“Okay,” she said as she nodded in resignation. “I need to text my… friend and let him know I made it safe.”

  “I hope I didn’t ruin your Valentine’s Day,” he said as he glanced down to the red dress she was still wearing. “Although, I’m guessing that I did, as I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”

  They walked out the doors to the awaiting car, the cold air brushing against her exposed skin. “It’s okay. Ben knows how important this is. I’m actually glad that I was out with him when I got your call. I think I might have completely fallen apart, otherwise.”

  “Ben as in Ben Davis?” he asked as he slammed the trunk closed, looking both curious and impressed.

  Rilynne gave him a quizzical look as she slid into the passenger seat. “I take it you’ve heard of him?”

  “I’ve been to several of the forensic lectures he’s spoken at,” he explained. He climbed into the car and turned it on. “I make it a point to keep up with the forensic breakthroughs. I even sent him some evidence from a case we were working on a few months back. Many consider him the top in the field, and I tend to agree.”

  Rilynne couldn’t think of anything to do but smile. “He’s quite impressive. He’s also been a really great friend to me since I moved to Addison Valley,” she explained. “We’ve been through quite a lot together.”

  “How would you feel about sending all of the evidence collected from the scene and off of the body to him for analysis?” he asked as he pulled onto the highway. With almost no traffic on the road, Rilynne knew it shouldn’t take them more than forty-five minutes to reach the station. “I have no doubt that our team here can handle it, but they’re working several other cases right now, and I’m sure you’ll want this to have top priority. He’s also been working on several new procedures, and I want to make sure we have every resource we can on this.”

  “I’ll let him know that everything’s coming,” she said. Though she would never have suggested it, she had been wishing he could have been the one to process everything. She was elated that Wooldridge had proposed the idea himself. “He just finished training an entire shift of new people, so I’m sure he’ll be able to give it his undivided attention.”

  They spent the rest of the drive talking about the different happenings in their lives. It was just after three when they pulled in front of the large hotel that sat adjacent to the police station.

  “Meet me at the station at eight and we’ll head to the coroner’s office,” he said. “I’ll make sure all of the evidence is collected so we can have it escorted to Addison Valley. We should be able to get it out by noon tomorrow if you’ll let Mr. Davis know to be expecting it.”

  Rilynne checked in and took the elevator up to her third floor room. She walked in and went straight to the bed, collapsing out of both physical and emotional exhaustion. It was another half an hour before she mustered up the strength to roll over and reach for her phone.

  “First class?” she asked when he answered. By the sound of Ben’s voice, she had a feeling he hadn’t gone to sleep. “I would have been just fine in coach.”

  “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy first class?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” she joked. “I’ve never been in first class before. It was amazing. It still must have been expensive, though.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he replied coolly. “I have a lot of frequent flier miles. Are you just getting in?”

  “I landed about an hour and a half ago,” she replied. “Wooldridge picked me up and dropped me off at the hotel next to the station. I’m going to meet him there in the morning to go to the coroner’s office.”

  “Good,” he said. “Have you learned anything else?”

  “No,” she stated as she let out a small yawn. “The coroner won’t be in until the morning, and though the forensic team is working through the night, they probably won’t be able to do much until daybreak. However, I did learn that you’re quite famous.”

  “What?” he asked with an obvious tone of shock. “How am I famous?” He paused for a moment before adding, “Does that mean you were talking about me?” She could almost hear his grin as he shifted quickly to amusement.

  “I may have mentioned you,” she said. “But apparently Wooldridge has made a habit of attending your lectures. He’s quite impressed with you. Enough so that he’s suggested that we send you all of the evidence on the case. Are you all right with that?”

  “Of course,” he said without hesitation. “I’ll hand off my cases to our other investigators. When will everything arrive?”

  Rilynne was slightly taken aback by his statement. In the entire time they had worked together, she had never seen him pass off a case to anyone.

  “He said it should be ready to be shipped by noon tomorrow,” she said. “He’s going to have an officer escort it to Addison Valley for you.”

  “Just give me the flight information when you have it and I’ll meet them at the airport. It’ll be easier than making them drive all the way out to deliver it. Do you have any idea what I should be expecting?”

  She paused and thought back to her conversation with Wooldridge. “No,” she said finally. “The only thing he told me is that Christopher’s wallet was found next to the remains. I know that it was out in the woods, though, so I’m sure you’ll have soil samples, his clothes, and any of the belongings that he had on him.” She felt almost as if she were talking about a completely random victim. The moment she realized it, a wave of guilt and sorrow punched her in the stomach.

  “I’ll make sure to get everything processed as quickly as possible,” he said in a reassuring manner. “Is there anything, other than the obvious, that you want me to be looking for?”

  The harder she thought about it, the more numb she felt. Before she knew it, her mind was almost a complete haze. “I can’t think of anything.”

  They sat in silence for several moments before Ben broke it.

  “So Wooldridge is the chief of homicide?”

  “That’s right,” she said, grateful for the change in topic. “I worked under him for close to three years before transferring. He’s a good man.”

  “I wonder why he’s been going to forensic conferences. It isn’t often that I see anyone there other than forensic investigators or students going into the field.”

  “He said that he likes to keep up with the breakthroughs,” she explained. “Like I said, he was very impressed with you.”

  “The feeling is mutual then. I have the utmost respect for anyone who takes the initiative to keep his department informed by making sure he himself is informed. Are you sure you don’t want me to just go up there to examine the evidence?”

  Again she found herself at odds. She knew that having him with her would make dealing with the entire situation much easier, but at the same time she, wanted to do what was best for the case. “You’ll be able to do much more in your own lab than up here. Besides, I don’t imagine I’ll be here for more than a day or two. It isn’t like there’s anything that I’ll really be able to do.”

  “Well, you’ve had a long day. Get some sleep and call me tomorrow when you know the flight information.”

  After hanging up, Rilynne had to force herself to get up and get ready for bed. When she finally climbed under the cool sheets, she fought with herself on whether or not to allow her eyes to close. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to face what her dreams might bring, but on the other hand, was desperate to. After another hour, her body finally took over and she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

 

  Vakey, Jenn, Deception with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Two)

 

 

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