted when she went into the water.

  “Quite positively,” he responded. “You can see it right here,” he said, pressing his finger gently into her lung. He picked the scalpel back up and continued with the examination. After a few minutes, he continued. “Her stomach is also full of water. It appears she swallowed a significant amount before she passed.”

  “Can you collect a sample of the water to be analyzed?” she asked. Her response was met by perplexed looks from both the doctor and sergeant.

  For the first time since the procedure started, Sergeant Perez approached the group. “That seems like an incredible waste of time,” he said. “She was found underwater. What’s the need to test the water in her lungs? It’s obvious where it came from.”

  She shifted her gaze to the doctor, hoping he would explain it to him so she wouldn’t have to. Instead, he seemed to agree. She let out a quick breath, remembering again how much she hated lying to explain what she’s seen. Before she could start, though, Ben jumped in.

  “Unless her wounds were inflicted after the refrigerator was tossed into the ocean, she would have to have already been drowned before she was tied to it.”

  “It’s highly unlikely that she would have been drowned in the ocean, then moved somewhere secluded for the other injuries to happen, then taken back,” she added.

  After chewing over their words for a moment, Perez turned to them looking grudgingly impressed. He glanced quickly to the body before pulling his gaze away and backing again into the corner. He looked like he was going to be sick.

  Dr. Forrest looked impressed himself, though it wasn’t as gratifying of a reaction without the disdain that had accompanied Perez’s.

  “Will you be wanting to examine the sample yourself?” he asked Ben as he began collecting it. “Or should I have it sent out?”

  “I can take care of it,” Ben replied. “Along with anything else you find. I’ll have all of the equipment I need shipped in. Do you have somewhere secure to keep the samples until I’m ready for them?”

  Dr. Forrest nodded excitedly. He seemed to be fascinated both by their presence as well as the case he found himself in the middle of. “I have a special cabinet I use to house all of the samples I collect from my patients that need to be sent to the lab. It’s always locked and I’m the
only one with access.”

  “Good,” Rilynne responded. “We will let you get back to the rest of your examination.” She could feel Ben’s curious eyes on her, but she didn’t turn to face him. “If you need anything from us, Sergeant Perez knows where to find us. We’ll be back tomorrow after the equipment arrives to collect everything.”

  “You’re insane if you think the junk you need will be here by tomorrow,” Sergeant Perez said harshly. “You’ll be lucky if it’s here before your trip is over. It would probably be more logical just to send everything off now instead of having to hold on to it in hopes that the equipment actually arrives before you leave, then sending it off then. I don’t want to spend any more time on this than I absolutely have to.”

  “You don’t know my husband very well,” Rilynne said, without elaborating further. She nodded kindly to the doctor before turning and pushing the door open behind them. Rilynne and Ben walked out, leaving the sergeant speechless where he stood. As soon as the door closed behind them, she turned to Ben. “I wasn’t lying, was I? You will actually be able to get the stuff you need out here before we go home, won’t you?”

  Ben slid his arm around her shoulder as they stepped off the small porch and started down the street. The sun was starting to set in front of them, leaving the sky a vibrant shade of pink. “Don’t worry,” he replied. There was a note of pride in his voice that made her smile. “I sent a message to a friend of mine in Hawaii as soon as the kid came and got us. He’s sending what he can, and put in an emergency rush for anything he didn’t have. I’m expecting it all in the morning.”

  “Do I even want to know how you managed to pull that off?” she asked.

  Ben jokingly twisted his face for a moment before he laughed and shrugged. “Let’s just say I called in multiple favors, and I’ll have to speak in at least two upcoming events. I also told him I would try to set him up with your sister.”

  Rilynne let out a shocked laugh as she elbowed Ben in the ribs. “First of all, how does your friend even know about my sister? Second, why would he use speaking engagements as leverage? Wouldn’t you just do them anyway if he asked? You love those things.”

  “Not this kind,” he replied, gently rubbing his ribs with his free hand. “I like the ones where I can actually inspire people to get into the field or when I can teach new ways of doing things to my colleagues. He wants me to speak to the different boards he’s working with to get additional funding. While I understand the need for financial support, they just don’t hold the same excitement as the others. They’re actually pretty tedious.”

  “I can see that,” she responded. “And where does my sister fit into this?”

  Ben chuckled. “He talked to her briefly at our wedding.”

  “She was there with a date,” Rilynne stated. She knew the man hadn’t amounted to anything substantial, and that Elise had only really invited him so as not to attend alone, but it surprised her he was expressing so much interest. It wasn’t that she found her sister undesirable in the eyes of men. In fact, she was both bright and strikingly beautiful. It was actually the fact that he was expressing interest that surprised her. If she was remembering the correct friend of Ben’s, he had seemed quite uninterested at the wedding. She remembered overhearing a brief conversation the two had, and nothing about it left her with the feeling he had any desire for a further connection. From what she could recall, he seemed almost eager to find someone else to talk to.

  “I remember that talk,” Rilynne stated. “I just didn’t get the impression he was really into her… at all.”

  Ben shrugged, the grin still resting comfortably on his face. “Chaznik isn’t really the best with the ladies. Let’s just say his looks developed late, and by that point his nerdiness had already taken over. He’s also not used to talking to someone as attractive as your sister. The women who work in his lab are more-”

  “Homely?” Rilynne offered when he seemed unable to find the right word. He nodded. “So you find my sister attractive?”

  Ben let out a quick laugh. “I’m not blind,” he stated. “But she’s still no you.”

  “Well, maybe they’ll be good for each other then,” she responded. “The distance isn’t going to help them much, but that might actually be a good thing for Elise. Growing up practically on the run with our dad didn’t do her any favors. I’m not sure she’s ever dated anyone more than a couple months. It definitely hasn’t happened since she came into my life. Maybe seeing someone who is so far away will help her to get past some of that. You know, ease her into it a little. You have my blessing to try to set them up. If it ends poorly, though, I had absolutely no knowledge of it.”

  Ben laughed again. “And if it doesn’t?”

  Rilynne flashed him an impish grin. “Then it was entirely my idea.”

  Ben just shook his head. “You’re weird.”

  “I know, isn’t it wonderful?” she grinned.

  “I didn’t expect you to be ready to leave that autopsy before absolutely everything was done,” he said moments later. “I thought for sure that we would end up spending the rest of the night either in there looking over the body or at the station.”

  Rilynne looked up to find him eyeing a flock of birds flying overhead. She grinned and shrugged. “If we weren’t on our honeymoon, I probably would have. I don’t want to spend more time than we have to looking into this, though.”

  She didn’t have to look up at him to know he was grinning. The warmth of it seemed to reach into her from his arm still draped over her shoulder. She reached up and laced her fingers with his and they walked quietly the remaining mile to their house.

  * * *

  “We could have just gone out for dinner,” Rilynne called out to Ben through the open kitchen door. He had banned her from stepping foot through it until he was finished cooking. Whenever she tried, he threw something at her and threatened to toss the whole meal out. After the third try, she finally gave up.

  “Nonsense,” he replied. “We’ve spent all day out and about with other people. Tonight, you are mine.”

  “I think I’m okay with that,” she said. “How much longer am I going to have to wait out here, though? That smells so good and I’m starving.”

  She heard a cabinet door slam before Ben stuck his head out and smiled. She stood as he reached his hand out for hers and led her into the kitchen.

  He had gone above and beyond with dinner. The table, which had been donned with a simple wooden bowl filled with fresh fruit, was cloaked in a silky white table cloth. Scattered beneath the flickering candles were handfuls of red rose petals.

  “This is beautiful,” Rilynne stated. Heat spread through her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her head down against his chest. Listening to his heart drumming against her ear, she closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet smell of peaches surrounding him. “Thank you, baby. You’re too good to me.”

  As she said it, she felt a familiar wave about to crash over her. She tried to stop it, but it was no use.

  She was sitting at a small desk looking down at blueprints rolled out in front of her. She could feel the need to do something, but distraction clouded her mind. She checked her watch, but didn’t actually register the time. There was so much weighing on her mind that an elephant would have been easier to carry. She checked her watch again. With one last look at the blueprints, she let out a resigned sigh and rolled them back up. As she slid them into the cardboard tube, there was a knock at the door. Instantly, all that burdened her disappeared and she was filled with a rush of excitement. She dropped the tube down and hurried to the door. When she pulled it open, she was met with a large bouquet of vibrant red roses.

  “What was that?” Ben asked, moving the hair out of her face as he looked down at her.

  She quickly shook her head and responded, “It was nothing.”

  “You saw something,” he said. It wasn’t a question. He pulled back slightly so he could get a better look at her before contin
uing. “What did you see? Was it about the case?”

  “I’m yours tonight,” she said, tilting her head back as she pulled him tightly against her. “I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that. We can deal with everything else tomorrow.”

  He looked a little surprised. “Are you sure?”

  Rilynne nodded.

  Ben leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead and gave her a quick squeeze before leading her to the table.

  Chapter Three

  “Wake up,” Rilynne called out to Ben as she threw a towel across the room. When it landed on his head, he groaned and tossed it to the floor. “Come on, sleepy head. Your equipment should be coming in this morning and I want to have time to eat breakfast before we start in on everything.”

  Ben groaned again and pulled a pillow over his head. “Is it too late to call off the wedding and find a woman who hates her job?”

  “Sorry, my love,” she chuckled. She jumped up on the bed and bounced a few times before sitting on her feet. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. Besides, you wouldn’t love me nearly as much if I didn’t love what I do.”

  He opened his mouth to counter, but closed it again without a word. He knew she was right; she could see it on his face. Rilynne grinned, knowing she had won, and spun off the bed. “The boat should be here in about half an hour,” she said, making her way to the bathroom. “I know you are going to want to oversee your equipment setup, and you know Sergeant Perez isn’t going to wait for us before getting started. It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t end up breaking something in the process. He might even do it on purpose.”

  When she walked back out five minutes later, she was surprised to see him dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. He still looked half asleep, and even less happy than that, but at least he was up.

  Rilynne quickly pulled her clothes on as Ben finished getting ready. After looking herself up and down in the mirror, she decided to pull her hair up after all. It had grown out, now reaching the middle of her back, but the humidity of the island left her with little control over it. As she finished securing it up with a hair tie, Ben slid his shoes on and waited for her at the door.