His eyes shot back up toward her as a look of utter shock passed over his face. “What child? What are you talking about?”

  Rilynne leaned back in her chair as her jaw quickly dropped. “You don’t know?”

  “Know what?” he sounded as if he was on the verge of panicking.

  “Jane’s pregnant,” she replied. “She said the baby is yours. You’re going to be a father, Julio.”

  A wave of emotions swept over his face, switching from panic to excitement and quickly back again. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “We’re sending her to the hospital to be checked out, but she seems pretty certain.”

  “But Shane?” he seemed to be trying to process everything. “Couldn’t the baby be his?”

  “Jane said she knows it’s yours, but only a DNA test will be able to say for sure. Would it really matter to you either way?” she asked.

  He didn’t even seem to need to think about it before quickly shaking his head. “Either way, I’ll raise it as my own. I don’t need a DNA test.”

  By the end of the conversation, his spirits seemed to have been lifted higher than she had seen them. Rilynne left him sitting in the conference room, with the first smile she had seen on his face since they met.

  “How’s he taking everything?” Matthews asked as she sat down at her desk.

  “He didn’t know Jane’s pregnant,” she said. “I think in a way it’s better that she is, for him at least. It gives him something other than just the guilt to concentrate on. Has it started to get around the station yet?”

  “Parts of it. Everyone knows that Jane was responsible for the murder. Wilcome is trying to keep the affair from coming out, though,” he replied. “I don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep it under wraps, but we’ll try. Right now, the only people who know about it are the three of us, the district attorney, and Jane and Julio themselves. I talked to Jane and requested that she not tell anyone, and she readily agreed. With her pleading out, the case will be able to avoid a trial. With any luck, we should be able to keep things quiet.”

  Rilynne nodded. She knew if the affair did get out, Julio Vega would most certainly face the downfall. In her opinion, he had already suffered enough from his mistakes. “I’ll talk to Ben,” she said. “He doesn’t know about the affair, but he does know that the DNA was a match to Vega’s. If that got out, it wouldn’t take long before people start to make connections.”

  “How’s he going to keep it from getting out once the baby arrives?” he asked.

  “That’ll actually be pretty easy,” she said. “People will just assume he adopted his best friends child and is raising it as his own. Everyone knew that Vega and Villarreal were as close as brothers. I think people would actually expect it of him.”

  “What a week,” he groaned while rubbing his hands over his face.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you how you made the connection to Julio,” she said. “I figured that he was using the house to spend time with his wife, but how did you come to the affair?”

  He groaned as he folded his arms. “I was trying to think of any reason that she would have had to kill him, and the first thing that always comes to mind is an affair. I knew that there was no way that he would have been having one, and then I remembered the way that Julio was acting during our interview with him. The DNA was also male, so I knew he must have had an altercation with someone other than his wife. Then I remembered what Clark said about Jane coming to the station to check on the status of the investigation, which, knowing her, she wouldn’t have done unless she had another reason. It just made sense.”

  “How are you holding up?” she asked him.

  He just shook his head slowly and kicked his feet up on his desk. “You think you know people,” he said dryly. “I never in a million years would have thought Jane capable of killing Shane. I knew she was high strung and a little controlling, but murder? I honestly don’t think I would believe it now if I hadn’t heard it from her myself. Katy isn’t going to take this well. I’d better head home, actually. She’ll never forgive me if she has to hear about it from someone else.”

  Rilynne stood up as well and reached for her purse. “I think I’ll go, too,” she said. “My mom’s in town, and I would really like to spend some time with her.”

  She left Matthews at the elevator, going up to the lab instead of down. She was ready to step out when the doors open, but was stopped by Ben waiting on the other side.

  “I was just coming to look for you,” she said as he stepped in. “Are you done for the day?”

  “I’ve been working on overtime just to get this case closed,” he said as he reached for the lobby button. “Now that it is, I have the next couple days off. Why were you looking for me?”

  “I needed to talk to you about what you know about the case,” she said. “What we need to do to make sure that no one beyond you ever hears.”

  His look of confusion passed after just a few seconds as comprehension set in. “An affair?” he asked.

  “You’re smart for a blonde,” she said, grinning up at him.

  “Hey!”

  Rilynne chuckled as the elevator doors opened to the lobby. “We just want to make sure that Julio Vega’s connection to the murder is kept under wraps as long as possible. He wasn’t responsible for it in anyway, so we feel that he has suffered enough.”

  “In other words, you don’t want him to have to deal with the fallout from the other members of the department when it gets out that he was having an affair with the wife of a fellow officer.”

  “Exactly,” she stated.

  He walked her to her car and pulled the door open for her. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me then. And no one else in the lab even knew that I was running the DNA,” he said. “Is your mom still in town?”

  “She’ll be here for about a week, so I thought I would take it off so we can spend time together.”

  “It was a little ironic, though,” Ben said. Rilynne looked up at him quizzically before tossing her purse into her car. “I ran a more detailed search on the cocaine that was left on Villarreal’s body.”

  “Yeah, Jane told us that it had belonged to his sister,” Rilynne interrupted.

  “It didn’t just belong to her,” he said. “It was from the same batch that she overdosed on. The cocaine that was left during his murder was the same cocaine responsible for his sister’s death fifteen years before.”

  Rilynne didn’t even know what to say. She leaned against the open door watching Ben try to wipe a small scrape off of the hood of her car. “Thanks for keeping my mom company last night,” she said. “I didn’t feel quite as bad for standing her up on our dinner plans when I realized that she hadn’t been alone.”

  “Of course,” he replied casually. “I was pretty startled when she opened the door. I knew you were at work, so I was just going to use the key that I still had to leave the box inside for you. She was apparently on her way out to go for a walk. I don’t know who was more stunned to be honest. Oh, and I should probably give you the key back now before I forget again.”

  “Hold on to it,” she said. Although he hadn’t looked up toward her, she could just make out the grin on his face. “Knowing me, I’ll probably lock myself out at some point. Not that you really need a key, with your unsettling ability with a lock picking set.”

  “So in keeping this key, there’s a good chance that I’ll be getting a call at two in the morning sometime when you lose your keys. That’s what you’re saying?” he asked playfully.

  “It’s not like you would complain about getting a middle of the night call,” she said in outwardly flirtatious tone. After giving him a quick smile to go along with it, she climbed into the car and left him standing on the sidewalk with an almost baffled expression.

  She still felt a lingering flutter from her comment as she pulled into the driveway. She had the feeling she may have actually been more shocked than he was by the statement.

  “Did you solve it?” her mom asked when she met her at the door.

  Rilynne nodded. “You were right,” she said. She tossed her purse down and shut the door behind her. “I just needed to clear my head and it all came to me.”

  “Was he having an affair then?” Amber grabbed a bottle of wine off the rack and two glasses before leading Rilynne into the living room.

  “No, it was actually his wife that he was meeting at the house.”

  “If he was meeting his wife, where did the feeling of guilt come from?” she asked.

  Rilynne took a sip from the glass her mother handed her and leaned back on the couch, kicking her feet up on the table. “I think it was coming from her. She was having an affair with his best friend, and I think it was either guilt from the fact she was cheating, or she was feeling guilty for sleeping with her husband and cheating on her boyfriend. Either way, it was a pretty messed up situation.”

  “So was it his wife then?” Amber asked. “Was his wife the one who killed him?”

  Rilynne nodded while draining half of her glass.

  “Did she say why?”

  “Her husband was actually going to forgive her for the affair, and try to work things out,” Rilynne explained. “He even forgave his best friend before meeting his wife at the house that day. She decided she didn’t want to work things out with him, though, because she wanted to be with Julio, the friend. To top it all off, she told her husband that she was pregnant with his best friend’s baby.”

  “I don’t imagine that went over well,” Amber said as she sipped from her own glass.

  “Not even a little bit. He understandably flipped out and declared that he was going to tell everyone what she had done. I don’t think her reputation really concerned her, but she wasn’t willing to let him ruin Julio’s.”

  “Ah,” Amber said out of understanding. “The honor code among officers.”

  “That’s the one,” she replied.

  “Wow,” Amber said on a long breath. “It’s insane the lengths people are willing to go so their dirty little secrets don’t get out. How far along is she?”

  Rilynne shrugged. “She didn’t say, but she isn’t showing yet.”

  “I can’t believe that any mother would sacrifice being able to raise a child just to keep their man from having a bad reputation.”

  “At least the child will still have one parent when this all ends,” Rilynne said. “Julio said he isn’t even going to worry about getting a DNA test done on the baby. He said he’ll raise it as his own, and it wouldn’t matter if Shane was actually the father.”

  “Good for him,” Amber said with an air of astonishment. “How’s his reputation going to fair?”

  “Right now only a limited number of people know about the affair, and we’re going to do what we can to keep it that way,” Rilynne explained. “If it gets out, then he’ll have to face the downfall, but for right now no one within the department other than those of us directly involved in closing the case know that he was connected to it at all.” Rilynne paused to think back over everything she had learned. “I guess that explains why my flash was triggered by being hurt,” she said. “I can’t imagine how hurt Villarreal must have been that last day. The two people he trusted and loved were betraying him.”

  “What were you thinking about when you go it?” Amber asked in her motherly, concerned tone.

  “Christopher and the way he reacted when I told him. That was the first time he had ever done anything that truly hurt me.”

  Amber ran her fingers through Rilynne’s hair. “Well, it looks like I showed up just in time then,” Amber said as she refilled both of the glasses. “Now that your case is closed, what are we going to do with all of this free time?”

  Rilynne chuckled. “I won’t make you spend your time helping me unpack my house. Of course, I will also not claim to know anything fun to do in this town.”

  “That would mean that you actually went out and enjoyed yourself from time to time,” Amber said mockingly. “I don’t suppose you know anyone who might be able to give us some suggestions?”

  “I put a bullet in the only female friend that I’ve made here, so I’m going to have to say no,” she said sardonically.

  “Maybe Ben could help us out.” Rilynne couldn’t help but notice the almost hopeful tone in her mother’s voice.

  “If you like him so much, why don’t you date him?” Rilynne grinned over at her, feeling her cheeks growing slightly warm. Amber seemed to have noticed, because a joyful smile popped up across her face.

  “I hardly think I’m his type,” she said playfully. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s very attractive and one of the nicest men that you have ever introduced to me. Besides, I’m no longer on the market.”

  Rilynne nearly choked on her wine as she jumped up in her seat. “What do you mean ‘no longer on the market’? Are you dating someone?” She couldn’t hide the curiosity in her voice.

  “Don’t sound so shocked,” said Amber. “I may be getting older, but I’m not dead.”

  “I didn’t say that you were, I just didn’t know you were seeing someone. Spill,” Rilynne stated. “Who is he?”

  Amber appeared to be trying hard to keep the smile off of her face. Rilynne liked this look on her mother. She couldn’t remember the last time that Amber had been on a date, let alone in a relationship. “He’s just a guy that I work with. We’ve been seeing each other for a little while now. I’m not the one we’re talking about at the moment, though,” she said, quickly trying to shift the conversation. “But since it has been mentioned, if I can start dating, you most certainly can. I’m able to entertain myself for a few hours, why don’t you call Ben and see if he wants to join you for a night out.”

  Rilynne opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t bring herself to turn down the suggestion. After draining the remainder of her wine glass, she finally just nodded and reached for her phone. “I’ll text him and see if he’s free,” she said. “But to be clear, this is not a date. It’s just two friends hanging out.”

  She didn’t know who she was trying to convince more, but Amber didn’t seem to have been persuaded at all. Instead, she seemed quite chipper.

  “Okay, he’s going to come pick be up in about an hour,” she said. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep from feeling a little excited. “We’re going to this place he knows where we can ride go carts and play mini golf. It should be fun. Oh, shut up,” she added when she saw the look of pure pleasure on her mother’s face.

  “Should I bother waiting up?” Amber asked.

  “That depends,” Rilynne said, looking at her suspiciously. “Are you going to want to hear every detail of the evening when I get home?”

  Amber tapped her lips with her finger, as if considering the question. “Yes,” she finally said. “I think that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

  “Then no,” she said quickly. “There’s no need at all for you to wait up for me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You know, Evans,” Matthews said as he flipped the patties over on the grill. “Usually people have house warming parties when they move in, not two months later.”

  “Well,” she paused to try to think of a good excuse. “It took me this long to get everything unpacked,” she finally said. “I really hate unpacking. I was planning on having it last week and make it a New Years party, but I couldn’t get everything ready in time.”

  “It’s a nice place,” he said. “Katy was admiring your arched entryway. She suggested that we put one in. By suggested, of course, I mean insisted. It looks like I have my next weekend project all planned out for me.”

  Rilynne chuckled as she walked toward the small group gathered near the back gate. “Can I get anyone anything?” she asked politely.

  “No thanks,” Jeremy Steele answered. “We just sent Donovan out for more beer and ice, so I think we’re covered here. Have you seen Avery?”

  She quickly nodded. “She’s with Tylers in the kitchen. He was showing her how to make his super secret margaritas.”

  “Of course he is,” Steele said with a note of amusement in his voice.

  “So, the two of them…” she said, unable to find the best way to phrase the question.

  His head bobbed up and down. “A couple months now. She could have done worse. Although, if she wanted to date someone in the department, I would have preferred a lab tech or something. I tried to hook her up with Ben Davis a few months ago, but it didn’t work.”

  “I heard,” she said with a grin as she collected the empty bottles off the table. Steele rejoined the others in conversation while she carried the bottles to the recycling bin on the side of the house.

  “Aren’t you supposed to enjoy the party and take care of the clean up after?” she heard from behind her as she dropped the bottles in.

  “I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to show,” she said as she spun around to face Ben. His tight, pale blue shirt made his flowing hair almost shine. Once again she found herself wanting to reach out and touch it, just to see if it was as soft as it looked.

  “Scarlett asked me to swing by and pick her up on my way,” he explained. “She seemed very excited that you invited her. I’m not going to lie; I was a little shocked by it. I didn’t think you were very fond of her.”

  Rilynne ignored his smirk as she shook her head and walked with Ben back toward the back yard. “No, she’s very sweet,” she said. “And let’s face it, I don’t have many female friends. Did she already go back?”

  “She got a call as we were pulling up. She said she would be a few minutes. You have a pretty big turn out,” he said as they stepped through the gate. “Have I missed anything?”

  “Well, Matthews and Jerkins were fighting over who would do the grilling,” she said.

  “Tell me that Matthews won,” he said hopefully.

  Rilynne chuckled as she nodded. “The wives seem to be gossiping about something, but I haven’t gotten the courage to go over and find out what the juicy subject is yet.”