by Vakey, Jenn
“Fine,” he said in a resigned tone. “You will have plain clothed officers posted on your street, and no more camping trips.” She turned toward him to argue, but he cut her off. “That’s non-negotiable. If you really want to argue, I’ll find a reason to lock you up. I’m sure it won’t be difficult.”
She was stunned by his brazen tone and could think of nothing else to do but nod.
“Good, now that we’ve got that out of the way,” he said, dropping down into a chair. “I want Tori Harris’ life torn apart. She was using an alias, which may mean something in her true identity will help us locate her partner. The lab is processing everything she had on her when we picked her up. I also want you to go through the file Mr. Evans provided us with and see if we can find anything in there. You all know what you need to do.”
Rilynne stayed in her seat as she watched the room quickly empty. In a matter of moments, only Wilcome and her father were left.
“I need to go pick up my prescription and grab something to eat,” Rilynne told him. “I’ll be back in about an hour.”
He nodded, although he didn’t seem entirely pleased with the idea.
“I’d like to join you if that’s all right,” her father said. Rilynne glanced at Wilcome who had returned his attention to the file laid out in front of him. If he had any reservations about Douglas’ offer, he gave no hint of it.
“Sure,” she said before turning and walking toward her desk. After grabbing her purse, the two of them headed to the elevator.
“What do you have a prescription for?” he asked curiously when the doors opened.
She waited until they closed again before she answered. “When you’re on the run, going to a doctor is pretty much out of the question. I managed to cut my leg open, and while I did a pretty good job cleaning it and stitching it shut, letting it soak in a puddle while being held in that basement wasn’t really conducive to the healing process. The medics looked at it yesterday and said it looked good, but recommended I get an antibiotic to prevent an infection.”
“You stitched yourself?” he asked with a bemused expression.
“Now you’re starting to sound like Ben.”
He grinned as they stepped back out of the elevator and walked cautiously through the lobby. Luckily, it was still relatively empty, so they were able to make it out without anyone taking notice.
After stopping by the pharmacy, Rilynne decided to drive back to her house to change the dressings. When they pulled into the driveway, she spotted her neighbor, Joe Ackerman, waving her down.
“Hey,” he called out when she stepped out of the car. “I have something for you.” He stuck his head inside the door and returned with a small package. “This came for you a couple of days ago. I signed for it since you were out of town.”
“Thanks, Joe,” she said as he handed her the package.
He smiled warmly before heading back toward his still open door.
Rilynne pulled the padded envelope open as she unlocked her front door and removed a small binder. Something about it startled Douglas because he let out a quick gasp before pushing her into the house and locking the door behind them.
“What?” she asked, looking at him like he was mad.
He pulled the binder out of her hand and flipped it open. She couldn’t see what it held, but the look on his face told her it was nothing good.
“What is it?” she asked, pulling the binder away from him. When she flipped through it herself, she saw her life. There were clippings cut from the newspaper about cases she had worked, pictures of her house, and what appeared to be surveillance photos of her and everyone she was in regular contact with.
“What the hell is this?” she asked, looking back toward her father.
The fear that was now sitting on his face scared her. As he dropped down in the chair opposite the couch, he seemed truly at a loss for words.
Rilynne sat down on the couch and turned her attention back to the binder in her hands.
There were pictures of everyone in the homicide office. The thing that truly startled her about them was the fact that they all appeared to have been taken in front of their homes instead of the station. Someone had been following them. There were even pictures of Katy entering her obstetrician’s office.
As she flipped forward several pages, her heart sank. There were six pages dedicated just to Ben. On the last picture, a giant red ‘X’ had been placed over his face.
“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. She looked up at her father, hoping to find any kind of reassurance, but it wasn’t there.
“It’s a threat,” he said. “It’s just like the one I received. You understand now, don’t you? This is why I left. This is why you have to, too. None of them will be safe as long as they think you’re a danger to them. The only way you can protect your friends is to leave.”
“No,” she said abruptly. She ran her fingers across the picture of Ben as another tear streaked down her face. “I won’t leave him. He risked everything to be with me. I’m not going to repay that by walking away. I won’t walk away from any of them. It won’t keep them safe.”
“It’s the only way to keep them safe,” he insisted.
“Like I was safe?” she asked. She could feel an anger bubbling within her. “Do you really think they will just let it go if I left? Ben looked into your case just to give me answers. Nothing in the world would stop him from looking for me if I left.”
“Then we give them a reason not to look,” he said.
Her mind shot back to the vision she had of her funeral. This was what he was suggesting.
“I’ve seen how that would play out,” she said. “I’ve seen what it would turn him into. He will be consumed by the need for revenge.”
“Then bring him if you must,” he stated. There was frustration in his voice, a pleading. “You just can’t stay here.”
She stood up so fast it caused him to jump in his seat. “I’m not leaving!” she yelled. “I am a homicide detective, and I’m not going to sit back and allow this person to keep killing people because I’m afraid. And you better believe there’s nothing in the world that would make me put mom through that.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but after studying the determined look on her face, he just let out a resigned sigh. “Then the only thing we can do is find the partner before he has a chance to make a move.”
Pacified by his willingness to help, she sat back down.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
He let out another sigh and leaned back in his seat. After several minutes of silence, an idea flickered through his eyes.
“We set a trap,” he said plainly. “And I know exactly what to do.”
Chapter Sixteen
Though Wilcome didn’t seem entirely pleased with the plan, he was glad for any suggestion that didn’t leave Rilynne in the cross hairs.
“Now, you don’t have to actually be there,” he said to Douglas. “All we really need you to do is make the call.”
“Of course I do,” he countered without hesitation. “This has been my life for the last twenty-five years. Do you really think I’m going to miss the finale?”
Wilcome shot a sideways glance to Rilynne. “Now I see where you get it,” he said. Rilynne grinned and he turned back to Douglas.
“Besides,” her father continued. “You don’t have anything on the partner. I can get him to talk.”
“Fine,” Wilcome groaned. He seemed to have realized he didn’t have another option. “You get him to admit to being involved, then you get out of the way. We’ll be ready to move on him as soon as we have what we need.”
Rilynne still wasn’t sold on the plan herself, but Douglas assured her that the vision he had in the car on the way back showed him it would play out exactly like it needed to. He seemed to be so much more in control of his flashes than Rilynne was. She was looking forward to the case being over so she could talk to him about them. She had
always had Amber to talk to, but with her father it was different. He knew exactly what she was going through.
“Evans,” Officer Marcus called out as he stuck his head in the door.
“We’re in the middle of something, Marcus,” Wilcome said.
He hesitated for a moment before taking a small step toward them. “I know, sir,” he said timidly. “It’s just that… her mother is here, sir.”
Rilynne twisted in her seat so fast that she almost fell out of it.
“I’ll take care of it,” Ben said quickly, pushing himself off of the wall and following the officer out of the room.
She watched him leave before turning her gaze to Douglas. He looked even more shocked than she felt. After watching Ben walk out himself, he instinctively started adjusting his shirt and running his fingers through his silvered hair. Rilynne was still watching him when Ben walked back in several minutes later, Amber following closely behind.
Everyone in the room suddenly looked as if they wanted to both leave and watch the encounter play out. Even Rilynne felt uncomfortable as she watched her mother’s eyes find Douglas sitting in the back of the room. He jumped up and offered her an almost terrified smile.
“Let’s take a break,” Wilcome said, pushing his chair away from the table. As he rose, the other detectives followed. “Nice to see you again, Amber,” he said as he stepped past her and led the others out of the conference room. Ben looked like he was considering what he should do, before finally following them back into the office. When he left, Amber reached out and pushed the door shut. Rilynne could tell by the slam that accompanied it that she was angrier than she appeared. Douglas seemed to notice the same thing, because he took an instinctive step back, bumping into the chair that was still behind him.
“Should I…” Rilynne started, but fell silent when Amber held up her hand.
She sank down into her chair, watching her parents stare intently at each other. Neither seemed to know where to start, but she could see they each had a conversation playing out in their heads.
Amber took in a deep breath and finally looked like she was ready to speak her mind, but instead of talking to Douglas, she turned toward Rilynne. “What’s going on?” she asked. “I thought you said the case was closed. This doesn’t look very closed to me.”
“Something came up,” she replied timidly. “It turns out the woman we arrested wasn’t acting alone.”
Amber’s eyes shot quickly to Douglas. As if knowing exactly what she was thinking, he stated, “I’ve been following her for twenty-five years. I know more about her than anyone else does. I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure this case is closed for good. It’s the only way to make sure you’re safe, both of you.”
The anger in her eyes faltered and was replaced by confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked. “It’s been years, but I still know that tone. It’s the same one you had anytime you were going to do something you knew you shouldn’t. You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
He didn’t seem to know how to respond, so Rilynne jumped in. “There is a plan,” she said. Her mother twisted back toward her. “It’s not a great one, but it’s the only thing we’ve been able to come up with.”
“If Harris knew I was onto her, her partner would have also,” Douglas said before Amber had a chance to react. “If he hears I have information to give to the police that will ensure Harris’ conviction, he will likely come after me before I have the chance.”
“You’re going to be bait?” she asked. “What if this partner doesn’t even care that Tori Harris has been arrested? What if he or she knows you have nothing to tie them to anything?”
“Harris is refusing to admit she’s working with anyone,” Rilynne stated. “Even when we offered to take the death penalty off the table, she didn’t budge. She has to care greatly for her partner, which would suggest the feelings are likely mutual. We’ve managed to keep it out of the press that Ben and I were found, so all her partner will know is that she was picked up by the police. With video surveillance of her across town at the time, he will assume that we couldn’t possibly tie her to the murders and it’ll just a matter of time before she’s released. The most he’ll think we can charge her with is filing a false report.”
“That is unless I turn over what I know to the department before then,” Douglas stepped in. “So I’m going to contact him with a deal. If he tells me where I can find our daughter, I’ll turn over the evidence I’ve collected against his partner.”
Amber dropped her bag on the floor and sank down into the closest chair. “This is idiotic,” she said bluntly. “You have no way of knowing he’s even going to consider taking you up on the offer.”
Douglas’ eyes shot quickly to Rilynne. There was a look of guilt in them that was hard to miss. Amber certainly didn’t seem to have a problem spotting it.
“You do know, don’t you?” she asked.
His eyes widened as he looked quickly from Amber back to Rilynne, but she just shook her head, as stunned by her mother’s statement as he was. She had only told her mother about his reappearance, as well as the existence of her new sister. She thought that was enough to share of one day.
“Do you really think I haven’t learned to recognize that look?” she asked. “It’s the exact same one I’ve seen countless times in our daughter’s eyes. She gets it every time she’s forced to make up an excuse for something she knows. So what did you see?”
He looked completely bowled over by what he had just heard, but he answered without hesitation. “He will meet with me,” he said confidently. “He loves her, I can feel it. His love will blind him, making him take risks he otherwise wouldn’t. He wants her back more than anything else right now.”
Amber turned toward Rilynne. There was a pleading in her eyes that she had never seen before. Though she wasn’t asking, Rilynne knew she wanted her to tell him he couldn’t do it. Rilynne also recognized the look of determination that was sitting on her father’s face. If it was anything like the kind she had herself, she knew there was nothing she could say to him that would keep him away from the meeting.
Amber seemed to sense it too, because she let out a resigned groan and turned back toward Douglas. “So what happens next?” she asked. “What happens when this case is over?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged helplessly. “I’ve been chasing her for so long, I gave up thinking about there even being an after. In a lot of ways, it was just too hard to think about.”
She didn’t seem to know how to respond. Rilynne could only imagine what she must be thinking as she sat there in front of him for the first time since her world had been turned upside down.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Rilynne said as she rose from her seat. “I’m sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on, and I need to see where everything is standing right now.”
Neither looked at her as she walked toward the door. When she shut it behind her, she looked back to see them still staring at each other in silence.
“How did that go over?” Ben asked as he walked up and slid his arm around her. She turned away from the door and faced him. She couldn’t seem to find any words, so she just shrugged. He turned and led her back to her desk, his arm still holding her firmly. “I’ll tell you one thing,” he said as he sat down on the corner of it. “Family dinners will definitely be interesting for a while.”
Rilynne couldn’t help but laugh. There had been so much going on that she hadn’t even really considered how her family was going to be changing. Where it had always been just her mother and her, she was now going to have her father… and a new sister.
“I told her about Elise last night,” Rilynne admitted. “I figured I would get everything shocking out in one blow instead of adding more every time we talked.”
“Where is Elise?” Ben asked. He seemed to have forgotten all about her new sister until she mentioned it.
Rilynne shrugged. “He called her and told her to stay put until
everything is done. Harris and her partner don’t know about her, and he wanted to keep it that way. With mom and I here, and Elise in hiding, he’s the only person the partner can go after.”
“Are you sure you’re all right with this plan?” he asked. She started to nod, but the look on his face stopped her. He wasn’t looking for reassurance; he was looking for the truth.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “There’s so much going on right now that I can’t even think straight. I’m in no place to be making decisions of any kind. All I can do right now is trust my team, which I do. I know they will do everything they can to keep him safe. The only thing I do know is I won’t be safe until this whole thing is finished. I honestly don’t see any other way.”
He nodded and brushed the hair out of her face. Though he didn’t seem entirely pleased with the plan, she could tell he was excited with the idea of it being over. She rested her face gently against his hand as her eyes worked their way around his face. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn’t find any words to express everything she was feeling.
As if reading her mind, he leaned down and kissed her gently. Though it was over in a second, it left her feeling like her head and heart were both about to explode.
The moment was quickly stolen as a balled up piece of paper flew toward them, hitting her on the chin. She turned quickly to find Tylers and Steele laughing from their desks.
“That’s enough of that,” Tylers said. Before he could say anything else, though, Ben had scooped up the wad and thrown it back. Although it was a sideways throw, he managed to hit him in the middle of the face.
Rilynne laughed as her eyes swept carelessly around the room. When they passed over the window on the conference room door, they abruptly stopped, along with her laughter. Her change in expression must have been dramatic, because both Tylers and Steele rushed over to see what had happened.
“What is it?” Ben asked, looking at Rilynne.
Her eyes were wide when she turned back toward him, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. When she didn’t offer an explanation, he turned and found it himself.
